Year-long poem challenge (From Malvern Gazette)

Year-long poem challenge

10:06am Monday 12th April 2010 in News

THE Colwall Orchard Group is launching a year-long mass-participation Renga poem at its Blossom Picnic on May 2, with poetry workshops by prize-winning poet Annaliese Emmans Dean.

Renga is a thousand-year-old Japanese tradition of collaborative poetry writing. Each verse is passed to the next writer who must link their new verse to the one that went before. Gradually a poem that can extend to hundreds of verses is created.

"It's a fabulous, creative way for everyone - young and no longer quite so young - to join in celebrating spring, and all the wonderful blossom, butterflies, bees and other beasties that arrive at this time of year,” said Annaliese.

In Japan, Rengas are written to celebrate the cherry blossom festival. Tim Dixon of the Colwall Orchard Group said: “Broadwood cherry orchard, which should be in full bloom for the blossom picnic this year, is the perfect place to launch our Renga.”

The Blossom Picnic is a family event. Throughout the day Annaliese Emmans Dean will be running Renga workshops for all ages. There will be guided walks of the orchards, and children and the young at heart can go on a bug hunt with Dr Roger Key, then take their finds to the workshop as inspiration.

The orchard group will be running the Renga throughout the year at seasonal events, as well as this year’s Ledbury Poetry Festival.