Next Thursday is National Poetry Day, and Blackpool Central Library is hosting a number of events under the Wordpool banner.
First up is a poetry workshop, entitled Always in My Heart and hosted by altBlackpool’s own David Riley and Vicky Ellis. Would-be poets will take their inspiration from the memorial plaques on benches in Stanley Park.
David explained: “The memorial benches have very different inscriptions and are obviously something deeply felt for many people. They inspired one of my first poems to be published a few years ago and can be a way into memories of all sorts.
“It is these memories that Vicky and I, as co-facilitators of the workshop, want people to explore on the day. There are all sorts of things to do with memory, many of them quite happy and we want to get at these. We’ll be reading some poems, thinking about memory and letting people do some writing on the day. Prompts will include images from some of the memorial benches, which explore a host of things.”
Always in My Heart runs from 10.15am-12.15pm. Cost is £1 including refreshments. Pre-booking essential.
From 1.30pm-2.30pm, Walking on Wyre is presented by Lancashire Dead Good Poets’ Society with special guest Sarah Hymas. This project is funded by Arts Council England and supported by LeftCoast. Admission £1 with refreshments.
Poems and performances by the Live Poets and Poetry People, entitled Remembrance, will be held from 3pm-5pm at Central Library. Admission £1 with refreshments
The day finishes on a high, when poet and competition judge Polly Atkin announces the winners of the first Wordpool Poetry Competition at an event which will run from 6pm-8.30pm. More than 100 entries were received from across the country and Polly has had a tough task to pick a winner. She will announce a long list and short list, plus highly commended – and even a special Blackpool category – before the overall winner is revealed.
Winning poems will be read aloud, followed by a coach trip through the Illuminations tableaux, including a special stop for the switch on of the winning poem Illumination. This event costs £5 and includes hotpot and a coach trip – pre-booking is essential.
All events can be booked at Blackpool Central Library or by phoning the library on phone 01253 478080.
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