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Poetry in Motion

Poetry lovers everywhere, rejoice! 21st of March is World Poetry Day.

Declared by UNESCO in 1999, World Poetry Day is a celebration of poetry and poets of all stripes. It aims to promote the reading, writing, and teaching of this millennia-old literary form.

More specifically, WPD encourages a return to the oral tradition of poetry recitals. The popularity of events such as poetry slams suggests that poetry is still very much a living and vibrant mode of expression. One unexpected effect of COVID-19 restrictions is that recited poetry is being heard by a lot more people; witness the number of poetry readings conducted via Zoom (and, not surprisingly, the number of poems about Zoom).

Photo by Trust “Tru” Katsande on Unsplash

World Poetry Day is a great opportunity to discover, or rediscover, the pleasures of what English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge called ‘the best words in the best order’.  You’ll find a good selection of print and e-book titles at QUT Library, from Gilgamesh (an ancient Babylonian epic) to The Great Australian Book of Limericks (not an ancient Babylonian epic).

And check out the Library’s video streaming service, Kanopy, for some excellent poetry-related documentaries and filmed performances.

 

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