National Poetry Day 2001

Q. What is it

A. It's a day to celebrate Britain's very rich poetry tradition and to try to raise awareness of the medium, particularly among younger people, as not just a fossilised art form but as a vital form of expression. The Poetry Society describe it as 'one of the highlights of the cultural calendar, drawing together the media, schools, libraries and arts centres in a celebration of the nation's poetic heritage'.

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Q. How long's it been going

A. Since 1994.

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Q. When is it this year

A. Thursday 4 October.

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Q. What goes on

A. The theme chosen for this year's event is that of journeys. Not just actual journeys but the many different ways in which poetry can transport you to another world, through travelogues, poetic vignettes, voyages through the imagination and the 'journey' of life itself.

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Events are planned all around the country to celebrate poets and poetry by reading, writing, performing and listening.

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Q. Such as

A. Well, there's to be a champagne breakfast in the City of London hosted by Roger McGough, but that'll be invitation only, so hardly an event for the masses.

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In a less exclusive happening thousands of helium-filled balloons bearing poems will be launched from outside The Royal Festival Hall in London, in an exercise to see how far poetry can travel on National Poetry Day - journeys again, you see. Any child finding one of these balloons will be able to call a special hotline so that the organisers can find the farthest-travelled poem. By ringing in they will be able enter their information into the prize draw. Prizes include scooters and books of poetry.

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Many local events are planned, so check your nearest library, bookshop and local paper for details.

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For more on the planned national events take a look at the Poetry Society's site at http://www.poetrysoc.com/

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All throughout the day BBC Radio 4 will be broadcasting poems on the theme of journeys commissioned by Andrew Motion and specially written for the BBC by�14 name poets. They are: 'Needle Work' by U.A. Fanthorpe; 'North-West' by Carol Ann Duffy; 'Gone Fishing' by George Szirtes; 'To Fly In Just Your Suit' by Les Murray; 'North(West)Ern' by Patience Agbabi; 'A Pocket Compass' by Allen Curnow; 'West' by Owen Sheers; 'South-East' by Andrew Motion; 'West-South-West' by Dick Davis; 'The Captain' by Kathleen Jamie; 'South-South-East' by Fred D'Aguiar; 'South-Westernmost' by Michael Donaghy; 'Eden' by Mimi Khalvati; and 'The Sea Clock' by Medbh McGuckian.

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For full details on the works and more about the poets go to

http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/beyond/factsheets/poetbiogs.shtml

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Q. Does it advance the cause of poetry

A. It certainly gives poetry some sort of public forum. However, it's never that well-covered in the press, and by broadcasting to what may already be a largely sympathetic audience on Radio 4 rather than another more populist station means that poetry may not gain many converts that way. The most important strand of the day is getting the message into schools and public places.

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There has been criticism in past years that in fact the emphasis on 'new' poetry and 'modern' subject matter and concerns can detract from the business of 'serious' poetry. The Guardian's poetry critic, Robert Potts, said of last year's event: 'The New Poetry! The New Plain Style! The "New Epic" . . . It takes a peculiar form of cultural amnesia to see everything as constantly "new", whether New Labour (which looks so much like the old SDP) or BritArt (with its debts to Duchamp and a host of European artists of previous decades). But "new" is the selling point par excellence in a consumer culture obsessed by novelty and low on concentration.'

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However, as he conceded, something is better than nothing.

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For more on Arts & Literature click here

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by Simon Smith