Here’s something to raise a glass to – a village in West Yorkshire is aiming to put itself on the poetry map by declaring itself a literary destination: Marsden the Poetry Village. Its first project is Poetry Pubs – quite simply, putting poetry books in pubs for visitors to enjoy while having a drink.

One of the organisers, poet and artist David Coldwell said: “The idea is very simple: we aim to celebrate our cultural heritage and enable people to discover new and exciting ways to enjoy poetry.

“So far, we have three local pubs - the New Inn, the Riverhead Tap, and the Railway - that have each agreed to be celebrated as a poetry pub. As well as hosting live events the pubs have also agreed to permanently keep a selection of poetry books for visitors to read whilst enjoying a drink - A Poetry Shelf.”

Project organisers are asking poetry publishers to help the project by contributing three to five copies of a variety of books. Four publishers have already signed up to the scheme - Templar, Valley Press, Indigo Dreams, and Calder Valley Press. Other publishers or authors keen to support the project should email David Coldwell at dcatbc@hotmail.co.uk. Write Out Loud is right behind the scheme, with Write Out Loud’s founder, Marsden resident Julian Jordon, closely involved in the initiative from the outset. 

Write Out Loud is also backing another Marsden poetry project, Poems for Schools.  We’re inviting poets on our website to write poems for children, and the project is supported by Marsden junior school, with other local schools likely to follow suit. 

There is already a Marsden poetry trail, where you can find out more about local poets Samuel Laycock and Simon Armitage, and the latter’s Stanza Stones. The poetry trail also takes in the village’s Mechanics Institute and library, where Write Out Loud has been holding open mic poetry nights for eight years. The next one is on Thursday 20 July

Background: 'Why Marsden is important to me'