Oxford News
Saïd Business School appoints first Poet Laureate
Dr Athol Williams & Professor Mette Morsing, Saïd Business School
Dr Williams, a Senior Fellow of Management Practice in Strategy at Saïd Business School and an established South African poet, will use the honorary position to integrate poetry more deeply into teaching and learning at the School. While Poet Laureates traditionally compose and advocate for poetry linked to an institution, Dr Williams intends to extend the role to support leadership development, arguing that poetry offers a distinctive way of thinking about ambiguity and human connection.
Dr Athol Williams said: ‘Compassion, judgement, connection, are going to become more critical for leaders. At Oxford Saïd we are developing leaders that the world needs, so we need to be developing leaders with these [very human] capabilities. And I think poetry has a vital role to play in that. Great leaders are ones who can relate to other people in meaningful ways. Poetry is a powerful resource that leaders can draw on.’
Compassion, judgement, connection, are going to become more critical for leaders. At Oxford Saïd we are developing leaders that the world needs, so we need to be developing leaders with these [very human] capabilities. And I think poetry has a vital role to play in that. Great leaders are ones who can relate to other people in meaningful ways. Poetry is a powerful resource that leaders can draw on.
Dr Athol Williams
Professor Mette Morsing, Interim Dean, Saïd Business School, said: ‘Poetry in a business school provides a so far under-appreciated, yet rich, vehicle to sharpen perception, strengthen critical thinking and deepen empathy…. Often treated as mere workplace entertainment, [poetry is] undervalued as a catalyst for organisational transformation and innovation. Athol’s own poetry writings and readings are already legendary and full of impact. We are honoured that [Athol] should undertake this role at Oxford Saïd Business School.’
Research has explored links between poetry and leadership, particularly in relation to critical thinking and the capacity to engage with uncertainty. The interpretive nature of poetry – its use of metaphor, ambiguity and layered meaning – can mirror the complexity of real-world decision-making.
Poetry in a business school provides a so far under-appreciated, yet rich, vehicle to sharpen perception, strengthen critical thinking and deepen empathy.
Professor Mette Morsing
Dr Williams added: ‘We often talk about business, about the complexity of the world, ambiguity in the world. And we want our students to embrace that. But what does embracing mean? Reading poetry is an exercise in untangling complexity. A Tennyson poem doesn’t always jump out at you immediately. You’ve got to think about it. And then, as you think, as you piece it apart, as you apply your mind to it, the power of the poem emerges. For me, that’s an exercise with complexity, in dealing with ambiguity, which we don’t have ways of teaching in other ways. I’m seeing poetry, not only for its beauty and inspiration, but also as a contributor to education.’
Dr Williams has published seven poetry collections and more than one hundred poems in literary journals. Since joining the School in 2023, he has incorporated poetry into lectures and events, including an MBA guest lecture on ‘Poetry and Leadership’, and readings at School events and ceremonies.
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The garden has been developed at Folly View Primary School and is designed to support pupil wellbeing, creativity, and personal growth by providing a calming and engaging outdoor space.
Funding for the project was secured through a £1,500 grant from the Tesco Community Grants scheme, made possible by votes from shoppers using blue tokens at the Faringdon store.
Muddy Spades, a local gardening business led by Royston Oxendale, also played a key role in bringing the garden to life by donating plants and building bespoke planters for the space.
Richard Evans, chief executive of Cambrian Learning Trust, said: “This wonderful sensory garden is a testament to what can be achieved when a community comes together with a shared purpose.
“At Cambrian Learning Trust, we are proud to see Folly View Primary School bringing its core values of belonging, kindness, and aspiration to life in such a meaningful way.
“This space will not only enhance pupils’ wellbeing but also inspire curiosity, resilience, and a lifelong love of learning.”
The garden will also support the school’s gardening club, offering pupils hands-on opportunities to care for plants and learn about the environment.
The school has thanked Tesco Faringdon, Muddy Spades, the PTA, and everyone involved in turning the garden into a reality.
UNESCO first adopted March 21 as World Poetry Day during its 30th General Conference in Paris, with the aim of supporting linguistic diversity through poetic expression and increasing the opportunity for endangered languages to be heard.
The heritage organisation said: “World Poetry Day is the occasion to honour poets, revive oral traditions of poetry recitals, promote the reading, writing and teaching of poetry, foster the convergence between poetry and other arts such as theatre, dance, music and painting, and raise the visibility of poetry in the media.”
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This time on Looking Back, we’ve found a selection of fantastic poetry celebrations in Oxfordshire from the year 2014, now 12 years ago.
Language lovers converged for the day of celebration on bookshops, schools, at recitals and conferences.
Take a look back through this Oxford Mail archive gallery to find pictures from a decade ago of World Poetry Day celebrations in Oxfordshire.
We’ve made a gallery of pictures showing all the Oxfordshire spots which have been used for TV and film sets over the years.
Some of the biggest productions filmed here in Oxfordshire include Spectre in the James Bond franchise, which transformed Blenheim Palace in Woodstock into the Palazzo Cardenza in Rome.
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Many period dramas were also created in the county, like the BBC adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall, which was partly filmed at Chastleton House in the Cotswolds.
Cotswolds villages have been repeatedly transformed and used as filming locations for their historical appeal, like the villages of Brill, Broadwell and Castle Combe.
Find all the pictures in this archive gallery of historic Oxfordshire filming locations here.
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