I am a member of Write Out Loud, an organisation bringing poetry to the masses. Sometimes the masses don’t want poetry, but we bring it to ’em anyway.
In practical terms, what this means is I check the website every day and enter all free competitions. I was a regular at the Stockport monthly WOL meeting until last year, but life got in the way; as well as my fear of reading my writing out loud. Then Julian Jordan, the WOL founder and a very nice man, guilted me into attending the June meeting, and I enjoyed myself so much I am confident I will once more be a regular.
Write Out Loud have meetings all over the country. The aim is simply to encourage poetry performance, and everybody is welcome. I keep a link in my blogroll, so check it out.
WOL works in creative partnership with Bolton University, which is where the title of this post comes in; I’ll let Julian explain:
One day, perhaps all towns will be like Bolton, which had an original poem on display in each of 36 town-centre shops, cafés, hairdressers and the theatre, so as to bring poetry to a wider audience. It was all part of a town-wide arts festival running from 15-21 June […] The poems were selected from 175 total entries submitted by members of the Write Out Loud website online poetry community which was created in Bolton in 2006. Though most are locally-produced, displayed work comes from as far afield as Chicago…
Other arts stuff was going on, of course; but I am a self-absorbed poet (aren’t we all?) so I was only interested in the fact that three of my poems were selected. I dragooned the Hub and Spud on Thursday afternoon so we could check them out. I know many of you can’t make it to Bolton, or travel back in time, so here is a mini-trail, created especially for you:
Sigh. As usual, my techneptitude slaps my self-promotion into place. Picture no.12 should read:
12. Finally, pose with the warm and friendly man, Ishtiaq: Amore furniture store manager, who offered us tea, coffee and discount on anything we buy, as well as professing to love my poem. The treasure at the end of the trail!
And the tapestry photo should read:
9. Stop to admire the art work.
What a great idea Bolton had; it gave me the best day out I’ve had in ages.
UPDATE: If you can’t read the poems in the photographs and would like to, click on this link.
Related articles
- http://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=30246
- http://www.writeoutloud.net/comp/listbat.php
- http://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=29488
- http://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=29502
- http://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=29497
The Laughing Housewife 
What a day. Great concept. Good for you, TB!
LikeLike
Poetry is meant to be read out loud.. great post and love the photos 🙂
LikeLike
Most of it, I agree; but some is better on the page. I say that with a vested interest, because I like writing visual poems.
LikeLike
Yes I get that because I dio too.. or did when I was writing poetry.. photography has taken over
LikeLike
You should write poems to accompany your photos.
LikeLike
No time Tilly!!
LikeLike
You can think about them while you’re taking pictures.
LikeLike
Takes me a bit more effort than that Tilly!..
LikeLike
Not at all! Write them in your head; keep a notebook and pen in your camera bag; jot them down.
LikeLike
Not at all! Write them in your head; keep a notebook and pen in your camera bag; jot them down.
The time you’ve spent discussing this with me, you could have started one 🙂
LikeLike
I was editing photos while I was discussing this 😀
LikeLike
😀 😀
LikeLike
What fun. Love those elephants, Tilly, and of course the pics of you “beaming.” xxx
LikeLike
I agree! You look so happy!
LikeLike
Great day out! I can’t read all the poems, but like what I can see – especially the bed poem!
LikeLike
do you know about Poems in the Waiting Room? A friend has had some work published with them…
http://www.poetrysociety.org.uk/content/archives/healthcare/inthewr/
LikeLike
I do; I always pick one up if I’m at the doctor’s. The last one I read said there may not be any more because they were losing their funding 😦
LikeLike
Tilly’s verse
Always terse
Everyone knows
Equals her prose
Both excel
And cast a spell
And those who read
Must concede
She has no peer
Far or near.
LikeLike
Oh, Al…you do know the way to a girl’s heart 🙂
LikeLike
How wonderful – congratulations!!!
LikeLike
What a good idea this Write Out Loud is. We just have Poetry Slams which are great, but few in San Antonio which is not noted for its contemporary arts (it’s getting better, though) although we’re great at folk art. Austin is really the art place to be and I miss it terribly. I’m so glad you’ve found your outlet.
LikeLike
Poetry seems to be on the rise in Britain 🙂
LikeLike
That was wonderful, I love your top that you wore, I have a summer dress with a similar pattern. You looked very chic in it. I’m glad that the gentleman guilted you into attending, we all need a push sometimes however it may occur. Your men must be very proud of their Tilly Bud.
LikeLike
I love that top but I hardly wear it because it’s swirly and inconvenient 😦
LikeLike
Please slow the rotating photo show. I got cross-eyed reading it. Sorry you had to pressgang Hub into taking you somewhere to do something with elephants. Say what?? Dianne
LikeLike
you can hold the show by the control ‘buttons’
LikeLike
PS I wondered where those Republican elephants went when Obama was elected.
LikeLike
😀
LikeLike
Good to see poetry in places.
😆
LikeLike
Congratulations. I liked your holocaust poem, the line a journey to nowhere had real resonance. 🙂
LikeLike
PS. I wonder if those elephants are the same type as the ones that we once found roaming Norwich. 🙂
LikeLike
Do tell! I haven’t heard about that.
LikeLike
Here’s a link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/anmphotography/5586439460/. They were designed as a fundraising project, I wondered if the Bolton ones were too. 🙂
LikeLike
How gorgeous!
LikeLike
Not a poem person …. but I enjoyed you slide show .. great photos.
LikeLike
Who’d have thought Bolton would be so inspired? Great notion.
LikeLike
Very cool, congratulations! I love your photo captions, by the way…
LikeLike
Thanks 🙂
LikeLike
Excellent outing Tills! 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks Elizabeth 🙂
LikeLike
Never heard of WOL, Tilly, must look them up!
May I say you look amazing in these pictures? Or is that just too complimenty for TLH?
LikeLike
Too inaccurate! I winced when I first saw them.
LikeLike
Congratulations on your selections!
‘Sometimes the masses don’t want poetry, but we bring it to ‘em anyway.’-Militant poetry, I like it!
LikeLike
😀 😀 😀
LikeLike
It is such a great idea, Tilly. I loved this post, but why no link to the poems that you submitted? (I can’t read fast enough on the slide show :))
LikeLike
On the following day’s post I included a link to the poems, because of similar (justified) complaints.
I’ll include it in this post as well.
Thanks.
LikeLike
“Sometimes the masses don’t want poetry, but we bring it to ‘em anyway.” I love that!
LikeLike
Thanks 😀
LikeLike