Sorry for using the dog as a prop, but this is a good cause.
Thursday, October the 8th is National Poetry Day. The celebrations in Dumfries have been largely coordinated by the mighty fine national treasure, Hugh McMillan, in association with Dumfries and Galloway Arts Association.
The festivities will be taking place at the Midsteeple, where the Poetry Porch will provide the public with poets-in-residence all day. Should the public not want a poet-in-residence, we will be button-holing them on the street, and in either location we will be handing them Poetry Postcards and Poetry Balloons for free, and reading their, or our, favourite poems. In theory. If someone chooses something their Nan wrote, we're probably going to be stumped. Unless their Nan was Marianne Moore. There will also be a Wall of Words, where everyone is invited to place a poem of their own, plus the Giant Dumfries Poem, to which everyone is invited to add a line or two. In fact, why not read about the day here:
I will be poet-in-residencing for the 11am to noon slot, others appearing include Doug Curran, Hugh Bryden, Betty Tindall, Vivien Jones and Rab Wilson, plus the Laird McMillan of course.
Then we all get together for a reading and w(h)ine at 5pm. Which I am particularly looking forward to, as I'm dashing off to work after my slot and then dashing back.
Hugh is extending National Poetry Day to his personal National Poetry Week, with a breathtaking gig list cunningly detailed here:
If anyone has any brilliant suggestions for short poems with which to astonish and amaze the general populace, whilst engendering a deep and abiding love for poetry, please leave a comment. It's a really golden opportunity to spread the word that this stuff is for everybody!
Three cheers for Shug, by the way.And for Rachel. Further exciting poetry event here:
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