Could you be the next Poet Laureate of the Peak?
Peak poets are being invited to celebrate the dramatic landscape of the Peak District National Park in a new competition.
The first Poet Laureate of the Peak, Alec Rapkin (pictured), has completed two years as the poet laureate, writing 25 poems during his tenure. Now a competition is being launched to find his successor, a poet who can express the unique spirit of the national park, and what it means to live, work or visit there.
Organised by Arts in the Peak and supported by the Peak District National Park Authority, the competition aims to find a local writer who inspires a deeper appreciation of the landscape, its moods, influence and heritage.
David Gilbert, of Arts in the Peak, said: "The judges will be looking for someone with a distinctive poetic voice and an aesthetic vision of the Peak District. The first laureate has been a great success, producing powerful and evocative work during the last two years, which has been published on the Arts in the Peak and Peak District National Park websites. We hope we can find another inspirational writer to fill this honorary and prestigious role, reflecting both this remarkable landscape and the best of the area's artistic endeavour."
The judges are local poet and historic buildings architect John Sewell, author and professor of English literature Neil Roberts, and Derbyshire literature officer Alison Betteridge. The post will be for two years.
Entrants must be 18 or over on the closing date, and they must have lived in, worked in, or regularly visited the Peak District over the past three years. Their entries must be of three poems, written in the last two years, at least two of which should be inspired by the Peak District. The closing date is January 18 2008.
Poems may be handwritten, typed or on tape, with your name, address, phone number and eligibility details on a separate sheet.
The address for entries is: Poet Laureate of the Peak Competition, Arts in the Peak, The Flat, Town Hall, Bath Street, Bakewell, Derbyshire, DE45 1BX.
Further information is available on the Arts in the Peak website - www.artsinthepeak.co.uk - or by calling 01629 810122 or e-mail artsinthepeak@msn.com.
* This is one of two current poetry initiatives in the area: Derbyshire County Council also has a Derbyshire Poet Laureate, River Wolton. Visit www.derbyshire.gov.uk/leisure/arts_entertainment/literature_development
-end-
Media inquiries to: David Gilbert, Arts in the Peak, 01629 810122 or 0771 769 2767
Peak District National Park Authority, Aldern House, Baslow Road, Bakewell, DE45 1AE Telephone 01629 816200 Fax 01629 816310
Losehill Hall, Peak District National Park Centre for Environmental Learning, Castleton, Hope Valley, S33 8WB Telephone: 01433 620373 Fax: 01433 620346
Stop! Do you really need to print out this e-mail?
Be green - keep it on the screen!
One tonne of recycled paper (= 100 bin bags) saves 17 trees, 17,000 gallons of water and enough energy to heat the average home for 6 months
Please Note: This email is confidential, may be legally privileged and may contain personal views that are not the views of Peak District National Park Authority. It is intended solely for the addressee. If this email was sent to you in error please notify us by replying to the email. Once you have done this please delete the email and do not disclose, copy, distribute, or rely on it. Under the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000 the contents of this email may be disclosed.
The Peak District National Park Authority reserves the right to monitor both sent and received emails.
Working together for the Peak District National Park
- a special environment
- a welcoming place at the heart of the nation
- vibrant communities and a thriving economy
______________________________________________________________________
This email has been scanned by the MessageLabs Email Security System.
For more information please visit http://www.messagelabs.com/email
______________________________________________________________________
