THERE is no Frigate like a Book
To take us Lands away
Nor any Coursers like a Page
Of prancing Poetry--
This Traverse may the poorest take
Without oppress of Toll--
How frugal is the Chariot
That bears the Human soul.
Emily Dickinson
A poem learnt by heart belongs to you. It is something you can hug to yourself; it is a light in the darkness. We don't read poems because, like bran flakes, they're good for us; we read them because we love them - and if you haven't yet found a poem you really love, keep looking and I am sure you will."
Erica Wagner
There are times when a deeper need enters, when we want the poem to be not only pleasurably right but compellingly wise, not only a surprising variation played upon the world, but a re-tuning of the world itself. We want the surprise to be transitive like the impatient thump which unexpectedly restores the picture to the television set, or the electric shock which sets the fibrillating heart back to its proper rhythm. We want what the woman wanted in the prison queue in Leningrad, standing there blue with cold and whispering for fear, enduring the terror of Stalin's regime and asking the poet Anna Akhmatova if she could describe it all, if her art could be equal to it."
Seamus Heaney
Watch our two films, of the celebrity poetry reading to launch pass on a poem at Oxfam bookshops and of regular readers reading and reciting last year in Notting Hill, West London.
new - Kathy Philpot's tribute to the local library manager who hosts her venue in West London
read Bel Mooney's account of the first reading in Bath reprinted from her Saturday column in The Daily Mail
read Gillian Stafford's account of her experience of starting a group in her own home
many people have expressed interest in leading or joining pass on a poem groups in different areas of the country. If you would like to be put in touch with them, please send a contact address or telephone number to enquiries@passonapoem.com
pass on a poem can offer support and advice.
aims : pass on a poem, a not-for-profit initiative, exists to provide entertainment and to create enthusiasm for poetry by bringing people together to read out loud poems which have a special personal significance and to explain, briefly, why. Some readings take place in private homes, with group membership being by invitation. Others are organised at regular intervals in public venues, so that anybody who enjoys or who would like to try reading or simply listening to poetry can be included. No previous experience of reading out loud is necessary. Anybody is welcome to submit a poem they would like to share.
readings : pass on a poem readings demonstrate that the process of selection, reading aloud and listening has an electric, exhilarating effect. It opens and reopens people's eyes, ears and hearts to the power of poetry, and to the experiences, feelings and thoughts of others. A remarkable range of subject matter, and of style, form, length and date of composition emerges from the poems chosen. People of all backgrounds and ages take part in the public events. The idea is that small- scale poetry reading should become a familiar and exciting feature of local culture all over the country, taking place in public venues, schools and offices, and also in people's own homes. A further commitment is to make available a ready supply of volunteer readers to perform free of charge in residential homes, hospitals, prisons and other centres where live poetry could make a social or therapeutic contribution. While occasional celebrity readings are arranged in order to raise its profile locally, the heart and substance of the project is the establishment of regular events for ordinary members of the public, at home, away from home or at work.
website : www.passonapoem.com is there to support and to stimulate participation by existing and potential readers and listeners. It provides source material relating to poems, poets and poetry, advice on reading aloud and starting a group, and up to date information on recent and forthcoming events, venues and local groups. The development of a truly democratic online anthology is one of several exciting search features. The text and details of all poems read at pass on a poem events are posted. Visitors to the site are invited to submit their own suggestions for the poetry pages, and to send in information about their own poetry-related activities, a selection of which can be advertised on the news and events or resources pages. Subscribers can opt to receive a free weekly poem.
I.T. assistance for Pass On A Poem is provided by Klein Computer Services
