Novel in Verse

Novel in verse is a hybrid genre - a style of literature that uses narrative poetry to tell a novel-length story, often through being read out loud. In this film we take a look at narrative poems through history, from the Epic of Gilgamesh to the first Novel in Verse writings of Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Modern writers, such as Kwame Alexander in The Crossover and Jason Reynolds in the Long Way Down use this form to explore contemporary themes of racism and identity.