National Poetry Day

National Poetry Day 2015 is on Thursday, October 8th. Each year, the Scottish Poetry Library produces a set of poem postcards for National Poetry day.  They’re distributed to participating public libraries and schools and other venues around Scotland, for readers to pick up free.

Earlier in the year I was contacted and asked if I would be happy for my little fox scraperboard image to be used on one of the cards.   I’m especially happy, seeing it now (in orange!) with the poem by Robin Fulton Macpherson.  The theme this year is Light – the full poem can be read at the Scottish Poetry Library, and here are the other postcards.

This year I’m going to follow their advice and celebrate the day, and the days from now until the 8th October – I have a feeling it might take me longer than five minutes but here are their suggestions:

1.  Read a poem in your coffee break

read a poem about Light, right now

2.  Share a poem

search for a poem on the Scottish Poetry Library website and share it on your Blog, or Twitter, like on Facebook or just email a link to a deserving friend.

3.  Put up a poem poster

Print off a poem of one of the National Poetry Day poems and pin up

4.  Plan for poetry

Use five minutes to plan how to start spending more time reading, or writing, poems

5.  Memorise a poem

Learn a poem by heart

Do visit the website, or even revisit a favourite poem perhaps – I have a little book, which I’ve had for years, with a beautiful cover (showing a bear scratching a tree) and a gold braided page marker (worn) – called Animal Poems.  I’m going to learn by heart  ‘The Darkling Thrush’ by Thomas Hardy, but I’m starting with ‘The Donkey’ by G K Chesterton – listen to how it starts …

When fishes flew and forests walked
And figs grew upon thorn,
Some moment when the moon was blood,
Then surely I was born;

Happy Poetry Day!

PS:  You can pick up a set of postcards from the Scottish Poetry Library or contact them on 0131 557 2876 for posting.