Poetry in Motion

Thirteen schools across Tavistock are holding a poetry festival to show young people that poetry is great fun and something everyone can do.

Tavistock Cooperative Learning Trust has created a week-long poetry event which will take place between 29 September and 3 October to encourage people to look at poetry and poets in a new light.

Each school will be visited by a professional poet who will spend a whole day with the youngsters helping them to craft their poems based on the festival theme of ‘Where we Live’. In addition each school will be given a box of photos of the local area, to help them craft their pieces of performance poetry. The week-long poetry event will culminate in an inter-school poetry slam, held at the College on Friday 3 October, where students will vie for the winning trophies which will be awarded to the top performance poet in each Key Stage.

Helen Salmon Principal of Tavistock College said: “This is a wonderful opportunity for students to learn about poetry and be creative. It gives them the chance to become writers and find their own voice.

“We are also excited to be able to extend this event and into the community by inviting members of the public to share their poems with us too. We would like people of all ages them to use this beautiful photo of Cox Torr, taken by Tavistock College’s assistant principle Gary King, as inspiration, write their own poem and submit it for public vote. The winning poet will receive a framed copy of the Cox Torr photograph which inspired their work.”

The framed photo of Cox Torr can be viewed in the town library throughout the festival week. Members of the public wishing to take part in the poetry festival email their words to shubbard@tavistockcollege.devon.sch.uk or drop them in at the College reception. All entries will be displayed in Tavistock Town Hall between 9:00 – 12:00 on Saturday 4 October where members of the public can vote for their favourite piece, which will be displayed in the library the following week. Children from all the participating schools will also be performing their poetry pieces and members of the public are invited to watch and/or perform their own works.

This is the first trust –wide event that has been staged since its formation last year, and has been made possible thanks to extra funding from Devon County Council, Tavistock College Trustees and Babcock LDP. Helen Salmon added, “Planning this Poetry Festival is bringing schools across the community together to celebrate the poetic talents of our young people and to enable them to experience the power of words. I am really looking forward to watching the students learn how powerful poetry can be and seeing members of the public engage with the event too.”