This anthology presents the set selection of verse and prose pieces for Learners entering LAMDA Graded Examinations in Communication: Speaking Verse and Prose from Entry Level to Grade 8, and LAMDA Introductory Graded Examinations from Stage 1 to Stage 3 (Solo and Group).

The collection includes 155 pieces in total: a range of celebrated poems alongside prose extracts from bestselling classic and contemporary novels. It also features original material written specifically for this anthology, including the winner and runners-up of LAMDA Learners' Poetry Prize 2023. Also included is a foreword by Joseph Coelho, Waterstones Children's Laureate 2022–24.

For Learners taking LAMDA Examinations, this anthology offers a wide choice of themes, topics and worlds to explore. With many performance possibilities, it is a perfect resource to help Learners practise and develop their communication skills. For the general reader, it is the ideal starting point for discovering contemporary poets and novelists, such as Maya Angelou, Malorie Blackman, Sally Rooney and Michael Rosen, as well as reconnecting with celebrated writers of the past, including Jane Austen, T. S. Eliot and William Wordsworth.

'A very valuable selection of poems and prose pieces for those studying and presenting performance work... Even if the student does not intend to take an examination with Lamda, they will be enjoyable and inspiring to practise and perform and to develop ability to savour language of poetry and narrative. They will also be invaluable to teachers seeking appropriate pieces for Speech and Drama Festivals'