Poet in Residence
at Shaldon Wildlife Trust

https://www.shaldonwildlifetrust.org.uk/

I am delighted to be poet in residence at the remarkable Shaldon Wildlife Trust in Devon. It is a beautiful, brilliant zoo set in an acre of woodland garden, perched right above the south Devon coast. Hospitable and generous staff make up a remarkable community that runs and supports the zoo, which also runs some amazing conservation programs. My residency has included four public events, a limited edition publication, a BBC feature and more. The new poems I've written are each about the animals residing in Shaldon, from Bintarongs, Lemurs and Loris' to Armadillos, Dart Frogs and Lovebirds. As a Devonian myself, this is a special project for me, connected to the wonderful people which make the county so unique. / See below for videos and photographs from our events in 2024, 2025 and 2026, including many brilliant poets I’ve invited to join me at the zoo. With sincere thanks to Zak Showell and Jo Jabbi for their hospitality and support.

Poetry at Shaldon Zoo : Our final event!
May Saturday 30th 2026 at 2pm

Event is free with standard entrance ticket ww.shaldonwildlifetrust.org.uk/visit-us Ness Dr, Shaldon, Teignmouth TQ14 0HP

Featuring performances of new poems by SJ Fowler, Chrissy Williams and visiting from Norway, Thor Magnus Tangerås and Bård Torgersen

To close out this chapter of what has been a remarkable poet-in-residence program, a special afternoon walking-tour event will feature poets from across Devon and the UK as well as two of the most brilliant contemporary Norwegian writers, visiting for this event. Brand new poems, each dedicated to an animal in Shaldon Wildlife Trust will be read to those very animals (and the human audience). This will be a grand hour of interesting writers and performers celebrating one of the UK’s most charming zoos. Led by Zoo director Zak Showell, who will introduce each animal before their poem is read, please join us on May Saturday 30th at 2pm.

a zed & two o’s : an anthology of poems on the animals of Shaldon Zoo

https://sampsonlow.co/2025/10/16/a-zed-two-os-an-anthology-of-poems-on-the-animals-of-shaldon-zoo/

Published 2025. ISBN 978-1-915505-54-5. A6 Size
28 printed pages. Colour. BUY a zed & two o’s (£3.99 + £1.20 P&P)

My residency at the amazing Shaldon Zoo throws up another highlight!

Shaldon Wildlife Trust is a zoo like no other. Nestled on a hill, a stone’s throw from the sea, in a beautiful corner of South Devon. It is a residence to binturongs, loris’, armadillos and poets. In 2024 and 2025, SJ Fowler, as part of his residency in the zoo, organised a series of walking tour events, inviting poets from across the UK, to read to an audience of various animals. This pocket-sized anthology brings together the best of those new poems, each written for and read to an animal of Shaldon. The anthology also includes an introduction by Zoo director Zak Showell.

Featuring SJ Fowler, Colin Herd, Danica Ignacio, Will Rene, Matt Sokulsky, David Spittle, Vilde Bjerke Torset, Cameron Wade, Eleanor Wilders and Ellen Wiles.

The anthology was launched in London at the Small Publishers Fair in Conway Hall library on October 25th 2025, with readings below.

Poetry at Shaldon Zoo 2025 : November Saturday 8th 2025 (event #3)

A special walking-tour event, Zak Showell led brilliant UK poets Colin Herd, Ellen Wiles, Tom Jenks and SJ Fowler around the wonders of Shaldon Zoo for a memorable afternoon of poetry and conceptual performance. This was also the launch of our limited edition publication from Sampson Low Ltd.

Poetry Walking Tour, event #1 : May 22nd 2024

A brilliant first event at Shaldon Zoo, and one we hope to be an annual tradition. Myself, David Spittle, Amy Cutler and Ellen Wiles performed to and for designated animals around the zoo, doing a walking tour twice over to two sets of audience. It was a brilliant and memorable evening, and especially pleasing for me was the appearance of both Bintarong and Slow Loris as I read to them.

What we have and why we have it (Phasmid and Theraphosidae)

Naming all things the name of all things,
305 newborn stick insects are in a brown glass case.
This is the office.

Each is to be named as a life of animals living longer
on the energy of volunteers.

Each insect alone would wield a fair full camouflage,
but together they are exceedingly visible.

In the next world, the lady that saves us money,
the tarantula. A look, not touch kind of spider.

It will flick it’s hairs like a compliment,
kicking off the soft ends of barbs,
crawling home like a moveable lotus.

Fear or food, it moves in the general direction of The Ness,
but absolutely unable to go that far.

The Viverrid Shuffle (Cassandra)

This Bintarong does not speak English.
The oldest trick in the book, I think.
Musk it speaks. Burning popcorn, deliberately.

Quite a night face. But flopped over a log.
An etched face, a stone night animal,
a happy camper with a fur mask.

Nothing is personal for the the Shaldon Bintarong
except perhaps the knowledge it is yards from a cliff
and the coastal trail to Torquay
and the hills between it and there
full of insects, berries and forgotten non-zoo animal skeletons.

The Bintarong ambles, whisks and airs.
It is the quiet big I am.
It ropes and cats, a sort of bear, and balances, orsonally.
It is long enough from tail to tip to pretend wink.

That’s enough, with the smell, to break visitor hearts
and here at this zoo, fearlessly, the animal is named Cassandra.