Every 21st March is World Poetry Day, and where better to celebrate it than Yorkshire which is the home of England’s first-ever poet, Caedmon from Whitby Abbey.
The annual event was founded by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation in 1999. It aims to support linguistic diversity through poetry and increase the opportunity for endangered languages to be heard.
Audrey Azoulay, Director General of UNESCO says: “Arranged in words, coloured with images, struck with the right meter, the power of poetry has no match. As an intimate form of expression that opens doors to others, poetry enriches the dialogue that catalyses all human progress, and is more necessary than ever in turbulent times.”
Poetry has the power to increase empathy and provide a new perspective on the human experience. This day is about connecting with other languages and cultures in a shared form of expression that dates back to the 7th century.
Oz Hardwick, a Yorkshire poet said: “On World Poetry Day look online for a reading of something you don’t understand, a language you don’t know, and listen to the rhythm in that language. Because it’s about appreciating other cultures.”
To celebrate our culture in Yorkshire Oz Hardwick recited a poem all about Yorkshire.