CaRT appoints Canal Laureate
So, taking a break from thinking about boats for sale, I just read about the Canal and River Trust partnering with the Poetry Society to appoint a Canal Laureate. Jo Bell is perfect for the role because she’s a liveaboard narrowboater, and a very active poet. The former archaeologist is now the Director of National Poetry Day. She writes and performs poems, manages projects, runs workshops, writes articles, edits publications and much more.
Jo’s aim is to bring a new perspective to the waterways and get people to view their local canal or river in a new light. She’ll be raising awareness and appreciation of the canals with community workshops, performances and blogs. Yorkshire poet Ian McMillan has also written a new poem called ‘Canal Life’ to celebrate the launch of the Trust.
The wildlife and history of the canals have always inspired me to write, and I guess that’s why now I write several different blogs about boats, boating and canals. But in a previous life I too was a poet, writing quirky performances pieces such as ‘Pump My Bilge’, and ‘Boatrockin Weekend’. That’s why I was pleased to discover Jo Bell’s blog some time ago, where I will be appearing soon with my guest post: a poem called ‘The Boatman’.
A group of artists and poets are also working with members of the public and Canal & River Trust craftsmen to carve poetry into four locks during repair works. This project is called Locklines. It also involves Jo Bell and has it’s own blog at www.locklines.org.uk
If you like the combination of poetry and water try following @CanalPoetry @poetrysociety and @canalrivertrust on Twitter. We’ll be there too, tweeting as @BoatshedGU
Image credit: The Bell Jar blog. – Jo Bell
You may also like:
Living on a Boat: The Boatshed Guide (free) / Tom and Dale Row the Grand Union / Back to School on the Canals / A slideshow of our boat of the moment./Blog Archive
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