New Commission

I am proud to announce that I have been commissioned by Manchester City of Literature and Manchester Poetry Library to celebrate UNESCO’s World Poetry Day with a poetry film to be broadcast on Sunday 21st March 2021. I have been commissioned beside Ali Al-Jamri, Dom Conlon, Imtiaz Dharker and Roma Havers and other poets from fellow UNESCO Cities of Literature.

The film will also feature specially commissioned poems from other UNESCO Creative Cities, Granada City of Literature in Spain and Slemani City of Literature in Iraq. In celebrating World Poetry Day, UNESCO recognises the unique ability of poetry to capture the creative spirit of the human mind.

The filmed readings will be broadcast on Sunday 21 March as part of UNESCO World Poetry Day celebrations via YouTube and social media.

Details on these, and many more events can be found at:
https://www.manchestercityofliterature.com/news/manchester-city-of-literature-and-manchester-poetry-library-to-celebrate-unescos-world-poetry-day-with-a-poetry-film

Held every year on the 21st March, World Poetry Day celebrates one of humanity’s most treasured forms of cultural and linguistic expression and identity. Practiced throughout history – in every culture and on every continent – poetry speaks to our common humanity and our shared values, transforming the simplest of poems into a powerful catalyst for dialogue and peace.
UNESCO first adopted 21st March as World Poetry Day during its 30th General Conference in Paris in 1999, with the aim of supporting linguistic diversity through poetic expression and increasing the opportunity for endangered languages to be heard.
World Poetry Day is an occasion to honour poets, revive oral traditions of poetry recitals, promote the reading, writing and teaching of poetry, foster the convergence between poetry and other arts such as theatre, dance, music and painting, and raise the visibility of poetry in the media. As poetry continues to bring people together across continents, all are invited to join in.

Photo by Alison O’Brien