Writers and scholars from the English Department at the University of Chichester are to mark National Poetry Day on Thursday, October 8th, with a special event.Members of the public are invited to mingle with staff and students at a free evening forum on 'The Role of Poetry in 21st Century Life'. The discussion will be hosted by the West Sussex Poet Laureate Dr Hugh Dunkerley, who will invite questions from the floor. The forum will be followed by a reading, accompanied by music. The reading is to feature poems written by members of staff from the English Department. The readers include Hugh Dunkerley and the English Head of Department Diana Barsham. They will be joined by Stephanie Norgate and Dave Swann, who also lecture in English and Creative Writing at the University.
Other participants at the forum include Art Department lecturer Chris Aggs, a well-known local artist, whose paintings often use poetry as a source of inspiration. Although now known as an accomplished artist, Chris was originally a student of literature, graduating in English at Oxford University. Stephanie Norgate is an acclaimed poet, whose book 'Hidden River' was published last year by Bloodaxe Books, one of the world's most prestigious poetry publishers. Hugh Dunkerley's latest collection, 'Hare' is forthcoming from Cinnamon Press, while Diana Barsham and Dave Swann are also working on new books of poetry.
Organiser Dave Swann said, "Poetry is a marginal activity for most. Yet those people who would normally ignore it are often drawn to poetry at important moments in their lives. "When people are born or die or get married, it seems natural to look to poetry for meaning and help, or consolation and hope. "In times that sometimes seem starved of beauty, I believe that poetry continues to have a special role in explaining this strange world of ours and also maybe of suggesting other ways in which we could live, particularly at a time in history when so many of our institutions are in crisis. "Staff at the University want to mark this annual occasion by inviting members of the public and students to come together and discuss the state of poetry in the UK, and its relevance to our busy 21st Century lives. "We warmly invite people to come and relate their personal experiences of poetry, and to describe its contribution to their lives, in what we expect to be an enjoyable and inspiring evening."
The event will take place in Cloisters Chamber at the Bishop Otter Campus on Thursday, October 8th, from 7pm to 9pm, and all members of the public are welcome to attend. Entry is free.
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