It’s National Poetry Day !

Today, on the 6th of October 2016, the National Poetry Day takes place and celebrates poetry and all things poetical. The annual mass celebration is an initiative of the Forwards Arts Foundation charity. They celebrate poetry and their aim is to widen its audience and bring together leading poetry, literacy and literary organisations around a shared purpose. This purpose is to promote, discover and share the enjoyment of poetry. Anyone can put on an event in celebration of National Poetry Day and it can be in any shape, size, by individuals, groups or even organizations. All of the events are free and can be found on a map on their website here. The National Poetry Day was founded by William Sieghart in 1994 and has engaged people reading, writing and listening to poetry.

This morning Prince Charles read the poem “The Shipping Forecast” by Seamus Heaney, who also contributed to our magazine in the past, on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme in honor of National Poetry Day. As many others, the Prince of Wales greatly admires poetry and especially the works of the poet Seamus Heaney.

The public responds to the National Poetry Day and its slogan “say it with a poem” with an outbreak of verses on railway stations, pubs, post offices, playgrounds and much much more.

image credit: Alan Howard