07 June 2011

Simon Armitage makes poetry an Olympic event

The University of Sheffield's Professor of Poetry, renowned poet and screenwriter Simon Armitage, is one of the leading figures in plans to stage the UK's largest ever poetry event, as part of the London 2012 Olympics from 26 June – 2 July 2012.

The event, entitled Poetry Parnassus, will see poets from every Olympic nation gathering at the Southbank Centre in London and touring the UK, to celebrate language and how it connects the global community. 205 poets from each country will take part in readings, workshops and a final gala event. Poetry Parnassus will form part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad finale, which will be the largest cultural celebration in the history of the modern Olympic and Paralympic movements.

As one of the Southbank Centre's Artists in Residence, Simon is leading the project together with their Artistic Director, Jude Kelly. Simon commented: "Poetry Parnassus draws inspiration from Mount Parnassus in Greece – one of poetry´s spiritual and mythical heartlands, the home of the lyricist Orpheus and the dwelling place of the poetic Muses. My hunch is that this will be the biggest poetry event ever - a truly global coming together of poets and a monumental poetic happening worthy of the spirit and history of the Olympics themselves."

From now until 22 July 2011, members of the public can nominate their favourite poet via the Southbank Centre's website. Anyone in the world can recommend up to three poets from any Olympic country, in order of preference. A panel including Simon Armitage will then shortlist and the final selection of poets will be announced in spring 2012.

Jude Kelly, Southbank Centre's Artistic Director, said: "Poetry Parnassus will be a landmark event in the Cultural Olympiad – a week-long gathering of poets, for poetry´s sake, to celebrate language, diversity and a sense of global togetherness. By bringing poets to London from Samoa to Senegal, Tonga to Azerbaijan, we go back to the roots of Poetry International, the festival that Ted Hughes and Patrick Garland launched at the Royal Festival Hall in 1967, to address notions of free speech, community and peace through poetry."

Simon Armitage is the University of Sheffield's Professor of Poetry. To find out more about the School of English, visit: School of English

To find out more about Poetry Parnassus or to nominate poets, visit: Southbank Centre