Today on My Poetic Side, we look at the Google Doodle dedicated to Etel Adnan and an online display of Robbie Burns artefacts, including a pair of the poet’s socks! Etel Adnan, Lebanese-American Poet Celebrated in Google Doodle On Monday, April 15th, 2024, Google celebrated the life and work of the Lebanese-American poet and essayist Etel Adnan in its latest Doodle. Adnan is considered to be one of the most accomplished Arab-American writers of her generation. In 1977, she rose to fame with the publication of her novel “Sitt Marie Rose” which was written about the civil war in Lebanon. Th ..read more

We begin the week with a round-up of poetry prize-related news with the announcement of a new poetry prize and the winners of two existing ones. PEN Heaney Poetry Prize Announced The estate of the poet Seamus Heaney, together with the English and Irish PEN, have announced the launch of a new poetry prize. The annual prize, which will be known as the PEN Heaney Prize, will be awarded for a single volume of poetry written by just one author and will recognise poetry that focuses on social engagement. Heaney was regarded as an extremely important poet for the generation he was in. He  was lo ..read more

We begin the week with a look at the plans for the Barrett Browning Institute and the controversy over a description of Roald Dahl’s Twits. Restoration Plans For Barrett Browning Institute Under Way A boost from the National Lottery Fund of £98,640 has been awarded to Ledbury Poetry. This money will be used to take the first steps in the restoration project of the Barrett Browning Institute (BBI) which is one of the most famous buildings in the town of Ledbury. The funding will also  be used to help the Ledbury Poetry House to carry out all the work that will allow them to open on a more ..read more

Today on My Poetic Side, we look at the controversy over the name of the Baltimore bridge, the Cruel April poetry event and the mural for Benjamin Zephaniah. Baltimore Bridge Collapse Raises Issue of Controversial Namesake In the wake of the disaster that saw the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapse following a shipping accident, the namesake of the bridge is now at the centre of a renewal of public attention. The bridge is named after the poet Francis Scott Ket, who was considered a controversial poet with racist views.  Spanning the Patapsco River in Baltimore, the bridge was ..read more

We start the week with a look at a poetry book dedicated to blossom. We also look at the winner of the 2024 O’Shaughnessy Award and The William Barnes Society’s search for funding. Blossomise – A Spring Themed Poetry Collection Simon Armitage, the Poet Laureate, has produced a collection of poetry titled Blossomise as part of his work with the National Trust as they renew their blossom campaign for the Spring. He has created ten poems, a musical EP and haiku, imagining the blossom as an artist, fancy dress or a magician lighting up the world around them. He also considers them as a reminder of ..read more

Today’s poetry news roundup examines the possibility that William Blake’s poetry inspired a Radiohead hit and the death of the Portuguese poet Nuno Júdice. Were Radiohead’s Lyrics Inspired by William Blake? A copy of a paperback book of poetry by William Blake may offer the suggestion that the lyrics to the song by Radiohead that appeared on the album OK Computer might have been inspired by the words of the poet himself. The book, “Songs of Innocence and Experience”,  which was donated by Radiohead’s frontman Thom Yorke to an Oxfam charity shop, contains a number of notes, which appear to ..read more

We begin another week here on My Poetic Side with a look at the Tolkien poems that are to be published, a Dante Statue in Midhurst and the rare poetry book obtained by a university. J R R Tolkien Poem To Be Published The publishers HarperCollins have announced that in September 2024, they will be publishing “The Collected Poems of J R R Tolkien”. The poems, which have been edited by Wayne G Hammond and Christina Scull have never been published before, and will appear in just one volume. The publishers hold world all-language rights to all of the author’s works. In their statement, they said ..read more

This week on My Poetic Side we look at the funding boost for the National Poetry Centre and the US Poet Laureate’s National Parks project. £5m Funding Boost for Leeds National Poetry Centre Plans for the first national poetry headquarters in West Yorkshire are well underway, following a boost in funds of £5m from the government. This is the first such headquarters in the UK . Simon Armitage, the Poet Laureate, created the plan for the National Poetry Centre, which is being created in Leeds at the Trinity St David’s site. The idea is that the centre will create a place where individuals from al ..read more

Today in our poetry news round up we take a look at Taylor Swift’s famous connection and how recipes can become erotic poetry. Taylor Swift’s Famous Ancestor Ancestry, the genealogy company have been doing a little bit of digging into the family tree of pop sensation Taylor Swift and have revealed that she is related to Emily Dickinson, the 19th century American poet. One of the greatest singer/songwriters of her generation this interesting discovery may come as little surprise to many, Swift has not only referred to the poet as an inspiration to her work in the past but has a way with words t ..read more

We begin the week on My Poetic Side with articles about Len Pennie’s poetry collection, the Longfellow Days Festival and what inspires Hollie McNish. Instant Bestseller Poetry Collection for Len Pennie Scots poet Len Pennie, who through her Scots Word of the Day which appeared on social media, has helped to popularise the Scots language has seen her debut poetry collection shoot to the top of the bestsellers chart. The poetry collection which is titled “Poyums” has received over 5,000 pre-orders. Pennie, who is just 24 years old, has been writing a regular column for The Herald and says that g ..read more