This week we begin our poetry news round up with a look at a celebration to honour Vladimir Mayakovsky. We also have the poet signed up to Picador and the fashion label combining poetry and streetwear.

127^th Birth Anniversary of Vladimir Mayakovsky Observed

The Russian Centre for Science and Culture, which is in Dhaka, celebrated the 127^th anniversary of the birth of the Russian poet Vladimir Mayakovsky last week. The celebrations all took place via an online platform.

The celebrations were open to the students of the RCSC, a Russian language programme and those who have an interest in Russian culture.

A video presentation on the life and work of Mayakovsky was shared by Zahid Reza Nur, a journalist and translator from Kuban State University.

Born on 19^th July 1893 Vladimir Mayakovsky was a leading 20th-century poet who was responsible for creating a completely new style of poetry in Russian literature. He died on 14^th April 1930.

Participants in the event read selected poems by the poet and gave their views on both him and contemporary literature. There was also a virtual exhibition titled “Vladimir Mayakovsky in photographs”.

Picador Signs up Antrobus

The publishing house Picador has snapped up the latest collection of poetry by Raymond Antrobus at a multi-publisher auction.

The book, which was written by the 2019 winner of the Rathbones Folio Prize, is due to be published in paperback in autumn 2021. The collection which is yet untitled is a selection of poems that are deeply personal and intimate. They travel between the Caribbean, America, Africa, and England. It takes a look at the ancestry of the poet and the impact of violence linked to colonialism.

Antrobus was named as the first poet to ever be awarded the Rathbones Folio Prise in 2019 for the best work of literature from any genre. He has also won a Ted Hughes poetry prize, the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award, and the Guardian Poetry Book of the year 2018 prize.

Arabic Poetry and Streetwear Combine for New Clothing Brand Launch

LovelyClosely is a clothing label that mixes Canadian street style with the poetry of the Middle East in a completely new perspective. The concept of the idea came from Taha Yousef, who sees it as a fitting way to honour his heritage. He was raised in Sharjah, and Toronto the city he now calls home.

Growing up, he realised that the feelings towards those in the Middle East were rather negative and little was known about the rich cultural heritage of the area. He set about putting together his own clothing brand which would combine the two things.

He wove imagery and phrases into his designs, creating oversized tracksuits and baseball shirts with Arabic wording and “The Sun rises in the East” on them. Since the company launched in 2018, they have grown and now have a regular following.

His most recent collection takes its inspiration from “Conference of the Birds” which was written in 1177 by Attar of Nishapur. The work is regarded all over the world as a masterpiece of Persian literature.