Today’s poetry new round up takes a look at the Bob Dylan Centre First Artist-in Residence, the farm linked to Robert Burns and why Amanda Gorman prepared for a shooter during the inauguration ceremony last year in the US.

Joy Harjo Named as Bob Dylan Centre First Artist-In-Residence

The current US poet laureate Joy Harjo is now the inaugural Artist-In-Residence at Bob Dylan’s Centre in Tulsa. The centre is due to open in May this year and the tenure will be a total of six years. Harjo who is not only a Tulsa native but also a member of the Muskogee Nation will be responsible for presenting live performances and educational programs as well as curating some special exhibitions for the centre.

Harjo has been specifically selected for the role. Her background as a musician, poet, author, and playwright brings together exactly what the centre is all about and the goals that that are hoping to achieve in the future through the inspiration they want to offer to the next generation of artists. Joy Harjo is delighted to have been offered the role and is hoping that it will allow her to extend the legacy that has already been created by Bob Dylan in the community.

Ellisland Farm, Dumfries “Most Authentic” Site Linked to Robert Burns

A new study that has been carried out on the farm in Dumfries where Robert Burns lived, revealed that it was somewhere he was more involved in than was previously thought. Burns, in fact, built more of the property which makes it a truly “authentic” part of his life.

The study was carried out by Dr William Napier, an Architectural historian. He believes that if Burns were to walk through the gate of the farm in the present day, he would in fact recognise it as the farm he was responsible for establishing.

The study which cost £12,000 was announced last year and funded by Historic Environment Scotland. In addition to the discovery about Burns involvement in the site it was also discovered that the site which is of significant historical interest is in need of significant repair work to the tune of £500,000.

Whilst he was living at the farm Burns wrote some of his most famous pieces, including a number of poems about nature which were inspired by the surrounding landscape. There were a number of newer buildings added to the farm after Burns had left however the main structure remains much as it would have been in the poet’s day. The study confirmed that the stable, barn and byre would also have been the work of the poet, it was previously believed that he had only been responsible for the farmhouse. This means that the properly is as authentically as it would have been in the time of the poet, and this makes it the building associated with the poet that is the most like it would have been during his lifetime.

Be Ready to Die

A year on from the inauguration of Joe Biden as the President of the United States, the poet Amanda Gorman has revealed that she practised for an active shooter scenario before the ceremony.

One of her friends recommended that she buy a bullet proof vest whilst another warned her that she should be “ready to die.” These revelations have come to light in an essay that Gorman penned that explains why she was so terrified of reading The Hill We Climb.