The Poetry Foundation app

No 8 in a series of reviews of iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad apps useful for English literature and language learning and teaching.

The 'Poetry App' from the excellent Poetry Foundation is a fine free addition to your mobile device. You 'spin' it by tapping or shaking, and perm your poem from two different categories, such as (pictured) Grief and Love - or, say, Nostalgia and Love. Then tap on one of the poems' titles. You can share the poem via Twitter/Facebook/email and save favourites. You can also browse by mood and subject


Some of the poems are from the Poetry Foundation site, some are older out-of-copyright ones. All are high-quality.


A neat facility for English teachers: you could ask pupils to choose their own 'flavour' of poetry, or even trust them to spin the device by shaking it and reading out one of the results.