Poetry in Motion goes online in Hampshire

Wednesday, 05 September 2012

Writers of all ages are being invited to share their reflections and memories of Hampshire on a new online poetry map, launched by Hampshire County Council.

The 'Writing Hampshire' project encourages people to explore and enjoy the creative writing of residents and visitors alike. As part of this, a special map is being launched with a variety of poems already collected and ready to share - including poems about Andover, Winchester, and the New Forest.

Browsers can simply click on the coloured pins on the map which take them to a poem inspired by that location. Writers are now being asked to submit their own poems on the website for possible selection, and readers can leave their comments about the work. Poems can be uploaded online now.

The website forms part of the work of this year's Hampshire Poet, Brian Evans-Jones who has visited a variety of locations to collect poems for the launch. These include workshops in schools, working with the homeless and with inmates at HM Prison Winchester. Brian has also written a poem to inspire people to visit and contribute to the website.

He says:

"In this flagship project of my Hampshire Poet year, I want to get the people of Hampshire writing about the places that matter to them - not just the pretty parts, but the whole county. I hope that all kinds of people will join in, not just those who already write poetry, but everyone, whether they are five years old or 105 years old."

Brian Evans-Jones will be holding two 'Writing Hampshire' workshops, offering help and advice to those who would like to take part in the project -

Gosport Discovery Centre 10am-1pm Saturday 22 September 2012

Winchester Discovery Centre 10am-4pm Saturday 20 October 2012

• Writing Hampshire - Mapping the County through Poetry

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