Today on My Poetic Side we take a look at the special plans for the expansion of the Wordsworth Museum. We also have the historic visit of the Prince of Wales to Cuba and finally the winner of this years Walt Whitman Award.
Expansion for Wordsworth’s House and Museum
William Wordsworth served as Britain’s poet laureate until his death in 1843, his poetry is still much loved all over the world, and Dove Cottage where he lived in the Lake District is a very popular tourist attraction.
The Wordsworth Trust who oversee the property and also the Wordsworth Museum just outside the village of Grasmere have been responsible not only for the upkeep but also expansion plans over the years.
They have recently unveiled plans to make further improvements to the overall visitor experience with an expansion to the galleries and also an introductory exhibition. They also plan to restore the cottage so that it appears more as it would have been when the poet was alive.
These plans don’t just apply to the buildings, they are also planning to open up the wooded area and promote walking trails. Wordsworth was drawn to the area through his love of walking.
The plans that The Wordsworth Trust have are significant, but this year marks
the 250th birth anniversary of Wordsworth, and they are hoping to
ensure that the anniversary in April 2020 is extra special.
Cuba’s National Hero Honoured by Prince of Wales
In a historic visit, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall are in Cuba for what is the first royal visit to the country.
Their tour began at the large open-air monument to Jose Marti, where Prince Charles stood in quiet reflection for a few moments. The royal couple then laid a wreath.
The visit is being billed as a historic one for relations between the two countries and the opportunity to forge closer ties.
The visit was completed with a tour of the museum that is dedicated to Marti – the museum is located inside a monument that is over 100 meters tall and dominates the skyline of Havana.
Marti was a poet of some significance both in Cuba and in Latin American literature in general until his death in 1895. He wrote 27 books which included political works, literature and journalistic writings.
Walt Whitman Award Won by Leah Naomi Green
The Walt Whitman Award, named after one of the greatest writers produced by America, has been won with a debut poem from the North Caroline poet Leah Naomi Green.
The announcement was made on Monday by the Academy of American Poets. This is an award for an emerging poet and has a prize of $5000. The winner also gets an all expenses paid, residency in Civitella Ranieri Centre which is in Umbria, which lasts for six weeks.
Green has already had a couple of items published and currently works in a teaching capacity at Washington and Lee University.
The Walt Whitman Award was established in 1975, and the previous winners have included Alberton Rios and Jenny Xie.
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