Commissions
Arji has written for ads, corporate events, family gatherings and live shows.
A good poem will bring your thoughts together.
A good poem will shift thinking.
The right words in the right order will stick with your audience forever.
Whatever your aim, whoever your audience, let’s work together to write a piece that represents YOU.
Companies I have written poems for include:
Biography
Arji Manuelpillai has appeared on Radio 2 and Radio 4 several times. His uncompromising style has earned him the role of Poet in Residence at many festivals and heritage buildings including National Memorial Arboretum, Warwick Canal Boat Hire shop and Sea Containers Hotel.
Arji continues to write poems for some of the biggest brands in the world, redefining how language can affect change.
Good writing can be the difference
-
For social change
A good poem has the power to raise awareness. It can put the spotlight on an organisation like nothing else. I’ve been commissioned by countless organisations to create poems to make a real, sustainable change.
-
For a community
I’m passionate about working with the community. Over the years I’ve done countless commissions which allowed me to speak and collaborate with a local community. These led to the creation of booklets, podcasts or videos.
-
For your product
Whether it be an advertisement or a welcome film, a good poem can make the difference.
-
For a special event
Whether it is a speech, poem or a podcast script I’m a writer who loves to collaborate with a client to create the writing that captures how you feel.
Poem for Social Change
I’m always interested in creating poems aimed at raising awareness about a particular issue. That often means research and conversation through discussion and debate. It ends in a poem like the one on the right.
This poem was commissioned by Kazzum Arts for Refugee Week. It begins to unravel some of the difficulties facing young migrants in the UK today.
It has been watched by over 10,000 people including viewings within over 28 schools and in Parliament.
I’ve written for companies including UNICEF, Praxis community projects, Shakespeare’s Birthplace Trust and Coram.
A Poem for Royalty
In 2025 I was commissioned by The National Memorial Arboretum and Her Royal Highness Princess of Wales to produce a poem for Armistice Day.
It focussed on love, kindness and connection, which was important to The Princess of Wales and I.
The poem was viewed more than 1 million times worldwide, it was watched on Good Morning Britain, BBC and ITV news. It was also broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and Radio 2. Finally it was mentioned in 536 news articles world wide, 312 of which printed the poem.
Poem for your product
Poems take complex issues and break them into their simplest forms. That’s why I’ve written poems for companies including Head and Shoulders, UNICEF and The Sea Containers Hotel.
In the example to the right Arji was commissioned by Breathe Arts Health Research to write a poem that captured some of their great achievements for their ten year anniversary.
This poem received press coverage and was used to secure funding for the future.
