Poetry Archive puts American poetry readings online

The Poetry Archive has added “previously unavailable or difficult to obtain", readings by 20th century American poets to its digital catalogue.

This will include 61 recordings from 14 poets including Theodore Roethke, Gwendolyn Brooks and William Carlos Williams.

The Poetry Archive hosts poems and audio readings from British poets such as Dylan Thomas and Ted Hughes and this move follows a deal between the Archive and the Poetry Foundation in Chicago.

Poet Laureate Andrew Motion, who launched the site in 2005 said: “Adding these American voices to the Poetry Archive has been a real revelation to us given the rarity of some of the recordings in the UK, which means we were hearing many of these famous names for the first time.”

The Poetry Foundation, a charity supporting poetry and culture, welcomed the move.

Emily Warn, a representative for the organisation said: "Andrew Motion was one of the first to recognise that the internet is allowing millions of people to experience poetry in its oldest form - as an oral art form.

"Adding recordings of great American poets to the Poetry Archive makes it an even more comprehensive resource for people interested in listening to poetry."