At last! The annual excuse to celebrate poetry returns this Thursday 28th September. It’s National Poetry Day here in the UK. It happens every year, usually in October but this year it’s in September with lots of events happening in our city of culture, Hull. The theme of this year’s National Poetry Day is Freedom.
I’ve started my own tradition of running free to enter poetry events on and around National Poetry Day. Last year I ran a poetry appreciation session in Tynemouth. This Thursday I’ve got two free events: one in North Tyneside and one in Gateshead’s Shipley Art Gallery.
Thursday morning 10am to 11.30am. Words of Freedom. Northumberland Park’s community room, Tynemouth. Free, no need to book.
Thursday afternoon 2pm to 3.30pm. Words of Freedom. Shipley Art Gallery. Free but please book in advance here
I’m encouraging participants to bring along their favourite poems to share by famous and not so famous writers. You don’t have to stick to the theme of Freedom but I’ll only share poems with that theme. These events are NOT creative writing workshops.
In addition to poems, writer Allison Davies will join us in the afternoon session to talk about her play Trade which tours next year and the charity Dalit Freedom Networth UK which fights human trafficking and modern slavery in India https://dfn.org.uk/
Thanks to Fiona Betts of North Tyneside Parks and Ruth Sheldon of the Shipley for helping me organise and promote these events.