This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/magazine/7986036.stm
The article has changed 10 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 4 | Version 5 |
|---|---|
| How to change a plug... in verse | How to change a plug... in verse |
| (21 minutes later) | |
| | |
| Sales of poetry books are down, but one way to reinvigorate this traditional art form could be to make it functional. We invited four poets to reinterpret the familiar, humdrum procedures of daily life, in verse form. | Sales of poetry books are down, but one way to reinvigorate this traditional art form could be to make it functional. We invited four poets to reinterpret the familiar, humdrum procedures of daily life, in verse form. |
| In Alan Bennett's The History Boys, one of the schoolboys complains that he can't relate to poetry because it's about emotions that he has yet to experience. | In Alan Bennett's The History Boys, one of the schoolboys complains that he can't relate to poetry because it's about emotions that he has yet to experience. |
| Teacher Hector replies he will, "and then you will have the antidote ready. Grief. Happiness. Even when you're dying. We're making your deathbeds here, boys. Poetry is the trailer! Forthcoming attractions!" | Teacher Hector replies he will, "and then you will have the antidote ready. Grief. Happiness. Even when you're dying. We're making your deathbeds here, boys. Poetry is the trailer! Forthcoming attractions!" |
| It's a humorous exchange that neatly captures both the lofty ideals of poetry and what some think its major pitfall, namely its perceived disconnect to the everyday. | It's a humorous exchange that neatly captures both the lofty ideals of poetry and what some think its major pitfall, namely its perceived disconnect to the everyday. |
| When the Poetry Society was formed in the UK, 100 years ago this month, poetry played a central part in British life and schoolchildren were learning dozens of poems by heart. | When the Poetry Society was formed in the UK, 100 years ago this month, poetry played a central part in British life and schoolchildren were learning dozens of poems by heart. |
| In recent years, there has been a sharp fall in sales - from £12m spent in 2005 to £8.6m in 2008, according to Book Marketing Ltd. | In recent years, there has been a sharp fall in sales - from £12m spent in 2005 to £8.6m in 2008, according to Book Marketing Ltd. |
| Part of its image problem is the profile of its best exponents can't match the titans of prose. | Part of its image problem is the profile of its best exponents can't match the titans of prose. |
| McEwan, Rushdie, Amis... The names of leading British novelists are well known but it's a struggle to name their equivalents in the world of verse. Even the departure of Britain's Poet Laureate Andrew Motion hardly merited a murmur in the media when announced recently. | McEwan, Rushdie, Amis... The names of leading British novelists are well known but it's a struggle to name their equivalents in the world of verse. Even the departure of Britain's Poet Laureate Andrew Motion hardly merited a murmur in the media when announced recently. |
| CAN YOU DO BETTER? Write a short poem based on some everyday instructionsUse the three poems in this article as inspirationSend them to magazine@bbc.co.uk and entitle them "poetry" or use the form at the foot of the pageWe'll publish the best | CAN YOU DO BETTER? Write a short poem based on some everyday instructionsUse the three poems in this article as inspirationSend them to magazine@bbc.co.uk and entitle them "poetry" or use the form at the foot of the pageWe'll publish the best |
| But it's not all gloomy news. Although books may not be flying off the shelves, people are flocking to hear poetry. Live readings often sell out and major festivals like Glastonbury now include "spoken word" tents. | But it's not all gloomy news. Although books may not be flying off the shelves, people are flocking to hear poetry. Live readings often sell out and major festivals like Glastonbury now include "spoken word" tents. |
| George Palmer of poetry performance group Apples and Snakes says the scene is heavily influenced by hip-hop and part of its appeal is that it addresses real experiences like knife crime and immigration. It is also used to educate children in schools. | |
| "There's a real interest in the down-to-earth, day-to-day subject matter in contrast to the page poetry which is more dealing with mythology and bigger subjects. This is more about everyday experiences." | "There's a real interest in the down-to-earth, day-to-day subject matter in contrast to the page poetry which is more dealing with mythology and bigger subjects. This is more about everyday experiences." |
| Many poets perform more like stand-up comedians, he says, cracking jokes, and they have no interested in getting published. And he says the audience is generally younger than those buying poetry books. | Many poets perform more like stand-up comedians, he says, cracking jokes, and they have no interested in getting published. And he says the audience is generally younger than those buying poetry books. |
