AI Powered Poet Museum/Poet’s Church For Sale/ CLPE Award Shortlist – Poetry News Roundup May 13th

Another week begins on My Poetic Side, with a look at an AI-powered poet museum, a church with a poetry link that is for sale and the shortlist for the CLPE award.

AI-powered Mehmet Akif Ersoy Musuem Opens

Students at the Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University in Turkey have created an AI powered musuem with a 3D representation of the poet Mehmet Akif Ersoy. The representation allows visitors to explore the poet through his life, and work and interact with him on a number of different topics.

The museum, which is situated in the university rectorate building, offers the opportunity to “chat” with the poet, who is sometimes referred to as the “poet of independence”. They may ask any questions that they might be curious about.

The museum also has a collection of his poems and books on display alongside a number of photographs of the poet and his family. There are also several different compositions of the Turkish National Anthem that they can listen to.

The museum was created by a number of students at the university who worked alongside one of the professors from the Faculty of Art and Design. There was no voice recording of the poet that they could work with to create the AI character, so they have had to take some liberties with this, which they hope are in keeping with how the poet would have sounded. The visual representation of the poet was first created as a wax sculpture, being transferred into 3D with hair and clothing being added through 3D software programming.

Church Linked to Welsh Poet and Hymn-Writer under Threat of Sale

A church in Llanfihangel-yng-Ngwynfa where the body of Ann Griffiths, the Welsh hymn-writer, is buried is the subject of a disagreement over a decision to put it up for sale.

The church building is listed for sale at £30,000. However, a petition which has been signed by over 1200 and submitted to the diocese has seen the sale paused. They have agreed to put the plans for the auction of the building on hold for a full year in order for discussions to take place.

The church was built in the 1860s and closed in 2020 because around £200,000 of structural repair work was needed.

Griffiths, who died age 29 in 1805, is arguably one of the most significant Welsh hymn writers She was baptised and married in a church that stood on the site where the current church stands. However, this church was built six decades after she died. The sale of the church and its land included the retention of public access to both the churchyard and her memorial.

CLPE Shortlist Announced

The 2024 Centre for Literacy in Primary Education Poetry Award (CLiPPA) shortlist has been announced, and this year it is dominated by independent publishers.

The prize, which has a lengthy list of past winners including Michael Rosen, Carol Ann Duffy and Joseph Coelho showcases the best of children’s literature and poetry. The judging panel this year is chaired by the poet Liz Berry.

The winner will be announced on 12th July by Chris Riddell, the former Children’s Laureate, in a special ceremony, which will include performances of some of the shortlisted works.



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