Share a poem of hope from West Sussex Libraries

Share a Poem of Hope with West Sussex Libraries

West Sussex Libraries are looking for local residents to submit poems of hope throughout September.

The poems are being requested as part of an online campaign to celebrate National Poetry Day which takes place on Thursday 1 October.

Exploring the theme of hope, the library service is looking for short poems that provide messages of healing or hope alongside pictures that bring residents comfort, relief and positivity.

Poems should be no more than four lines and should be accompanied with an image in landscape orientation without identifiable people – for example, a photo of a beach, street or a countryside view.

Submissions can be emailed to talkaboutreadingwestsussex@gmail.com, or can be shared on social media using the hashtag #ShareAPoemOfHope.

Residents wanting to share their poems on social media should also tag the library service into their message to ensure the submission is seen. This can be done using @WSCCLibraries on Twitter or @WestSussexLibraries on Facebook.

Duncan Crow, West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for Fire and Rescue and Communities, said: “Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, our library service has been constantly looking for different ways to engage with residents when they weren’t physically able to get to libraries and they have run so many great initiatives to keep libraries working in a positive, although very different way, for the community.

“This current project aims to bring together local residents, creative writing groups, artists and community groups in sharing messages of hope this September and the best entries will be featured on their social media channels, website, and in physical exhibitions in libraries.

“We hope that these poems will bring hope and healing to everyone who reads them.”

‘Poems of Hope’ builds on the success of the #haiflu digital poetry project, which was launched during the lockdown period.

Over 50 poems and images were received as part of the #haiflu series and compiled into short films.