Poetry in the Park - which is a local collective of poets - have been entertaining and enlivening the local cultural scene in Athlone for the past year with their monthly poetry readings in Burgess Park and other locations such as local bogs, streets, and public houses. They are now seeking your support in an application they have made to the Arthur Guinness Projects, Having submitted plans to bring a range of poetry workshops all around Ireland with a host of local and national poets.
The application is entitled Poetry to the People and it is described as a grassroots movement to bring poetry into various communities through a range of quirky and subversive actions and mediums that will challenge people’s perceptions about poetry, how it is delivered, and how we can relate to it. These actions will include open air poetry readings, a 32 county poetry bus tour in 32 days, local community poetry workshops and community publications. Jackie Gorman of Poetry in the Park commented, “We believe poetry is for everyone and it is the common language for the ideas we all wish to express”.
“We want to encourage everyone in our community to have a voice and to find it through poetry. Ireland is renowned for its love of the written and spoken word, we love to tell stories. In a society that is driven by online communication, we wish to re-connect people with each other in reality through community workshops, activities, and readings that will demonstrate the legacy and power of poetry,” she explained.
You can find out more about the project on www.arthurguinnessprojects.com by searchin for Poetry to the People or look for project 2167 in the arts category. Those promoting the project are asking Athlone people to vote for the project on this website as it will really help to further put Athlone on the map for its increasingly vibrant arts scene.
For more information contact Jackie Gorman on (087 ) 7605824. Poetry in the Park takes place the first Sunday of every month at 2pm in Burgess Park. All are welcome to attend and bring along a poem to share or to simply listen. You can find Poetry in the Park on Facebook.
