Poem Size

Some poems want to be read up close. In the Stanza app, you can change how large poems appear on the Stage, so every piece is comfortable to read on your screen.

How it works

On a phone-sized screen, the Stage shows one poem at a time, and Stanza fits each poem to the space available up to a calm reading size. The poem-size slider lets you raise or lower that size.

Changing the size

1. On the Stage, tap the poem you're reading.
2. A slim, dotted slider appears along the right edge of the poem.
3. Drag up to make poems larger, or down to make them smaller. A small readout shows the size in points as you move.
4. Tap the poem again to hide the slider.

The slider has steps from 16 to 34 point. The default is 18 point, and you'll feel a firmer tick when you land back on it.

What changes and what doesn't

• It's your setting, not the poet's. Changing the size only affects how poems look to you. The poet's layout, font and colours stay as they chose.
• It applies across the Stage. The size you pick carries from poem to poem.
• Long poems scroll. If a larger size means a poem no longer fits on one screen, it scrolls, so nothing is cut off.
• Swiping still works. Dragging on the slider changes the size; swiping anywhere else moves to the next poem as usual.
• It's saved with your settings, so it's there next time you open the app.
• Spoken pieces without written text don't show the slider, because there's nothing to resize.

For screen reader users

The slider is announced as Poem size, with its current value in points, and you can adjust it with your screen reader's usual gestures.

Other ways to read comfortably

• Text size and contrast: Settings › Accessibility offers broader options for text size, contrast and motion across the whole app.
• Reading a single poem: open a poem on its own page for a distraction-free view with its letters and notes.