SPL tipsheets

TAKE SOME POETRY OUT…

“Taking poetry out into the community is sometimes the most effective and satisfying way to reach people who wouldn’t otherwise pick up a poetry book.

In a rural community, such as a group of islands, there’s a variety of ways to do this – starting with the mobile library van...”

Pam Beasant shares ideas for taking poetry beyond your library walls.

Mobile library van

Mobile libraries serve the outer Orkney isles and the more remote parts of the mainland. They are well-stocked and used, and are a lifeline for some isolated parts of Orkney.

The session took place on the island of Shapinsay, a half-hour ferry ride from Kirkwall. It lasted all day, and was tiring, but hugely satisfying.

Preparation

The Library was very open to the suggestion of a poet travelling on the library van. It was especially important to make sure the van driver was agreeable!

Before the day, I prepared individual poems from the SPL collection on A5 card, and put each in an envelope. I chose poems that were very immediate and accessible, and not too long, including:

‘The Old Women’ and ‘Beachcomber’ by
George Mackay Brown
‘Rain’ by Kate Clanchy, in Newborn
‘Sounds of Music’ by Stewart Conn, in The Loving Cup
‘If Only’ by Douglas Dunn, in The Year's Afternoon
‘Bottle Job’ by Eddie Gibbons, in Game On!
‘Yesnaby’ by George Gunn, in Dream State
(2nd edn, ed O’Rourke)
‘Song of Parts’ by Jen Hadfield, in Almanacs
‘Railway Children’ by Seamus Heaney, in
Station Island / ‘Bidie-In’ by Diana Hendry and Hamish Whyte, in Handfast (ed MacGregor)
‘Border Cow’ by W N Herbert in Bad Shaman Blues
‘Clay’ by Jackie Kay, in Life Mask
‘All the Clouds’ by Kevin MacNeil, in Dream State
‘The Sea The Sea’ by Olivia McMahon, in Domestic Verses
‘The World is busy, Katie’ by Richard Price, in Lucky Day
‘Selkie’ by Robin Robertson, in Swithering
‘Milk Teeth’ by Dilys Rose, in Lure
‘Thanks’ by Gael Turnbull, in Twenty of the Best

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The session

We parked at several different spots around the island, including a stop at the primary school. Around forty people visited the mobile library through the day, and each one received a poem. It instigated some long chats about poetry.

It was a fascinating insight into the way the mobile library serves the community. It was obviously much appreciated – and several people enjoyed the novelty of having a visitor wielding poems! Some said that they appreciated the library’s poetry collection coming to them, as usually they have to come into town to join in with anything, and no one takes the trouble to go out to them.

Suggested extensions – taking poetry out and about

  • Poetry can make its presence felt at agricultural shows, town fairs, markets, sports days, car boot sales - any events that take place in the community. This could be with the library van, or from a makeshift stall.
  • It’s effective to have the SPL collection of poetry books on a separate, moveable stand. Mine went all over the place with me!
  • Poetry can be read, and distributed, on buses, trains and ferries, and at airports (with the agreement of the travel companies).
  • Posters of poems are effective, put up throughout a town, not forgetting places such as public toilets (with the co-operation of local businesses and authorities). See Tip-sheet: Bards on the Bog, about poems in public toilets in Shetland.
  • Unlikely places, such as solicitors’ offices and hospitals, are good to invade with poetry. Places that do not usually put up posters, etc, are often persuadable, especially for occasions such as National Poetry Day.
  • People like being given a poem, and it’s worth the trouble of typing up, laying out and printing individual pieces on card (I used A5), putting them in envelopes and giving them out. Presented like this, people feel it is a personal ‘gift’.(Only make one or two copies of each if the material is in copyright, and do not charge for the service.)
  • Themed poems – such as love poems for Valentine’s Day – can be used to great effect – as hand-outs, or as a display.
  • Local radio is a good way to get poetry to the community. They are often looking for features, especially if linked to something of local interest.
  • Local newspapers are often willing to publish press releases and feature poems, copyright cleared!

The sky’s the limit for the possibilities of taking poetry to the people – as long as you are not easily embarrassed!

People are constantly surprised by how accessible poetry is, when they see the evidence in front of them. It’s more effort than formal sessions, where you tend to be preaching to the converted, but well worth it.

Pam Beasant

Poet and novelist Pam Beasant lives and works in Orkney, where she was the first George Mackay Brown Writing Fellow to be appointed in 2007, as well as SPL’s Poet Partner 2007-2009, working with the Orkney Library and Archive to encourage more readers to explore poetry. Her first full-length poetry collection, Running With a Snow Leopard, is published by Two Ravens Press.

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