Today”s news features stories from the UK and US. Don”t forget to check back daily for all the latest news in the poetry world.
Philip Larkin – A Fresh Insight into the Life of the Poet
As part of the Hull City of Culture celebrations, a new exhibition has been opened at the University of Hull in the Brynmor Jones Library. The exhibition will celebrate the life of the famous Hull poet Philip Larkin. During his 30-year tenure Larkin oversaw the construction of the library.
To many people Larkin is seen as one of the greatest British poets of the 20th Century, he wrote a number of collections of poetry during his lifetime. He was also offered but declined the position of poet Laureate in 1984.
The exhibition, Larkin: New Eyes Each Year, which takes its name from one of his many poems, opened on 5th July and will run until the 1st October.
The items on display, many of which have never been seen by the public before, offer a unique insight into both the domestic and personal life of the poet and includes ties, novelty tea towels, a collection of Beatrix Potter ceramic figures, and a number of slightly more risqué items. They also include items of clothing; both Larkin’s and those of his muse and mistress, Monica Jones
Jerwood Compton Poetry Fellowship
It seems to be the time of year for awards. One of this year’s £15,000 Jerwood Compton Poetry Fellowship recipients is British Jamaican deaf poet Raymond Antrobus. The fellowship finances the process and practise of making poetry, and those who are capable of making a significant contribution to the world of poetry. Antrobus is a page and spoken word poet as well as being a poetry educator who explores deafness, displacement and language through his work.
Seattle’s First Civic Poet
For Claudia Castro Luna the last 2 years have been spent as combining her knowledge from her early career as an urban planner with her Masters of Fine Arts. Seattle’s first civic poet is wrapping up her 2-year term with a project entitled the Poetic Grid; an interactive map of Seattle that is plotted with place-based poems.
The project includes some of Castro Luna’s own works as well as poems from some of Seattle’ late luminaries; Denise Levertov, Theodore Roethke, and Richard Hugo, however the majority of the poetry has been submitted by amateur poets and even first-time writers. In order to make it to the poetic grid, all of the submitted poems needed to relate to a specific location. The poems touch on a variety of subjects, places and emotions and in keeping with the rich and varied ethnicity of the city some are even written in Spanish and Japanese.
Do any of these news stories or poets mentioned inspire your poetry?
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