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.
