Bards in the Bog
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NEWSFLASH!Bards in the Bog is back by popular demand. As part of her Reader in Residence stint with Shetland Library, Jen Hadfield is selecting more Bards in the Bog poems. Thanks for all your entries; the closing date was 21st December 2011, and the winners will be published on this site and displayed in Shetland's toilets in the New Year. |
Launched in February 2009 as a Poet Partner project, Bards in the Bog displays original poetry in Shetland's public toilets.
Putting Bards in the Bog: read how we did it (from Scottish Poetry Library website)
Bards Book launch - press release
All 24 poems selected by Jen Hadfield were published in a book to celebrate the Bards project. It was launched on 19th November 2009 - World Toilet Day.
On World Water Day - 22nd March 2011, all the profits were donated to the charity WaterAid. £1,241.12 was raised - enough to buy three school sanitation blocks and a few more toilets besides.
The remaining copies of the book have been donated to the Library and can be bought for £2.
Bards in the Bog book: mail order form
Photos below (click to enlarge): the event to celebrate the book launch featured four local Bards - James Sinclair, Jim Mainland, Susan Pearson and Keith Adam - and two volunteer readers, Silvija Crook and Caroline Henderson. Between them they read all the poems from the book. Apt and amusing music was provided by Milford Georgeson and Trevor Jamieson.
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Bards in the Bog: the Hamefarin 2010 six (We had an exta round of Bards to celebrate Shetland's Hamefarin) |
E-mail Address / Website |
| Armitage Shanks by Andy Jackson, Dundee | a.z.jackson@dundee.ac.uk |
| Welcome home brother by Angela Sutherland, Shetland | |
| Spectres by Donald S. Murray, Shetland | dsmurraya@yahoo.co.uk |
| Immigrant by James Sinclair, Shetland | |
| Come ben trow by Mary Blance, Shetland | mary@thesletts.demon.co.uk |
| Northsick by Sheila Templeton, Troon | sheilatempleton@btinternet.com |
Bards in the Bog: the (not quite) final six |
E-mail Address / Website |
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| Vowel Soonds, Shetland by Dowell Manson, Shetland | ||
| When I travelled from the Country to the City by Chrissie Gittins, London |
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| I am the Bard of the Bog by John R.S. Lyth, Glasgow | ||
| Pee Fever by Keith Adam, Shetland |
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| Cold Feet by Maggie Bevan | magrite29@hotmail.co.uk |
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| Da Hill by Susan Pearson, Shetland |
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Bards in the Bog: selected poems, Round Three |
E-mail Address / Website |
| Callum o'my heart by Andrew Lane, Surrey | pianoman.ajl@virgin.net |
| Journeyman by David Weir, Cumbria | dweir@runbox.com |
| Pigeon by Jane Patience, Glasgow | jane@patience1.demon.co.uk |
| Prestidigitator by Jim Mainland, Shetland | jamesmainland@shetland.gov.uk |
| Gutter gourmet by Winston Plowes, West Yorkshire | winstonplowes@googlemail.com |
| Deep-fried flip-flops by Rebecca Zugor, Chichester |
Bards in the Bog: selected poems, Round Two |
E-mail Address / Website |
| On the aerial by Alison Brackenbury, Cheltenham | www.alisonbrackenbury.co.uk/ |
| Three ways to imitate a great spotted woodpecker by Heather Reid, Perthshire | hsreid@easynet.co.uk |
| Slug by Gill Learner, Berkshire | www.poetrypf.co.uk/gilllearnerpage.html |
| Eisenhower's Mother by Michael Malone, Ayr | http://mickmal1.blogspot.com |
| Within reach by Michael Malone, Ayr | http://mickmal1.blogspot.com |
| BEE WARE by Anne Kenny, Shetland |
Bards in the Bog: selected poems, Round One |
E-mail Address |
| Old men's ears by Duncan Jones, Lincoln | |
| Smile and the world smiles with you by Giles Conisbee, Nr Pitlochry | gconisbee@hotmail.com |
| Daughters by James Sinclair, Shetland | |
| Sgurr nan Gillean by Andrew Lane, Surrey | pianoman.ajl@virgin.net |
| Seamaa's breakfast by Sheila Templeton, Troon | sheilatempleton@btinternet.com |
| Walt Disney by M C Johnsonburger, Lowestoft |
Jen Hadfield said of her first selection: “Settling on six poems out of the 130 or so sent in was very very difficult. The folder included poems that were hilarious, weighty, experimental, formal, satiric, playful. I set myself to choose great poems that also demonstrated the stylistic variety of the submissions. There should be something for everyone.”
The launch of the Bards in the Bog project, February 2009: press release
The first year of Bards in the Bog was a Poet Partner project supported by Shetland Library, Shetland Arts, the Scottish Poetry Library and Paul Hamlyn Trust.
As our Poet Partner, Jen also selected a special poetry collection for our stock and wrote two leaflets about her choices. Read or download them here:
Jen Hadfield leaflet One
Jen Hadfield Leaflet Two
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Shetland Islands Council |