National Poetry Day Thursday October 5th 2006

Library Services across North West England are joining the worldwide Book Crossing phenomenon and at the same time encouraging people who may have never picked up a poetry book before, to read and enjoy something new.

On National Poetry Day, library staff will be leaving specially purchased poetry collections by poets from the North West region, in public places such as health centres, leisure centres, pubs and cafes, hairdressers’ salons- wherever they think someone will have time and curiosity enough, to pick up a book and read a poem or two. Finders of books can read and keep them, or pass them on, after registering their “find” on www.bookcrossing.com These books do not have to be returned to libraries.

The intention is to get poetry into the hands of people who may never have picked up a poetry book before. We hope that after finding a Book Crossing book by chance, some readers will be motivated to visit their local library for more poetry books.

Book Crossing is a worldwide book group with almost half a million members. It asks readers to share the books they have enjoyed with other people, by leaving them in public places. Books have their own unique number registered on the Book Crossing website, so that they have the potential to be tracked on their journeys round the world.

While books are being released across the whole of the NW region, four poets are crossing 4 points in the region to give short readings of their own poetry and tell people about the Book Crossing project. Rosie Lugosi in Liverpool (Tate Liverpool), Mandy Coe in Manchester (BBC mobile studio), Joy Winkler in Carlisle (Castle) and Jennifer Copley in deepest Cheshire (Deep Store) are all reading briefly before leaving their own collections somewhere in the locality.

Rosie’s reading will take place in the DLA Piper Series: International Modern Art display on the
1st Floor of Tate Liverpool at 15.00 on
Thursday 5 October.