Sunday 15 April 2007

Poetry in the Waiting Room

Poetry in the Waiting Room is a long running project to provide waiting rooms around the UK, mostly medical related) with poetry leaflets once a quarter. It's a great idea with carefully chosen poems.

Really there is very little public exposure to poetry especially when you compare it to exposure to other forms of art, particularly sculpture. You can't cross a city, drive down a bypass or walk through a square without tripping over some newly commissioned sculpture, which is great. You don't have to go out of your way to see sculpture, go into a gallery or whatever. It's just there. Other forms of Visual art crop up in hotels, offices, public buildings. Music, Drama, less so. Wouldn't it be great if poetry was treated this way?

I'm trying to introduce this lovely project into Ireland. I've applied for a few grants and done some calculations as to cost but it's quite expensive even to get a start plus I will not do it without getting some kind of pay for my time as I have no money. I am going to ask the Beatrice Trust if they can cough up some supplementary funds and perhaps also the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. Any other suggestions?

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