World Poetry Day 2018

World Poetry Day 2018

What?  World Poetry Day was created by the United Nation's cultural organization UNESCO in 1999. Internationally recognized and celebrated, it's a day when poetry is performed and shared in schools, colleges, universities, workplaces and at special events in many communities.

Poetry could, and has, been defined as  "literature in metric form (known as verse";  

we could call it the art or craft of transforming emotion, beauty, experience and thought into a rhythmic form of expression. It can mark significant occasions and rites of passage, provide catharsis, joy, understanding and empathy, rally communities and countries, express powerful feelings and ideas, or  entertain and amuse with word play, rhymes and comic or satirical impact. it can be, and is for, everyone - to read, to write, to speak, to listen.

When? Today! World Poetry Day is marked each year on the 21st March, which also marks the Spring Equinox - a fitting time for a celebration.

Why? The UN website explains  that "poetry reaffirms our common humanity by revealing to us that individuals, everywhere in the world, share the same questions and feelings...is the mainstay of oral tradition...can communicate the innermost values of diverse cultures...(and) capture the creative spirit of the human mind." (UN, 2018)

That mission statement is embraced by a multitude of organisations, individuals and communities who then go on to celebrate World Poetry Day.

How? In many ways! It's a frustratingly short yet accurate answer.

Schools, colleges and universities may hold events, showcase poetry collections, or hold special lessons or lecturers on poetry.

Community events might include events and installations from writers, poets, artists and other creative types to encourage the public to get involved. Performances and spoken word events take place, and specialist documentaries or films may be promoted or shown.

Social media embraces hashtags (#WorldPoetryDay) and many post videos, images and quotes from significant poets and poems, share events and personal favourites.

Or you may simply sit down to read a poem, or to write one yourself.

Who? Everyone who wishes to take part, who enjoys poetry, who finds it significant, liberating, meaningful or important.

How We Celebrate:

Our Poetry Day Posters...

Yeovil College Learning Centre began our Poetry Day project for National Poetry Day (which fell on the 28th September last year) and quickly expanded it to include and prioritize World Poetry Day.

We asked our staff to nominate their favourite, or most significant, poems to share with students and staff alike across campus. Inspired by the Poems on the Underground project, our "passive literacy" initiative sought to celebrate our personal connections with poetry and allow it to be shared and enjoyed by the whole community. It also encouraged those who may not usually choose to read or experience poetry to engage with it within their everyday life and environment, allowing for our learners to appreciate and experience many types of literature.

The response was fantastic. Staff sent in a wide range of selections, ranging from the comic and absurd, to the romantic, the profound and the tragic elegies, encompassing many styles of poetry. They also shared their reasons and motivations for their choices, which in many cases were significant and touching.

Since then, we have maintained our poetry project for the past few years, garnering new suggestions and additions from staff, who then share their choices with their students, even in many cases keeping their poem posters prominently on display throughout the year. 

Our Poetry Playlists:


We have also curated Spoken Word poetry playlists to share with learners who connect with the Spoken Word or performance poetry scene, in addition to our main library collection's poetry books and resources. You can watch our current playlist below.

Our Poetry Event:


We are proud to be hosting Literature Works' "Word On Tour" project on Thursday 12th April. Kindly funded by the Arts Council, Word on Tour aims to bring literature and performance to libraries and communities across the South West, encompassing many different libraries and writers - all of whom are also based in the South West.


It's a positive showcase of creative talent and possibility, and one we're excited to share with our Yeovil College students and staff. As a key aspect of our mission statement, we have uncompromising ambition, aspiration and respect for our learners, which we embrace as a library and information service by promoting and celebrating literacy and literature.


We will be joined by performance poet Chris Redmond who has formed a spoken word collective with award winning shows, Tongue Fu, and performs at festivals, events and shows. We also welcome Tom Vowler, British writer and Arvon tutor whose work has won the Scott Prize and Edge Hill Reader's Prize, and whose recent collection of short stories, Dazzling the Gods  will soon be available to borrow from the LRC.


Chris and Tom will be reading and performing their own work, delighting us in conversation and encouraging the audience to engage in questioning and exploring how poetry and fiction is created, how to have a creative career and what inspires them to write.


The Word On Tour event takes place at 10.45am on Thursday 12th April. To book tickets, please visit the Eventbrite page or the Word On Tour Facebook event page for further details.

What does World Poetry Day mean to you?
Tweet us your favourite poem at @YC_Reading.