In today”s poetry news round-up we take a look at the poet’s tombs which are to be rebuilt, the Hogmanay celebrations in Edinburgh, and finally, we have an article about more poetry on buses.
Pashto Poet’s Tomb to be Rebuilt by Afghan Government
The president of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani, recently ordered the appropriate government department to rebuild tombs of some of the country”s most famous Poets.
The first tomb, that of the Pashto poet Hamid Mashokhel, is located in Peshawar, which is in Pakistan. The second is the tomb of Hazrat Mirza Qadir Bedil, the Persian poet buried in New Delhi, India.
The tombs are to be rebuilt using funding from the Afghan government.
Hogmanay Celebration Begins with Letters Projected on Edinburgh Landmarks
2019 sees the return of the Messages in the Skies project in Scotland. Letters that celebrate some of Scotland’s many ties to Europe will light up buildings all over the city of Edinburgh.
These love letters to Europe have been written by six different writers, who are either based in Scotland or who are Scottish. These writers are playwrights, authors and poets. Their work will be beamed onto six different buildings in the capital each night as part of this year”s Hogmanay celebrations.
Each letter represents a celebration of the shared history or connections both social and cultural that Scotland has with the continent. They will be beamed on to The National Monument of Scotland, which is located on Calton Hill, Leith Library, Tech Cube at Summerhall, Bongo Club which is in Cowgate, Hunter Squares Tron Kirk and the Leith Custom House on the shore.
The chosen buildings will be lit up each evening from dusk until 10pm everyday until 15th January. The project has been developed as a result of a partnership between the Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature and the Edinburgh International Book Festival.
Amongst the subjects explored in the letters are the experiences of a second-generation immigrant who moved to Edinburgh as a child, the Myths and legends of Europe, Scotland’s relationship with mainland Europe, and, in particular, archaeological discoveries that have been made. One of the pieces which pays special attention to language features words translated into both Scots and a number of different European languages.
William “Billy” Letford is the Scottish poet responsible for the letter that will be projected onto Leith Library. His piece discusses the nostalgia of a past love, someone who in his youth he spent time exploring Italy with.
More Poetry on Buses
It would seem that everywhere is getting in on the idea of promoting poetry on the sides of buses and San Francisco is no exception.
Passengers waiting for a Muni bus in the city were treated in 2018 to the paintings and sketches that they were used to, and, for the first-time, poetry.
The works displayed included lines from poems by Juan Felipe Herrera, the former U.S. poet laureate and the former poet laureate of San Francisco Diane di Prima. The poetry proved to be very popular and the city will shortly be announcing the new works that will appear on the sides of the buses in 2019.
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