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"Read to Discover"

Books are Cool
Books are fun!
Books should be read by everyone! + 8 more verses

'I've organised a poetry evening for the past three years to coincide with National Poetry Day. Each time I have asked local businesses to support the event by providing wine and cheese. This normally results in local newspaper coverage. We have a number of readers and writers groups in the area who are interested in sharing their writing with a larger audience and they tend to form the 'core' audience. So far, each event has attracted 20-35 people. We start with an introduction (short history of Poetry Day, or history/structure of limericks or haiku and this leads into a short workshop where people make up a limerick, short verse or haiku. These are then read out to the group and then people read other poems they have written or would like to recite. Comments received have been very positive with people saying they would like to see more of this kind of activity in libraries. Staff have enjoyed it too!' Chris Smith

'Knowsley Library Service ran three weeks of events relating to Health [called Healthy Eating Active Lives Thoroughly Happy] from 30th September until 18th October. In the midst of these events was National Poetry Day.

To tie the two themes together, I booked Linda McGowan a literary development worker to do two sessions, one at Kirkby Library in the morning, and one at Huyton Library in the afternoon. She held a poetry surgery, and adorned herself with a white coat and stethoscope and did a little fun questionnaire about health and poetry to entice the customers to take some poetry books out. She also ended up with a small workshop of people discussing poetry and writing. On the whole, it was very successful and everyone involved thoroughly enjoyed it.' Evelyn Craig

'We took to the streets! Three staff went into the main shopping streets at lunchtime and read/performed our favourite poems to passing shoppers. All we had to do was get the books together beforehand (about 10 minutes work), check with the Town Centre Manager it was ok (one 5 minute phone call), put out a press release (5 minutes to write) and go do it. We were out for about an hour and a half and certainly grabbed public attention for very little work. We did have to keep saying who we were and why we were doing it, so the public didn't just think we were bonkers. All you need to do this is a loud voice, chutzpah and a sense of humour. It's cost free. I also did it in the central library for 2 spells of 15 minutes. Outdoors, I'd recommend 2 or 3 people take it in turns, as it's quite tough on the voice for those not used to it. I've trained on the football terraces for 40 years. Photos were taken which should be going on the library webpages.' Janet Puzylo

Celebrated with a Poetry Party in the Museum with Just Poets, a local duo offering performance poetry. It was a teatime event which ran (seamlessly!) into the launch of a new art exhibition for which the poets had been commissioned to write some verse. Although billed as a family event all who attended were adults. Geraldine Wilson

I'm sorry to say that on poetry day
Rochdale did very little this year.
Due to lack of the staff, well, it just makes you laugh
If you don't, you will turn to the beer!
But next year I'm sure they'll be queued at the door
To hear poetry spouted in reams.
They'll be sonnets and rhymes just like in old times
Or is that part in my own dreams? Ray Stearn