| But Judith Palmer, director of the Poetry Society, believes it would be wrong to try and make poetry more "practical" than it already is. | But Judith Palmer, director of the Poetry Society, believes it would be wrong to try and make poetry more "practical" than it already is. |
| "A lot of people like 'airy-fairyness' and where people don't like contemporary poetry, it's that it is not airy-fairy enough. I think there's room in poetry for heightened language and language that does bring the everyday very closely into focus. | "A lot of people like 'airy-fairyness' and where people don't like contemporary poetry, it's that it is not airy-fairy enough. I think there's room in poetry for heightened language and language that does bring the everyday very closely into focus. |
| "If there is an image problem, it's that people are not able to realise what a range of voices and subject matter that poetry encompasses. | "If there is an image problem, it's that people are not able to realise what a range of voices and subject matter that poetry encompasses. |
| ARE BOOKSHOPS KILLING POETRY? Chris Holifield is director of the Poetry Book Society, which was founded by TS Eliot in 1953 to encourage more people to read modern poetry'There's a lot of activity and in particular the live scene where readings and performance poetry are very active' 'Things aren't going quite so well on the book front. I think that's affected by what's going on in bookshops and the tendency of bookshops to stock bestsellers' | ARE BOOKSHOPS KILLING POETRY? Chris Holifield is director of the Poetry Book Society, which was founded by TS Eliot in 1953 to encourage more people to read modern poetry'There's a lot of activity and in particular the live scene where readings and performance poetry are very active' 'Things aren't going quite so well on the book front. I think that's affected by what's going on in bookshops and the tendency of bookshops to stock bestsellers' |
| "And people are too ready to write it off whatever the reason, either that it's too highfalutin or too prosaic, but I'm sure there are poets writing that can make a difference." | "And people are too ready to write it off whatever the reason, either that it's too highfalutin or too prosaic, but I'm sure there are poets writing that can make a difference." |
| Poetry's origins were very practical, as a means to record events, battles, kings and other stories before such things were written down, she says. Even today, there are many mnemonic rhymes to educate us and nursery rhymes that tell us about history. | Poetry's origins were very practical, as a means to record events, battles, kings and other stories before such things were written down, she says. Even today, there are many mnemonic rhymes to educate us and nursery rhymes that tell us about history. |
| Yet everyday life is littered with texts that are so dull and familiar, and devoid of flair or fun, that we hardly even read them: | Yet everyday life is littered with texts that are so dull and familiar, and devoid of flair or fun, that we hardly even read them: |
|
|
| Functional verse about these everyday non-events could enrich our lives, says Judith Palmer, because an image or memorable line will pop into our heads the next time we encounter them and make them less banal. | Functional verse about these everyday non-events could enrich our lives, says Judith Palmer, because an image or memorable line will pop into our heads the next time we encounter them and make them less banal. |
| But it's wrong to try too hard to make poetry "relevant" by insisting it only refer to the landscape we are familiar with. | But it's wrong to try too hard to make poetry "relevant" by insisting it only refer to the landscape we are familiar with. |
| "Literature can take you to other places as well and it doesn't have to be a poem about a house that looks just like yours. It can be a window on to a new world of possibilities." | "Literature can take you to other places as well and it doesn't have to be a poem about a house that looks just like yours. It can be a window on to a new world of possibilities." |
| Or, as Hector would add, experiences that could be just around life's corner. | Or, as Hector would add, experiences that could be just around life's corner. |
| Send us your examples of practical poetry - everyday texts such as instructions, rules, official guidance, re-interpreted as verse. You can use the form below or e-mail your poem to the.magazine@bbc.co.uk. Use the subject line "practical poetry" and don't forget to include your name and where you are from. | Send us your examples of practical poetry - everyday texts such as instructions, rules, official guidance, re-interpreted as verse. You can use the form below or e-mail your poem to the.magazine@bbc.co.uk. Use the subject line "practical poetry" and don't forget to include your name and where you are from. |
| The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide. Terms & Conditions | The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide. Terms & Conditions |