Real Poems for Unreal Times

#WBN has been running for four years now. This is the third year that I have been participating and the third year that I’ll be handing out my first choice pick – this year it’s Essential Poems from the Staying Alive Trilogy.

I love poetry. Before I could read – heck, before I could speak – I was surrounded by tiny tales…that rhymed! The vast majority of us are introduced to language, stories and literacy via poetry and nursery rhymes so it always surprises me when people don’t enjoy poems or see them as relevant to their lives.

Deep down I believe that if the poetry you’re reading isn’t calling out to you; you probably haven’t encountered the ‘right’ poems yet! And if all you’re coming across are daffodil’s or Grecian urns (not that there’s anything wrong with the classics, but there’s a time and place!), it’s completely understandable.

Which brings me to the Staying Alive trilogy. The first book was released in 2002 with sequels in 2004 and 2011. The goal of the books was to highlight contemporary poets and poems – of pushing forward new works that speak to us all; for where we are *now*, regardless of our location, our differing experiences, … and whether we love poetry or not.

The overarching theme is to reflect the differing ways in which we live in the modern world. The poems in these books are collected from all over the world, demonstrating that at our core, we are all tacking the same thoughts and issues. There are poems focusing on how we cope with identity, love, fear, wonder; to just *being* and imagining and coping with the world around us.

The World Book Night compilation has selected 100 poems from the 1500 so far released in the three anthologies. Neil Astley (the editor) is at pains to note that these are not a selection of ‘best off’s’; but rather a travel companion, an opportunity to take these experiences and reflections with you as we traverse the globe.

Lying in a Hammock at William Duffy’s Farm in Pine Island, Minnesota

James Wright

Do enjoy World Book Night, wherever you are celebrating. The aim of the whole enterprise is to get more people reading for pleasure, so even if you’re not a giver, why not recommend a book to someone you know isn’t a reader?

Create an office bookshelf, join a book club, leave a book on a train or in the pub with a note saying why people should read it.

And I hope that if you are lucky enough to be a giver that you have a fantastic time and remember that one of those books you give could change someone’s life.