We begin the week by looking at Pope Francis’s love of poetry and novels and the poetry memorial restored by a hiker.

Pope Francis’ Poetry Inspiration

As we covered last week, in his recent letter, which was translated into eight different languages, Pope Francis has put forward the argument that literature and poetry should not be dismissed as a “minor art” as a result of its ability to stimulate empathy whilst also countering the

The Pope also, however, gave some insight into the type of poetry he found inspirational and where his love for poetry within education came from.

Between 1964 and 1965, the Pope taught literature in an Argentinian Jesuit school. Part of the curriculum involved teaching El Cid, which the students didn’t enjoy, wanting instead to study Garcia Lorca. He allowed them to do this if they read El Cid at home, preferring to engage better with his students by reading what they enjoyed in the classroom.

He cited the likes of the authors C.S. Lewis and Marcel Proust together with poets like T.S. Eliot, Paul Celan and Jorge Luis Borges in his letter as poets he found inspirational.

Memorial to Poet Found in Terrible State by Hiker

A businessman and keen hiker was horrified to recently find a memorial to the poet Edwin Waugh in a terrible state, so much so that he has promised to fund a replacement.

The memorial to the poet, which is located on a hilltop in Stacksteads, was in such a terrible state that a completely new memorial was needed. Matthew Kendall carried it up the hill on his back to ensure its safe delivery.

There has been a well dedicated to Waugh on the moors between Edenfield and Cowpe since 1866. Waugh was a poet and writer famed for his use of the Lancashire dialect in his work. There was also an information board near the well, known as Waugh’s Well, on what remains of Fo’Edge Farm. The location has special links to the poet, who was born in Rochdale, as it was here that he spent many hours writing.

The location of the board is somewhat remote, and Mr Kendall remembers seeing it in 2010, although a part of the bottom section of the frame had fallen off. When he next visited in 2022, he discovered that half the board was missing and decided to replace it, having contacted the Edwin Waugh Dialect Society. It took 12 months before he could complete the task, but the new board includes a detailed map and a QR code to the society’s website.