Education Action, a charity that seeks to help communities affected by war in the Middle East and Africa to rebuild through education, is currently running a campaign in the UK to find the nation's favourite word. While the organisation is in the spotlight, it's a great time to highlight the work they do with the enterprise Read4charity - this is a bookseller with a difference. They have varied collections of books (e.g. children's, inspirational, popular fiction, classics) on sale, of which 15% of the price is donated to a charity of your choice, selected when you pay. These recipient organisations range from Shelter to Paws to Sight Savers. And also includes Book Aid, which aims to provide books to communities that may have no other access to them. Hospitals, libraries, refugee camps and schools in developing countries benefit from the initiative and Book Aid also seeks to help local publishers and booksellers as a means of encouraging local literacy and the availability of local language books. So for Christmas, or summer holidays, or just because you fancy treating yourself with a selection of books, consider going to Read4charity and let someone else benefit from your purchase.
www.read4charity.co.uk
www.education-action.org
www.bookaid.org
Poetry is dead? Long live poetry
Written by Administrator
Friday, 30 March 2007
This week, one of the free newspapers distributed in Barcelona (arguably the most highbrow one) filled half its front page with a poem by García Lorca and questioned whether the art of poetry was dead in this day and age. It was motivated by the fact that on March 21st, the International Day of Poetry had been and gone pretty much unnoticed and the paper filled an inside double page spread focusing on Spanish poets and their work.
So, is this literary form dying out? Well, below is the reaction of newly appointed Barcelona Writing Poet Laureate P.F. Williams to such a possibility:
Poetry is dead May it rest in peace No-one read it So it had to cease
The poem's in the hearse The driver's name is Clive But stop!.. is this not verse? Hurrah! Poetry is still alive..!
We may not know our iambic pentameters from, well, any other kind of pentameters, but we do believe that poetry has a valid place in the 21st century and Barcelona Writing is proud to support efforts to make sure poems continue to be written, read and enjoyed. A new poetry section will be started in the website in April and contributions from users are warmly welcome - submit to
- let's keep the poetry alive!
Last Updated ( Friday, 30 March 2007 )
Word to the Wise
Tips and hints from established authors, teachers and others on the art of writing
