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 4 August 2006

Imposible . . . vale?

. . . so we had one fiesty ready to rock librarian this morning, just raring to go and jump on out onto the Barcelona streets and set up today’s library installation at Horiginal cafe, restaurant and seller of poetry books for some random reason. Anyway, we made it on down to the place, and took the respectful step of going in first to alert the staff to our presence, reminding them that we had been given permission on Tuesday to come and do what we do. But there seemed to be a problem . . . porque ahora . . . es imposible. No reason, not much of an apology to our sweaty librarian, already in suit and with today’s selection of thirty titles sitting on her back in the mini-library rucksack, just a shrug of shoulders and that was it. Apart from a suggestion we could set up on the Calle. Well we know we can set up the street Mister, we can do that anytime, it’s just a little dirty and rather far to stoop for potential library members to scrutinise our books, so gee thanks but not today amigo. So we walked out. And headed on over to Placa Bonsucces, which is just round the corner, has a load of cafes where people hang out, and is a much better passageway for ye folks roamin’ around possibly interested in a free poetry library. So we set up on a small wall cum steps archway affair, in the shade (just) . . . and it seems like a good place. So manana, instead of el stupido Horiginal we will be here, same times (2 - 8pm) so come and find us! And apologies to anyone who came to Horiginal today and looked for us, but as we set up straight away somewhere else we couldn’t update our address info . . . and epsecially sorry to Rudolpho the Chilean poet who we met yesterday and who said he would see us today – come to Placa BonSucces mi amigo and we will sign you up inmediatamente! We also took some more pictures today of this damn hot city. Here we go:



More Barcelona graffiti





Biblioteca Jaume Fauster, near where we currently live





On La Rambla, people ‘dress’ up for the tourists . . .





. . . in the hope of getting a few euro cents . . .









While our librarian drooled over this 1941 typewriter with its own wooden box





Her friends have been doing some photoshop fun . . .

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