The Itinerant Poetry Library

Since May 2006, The Itinerant Poetry Librarian has been travelling the world with a library of ‘Lost & Forgotten’ poetry, installing the library & librarian and archiving the sounds, poems and poetry of the cities, peoples and countries she meets. Welcome to the project's blog . . . Our Itinerant Poetry Librarian lives wherever her library is - come join the cause!

FAQs: • Yes we carry our entire life and the library with us as we go • Yes, it is quite heavy • No, we're not mad. As Charles Simic said, 'But what if poets are not crazy?' That's the spirit boyo!

We exist to: remind people of the importance of free public libraries...subvert mainstream channels of distribution...remind people that access to knowledge should be free and not dependent upon economic wealth hierarchies... show people that poetry/art can provide answers to questions we ask of life...experiment in existing outside of 'the market' – thereby, instead, investing in social capital, social innovation and community.

We aim to make life taste better. Word.

Where have we been . . . ?

(2006) Amsterdam, Berlin, Dresden, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Munich, Paris, Barcelona, London, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Norwich, York, Antwerp, (2007-2008) San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Portland, Seattle, Vancouver, Leipzig, (2009) Ulm, Chemnitz, Rotterdam, Huntingdon, Callander, (2010) Cork, St. Andrews . . . Where'd you like us to go? Can you help? Get in touch!

What We Are Up To Right Now . . .

Archive

Friday 19 May 2006

Obviously we have to get rid of all our belongings before we can fully poetically engage...


We have . . .
Books. . . A lefthanded electric guitar. . . Wednesday's moustache (previously worn). . . A well-loved steamer. . . What every poet should drink their tea from. . .
Belongings eh? They just kinda creep up on you and next thing you know you've gone a small child's blackboard, eight gin shot glasses, and a half full bottle of green chartreuse too far. But hey. There's an easy way out: get rid of them. I was going to give every item a 'chronicle' but me and a friend started cataloguing and after 4 hours we were as far on as...ooh...item number 37. Which incidentally was a polyester, herringbone weave, red shirt popular with merchant bankers in the 1970s. We gave up. Since this week I've had people coming round and realising they've always needed a lemon slice squeezer...my stuff is depleting. Slowly.








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