Hi everyone,
Today’s poetry entry is a bit of a special one as it’s a video poem!
And that’s not the only thing special about this… the poet behind the video, Russell Jones, has been appointed as Pet Poet Laureate by the Blue Cross charity.
Full details on this below!
Thanks,
Marc
UK’S FIRST PET POET LAUREATE APPOINTED
– Russell Jones has been commissioned by Blue Cross to write a series of poems throughout the year about pet’s impact on our lives –
National pet charity, Blue Cross, is excited to announce that Russell Jones has been appointed as the first ever Pet Poet Laureate, a role that will see him pen a series of poems throughout the year of his tenure, all about pets and the wonderful influence and impact they have on people’s lives. Russell beat over 20 other shortlisted talented and emerging poets to the illustrious title that is the first role of its kind in the UK.
Russell’s winning entry poem, ‘A Tempest’, impressed the panel of judges which included The Poetry Society, thanks to its creative way of describing the struggles of an abandoned cat and her homeless kittens. In keeping with the title, the poem gives each kitten its own stanza and takes the physical form of a wave-like quality. It describes the ordeal mum Ella and her kittens went through; being separated, then rescued and finally reunited by Blue Cross, and moved on to the ‘new worlds’ of a rehoming centre to find their forever home together.
The position of Pet Poet Laureate was filled following a nationwide search to find a poet that demonstrated outstanding creativity in their writing and shared Blue Cross’s passion for pets and their welfare.
Julia McKechnie-Burke, Fundraising, Marketing and Communications Director at Blue Cross, added, “We are very excited to present the nation’s first Pet Poet Laureate to champion the huge impact pets have on people’s lives. We wanted to tap into the wonderful world of poetry, which is undergoing an exciting renaissance and reaching increasingly diverse audience, to demonstrate our mission in a unique way that has never been done before.
Over the next 12 months we will work with Russell to create a series of poems covering themes relating to pets and their people, from how pets impact children’s development to the enormous role pets played in the First World War. We can’t wait to reveal what surprises we have in-store to celebrate the nation’s love for pets and help bring attention to the thousands of pets across the country that are still in need of our help.”
After being appointed the position of Pet Poet Laureate, Russell Jones commented, “Having been a pet owner for as long as I can remember I am absolutely delighted to have chosen to take on the role of Pet Poet Laureate. I feel extremely grateful that the judges chose me as their winner and can’t wait to get started on writing more pet-themed poems to be released throughout the year.”
When asked about their involvement in the project and why they chose to appoint Russell, Julia Bird, Projects Manager at The British Poetry Society said, “The Poetry Society is delighted to partner with national pet charity Blue Cross to judge the Pet Poet Laureate search. Pets have already left a clear pawprint in bardic history from the pens of poetry greats including T S Eliot who marvelled at the ‘terpsichorean powers’ of cats and Elizabeth Barrett Browning who noted the ‘loyal cheer’ of dogs. With pets so prominent in society and many households considering them part of the family, it is appropriate and exciting for a new poetic voice to step in and respond to how we see our furry friends today.
In a field of strong contenders, we were charmed and moved by a wide variety of poems that regularly demonstrated a strong understanding and affinity for pets. Russell’s winning poem offered striking imagery, clever leaps of language and voice, and powerful insights about pets and our relationships with them. We very much look forward to seeing the work he creates during his year’s tenure in the post.”
Russell, who before being appointed his new role had already proven his expertise by publishing as many as five collections of poems, will be sharing his work commissioned under the role of Pet Poet Laureate on Blue Cross’s website and social channels, where details of public appearances and new material will be published throughout the year.
The video for ‘A Tempest’ can be found here: https://youtu.be/U1u3byGYb-Y
Nice achievement and a good fellow.
Yes!
Amazing, beautiful, excited for more
🙂