Archived press release

POETRY FOR EIGHTEEN MILLION PEOPLE Britain's Leading Poets Join FOE to Launch Poetry on the Buses

18 May 1998

Top British Poets will be taking part in a photocall with two London Buses, at 10am Monday 18th May, in Covent Garden Piazza, outside the London Transport Museum.

Stars include:Danny Abse, Alan Brownjohn, Ivor Cutler, Sophie Hannah, Michael Horowitz, Lemn Sissay and Benjamin Zephaniah

READING (invitation only)

Inside the London Transport Museum, 11am

POETICAL MYSTERY TOUR

Leaves Covent Garden Piazza 1.30pm

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Top British poets are joining with Friends of the Earth to launch a new poetry show on the buses. The new show, "London the Living City", includes contributed works from established guest poets, and over 60 prize winning poems from contributors of all ages from all over the country, selected by competition judge Roger McGough. Competition winners will join guest poets at the launch and reading at the London Transport Museum.

The poems will be seen by up to eighteen million passengers on some of London's busiest bus routes (8,15,19,38,73,137,159). The seven routes have been provided by two bus companies working in partnership for the first time - Arriva and Stagecoach East London.The poems will be on show from May to October 1998, in one of the largest public poetry displays ever.

"London the Living City" is a joint venture between Friends of the Earth and big wide words.The collaboration began in 1996, with Moving Poems - a 25th Anniversary Show for Friends of the Earth. For further information about big wide words please contact William Ayot.

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"I've always thought Poems on the Underground was a wonderful idea, and am delighted that Friends of the Earth is involved in a scheme to put poetry on the buses. I hope the poems will lift the spirits of passengers and gain new supporters for Friends of the Earth."
Wendy Cope

"I think the Poems on the Buses project is an excellent idea. Putting poetry on public transport is a brilliant way of bringing good poems to people's attention."
Sophie Hannah

"Buses are friends of the earth themselves and putting these poems on board will make them even better. Yo."
John Hegley

"I don't have a car, so travelling by bus is a regular feature of my life. Putting poetry on the buses is a great way of improving the journey and I'm delighted to be involved in judging poems for the next show."
Roger McGough

Copies of winning poems and biographies of contributors are available from Adeela Warley.

- ENDS -

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NOTES TO EDITORS

Routes 73 and 38:Victoria, Hyde Park Corner, Marble Arch, Piccadilly Circus, Oxford Circus,Bloomsbury, Kings Cross, Islington, Newington Green, Dalston, Hackney, Stoke Newington

Route 137:Streatham Hill, Clapham Common, Chelsea Bridge, Sloane Square, Hyde Park Corner, Marble Arch, Oxford Circus

Route 159:Baker Street Station, Oxford Street, Oxford Circus, Piccadilly Circus, Trfalgar Square,Westminster, Lambeth Bridge, Kennington, Brixton, Streatham Hill, Streatham

Route 19:Finsbury Park, Highbury, Islington, Bloomsbury, Piccadilly Circus, Hyde Park Corner, Knightsbridge, Sloane Square, Battersea Bridge, Battersea

Route 15:Paddington, Gloucester Terrace, Marble Arch, Bond Street, Oxford Street, Pall Mall,Trafalgar Square, Fleet Street, St Pauls, Cannon Street, Queen Victoria Street, King William Street, Tower Hill, Aldgate High Street, East India Dock Road, East Ham

Route 8:Victoria, Hyde Park Corner, Green Park, Berkeley Square, Bond Street, Oxford Street, Tottenham Court Road, Holborn, Old Bailey, St Pauls, Liverpool Street, Bethnal Green, Roman Road Market, Old Ford, Bow Church.

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Examples of winning entries follow on the next page - winning poets, both children and adults, can be contacted through Friends of the Earth.

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GOING TO THE NATIONAL FILM THEATRE

You said: meet me on the other side.
And crossing Hungerford Bridge
it was twilight:
electric stars switched on in the lilac sky
and the river flat grey or dirty brown
or green like old linoleum.
Never mind. I'll think it into silver -
Spenser's sweet Thames,
which ran, ran softly till the movie ended
and our loud metal footsteps took us back
over the bridge and down to Charing Cross.

Adle Geras


TURBAN

On the banks of the Southall canal
a Sikh youth, with the wisdom
of a Guru, unwound his turban,

wrapped an end around his fist
and threw the roll of linen out
like a fishing line

which a younger boy grasped
about to sink, like his bike
a fathom below.

"This is not the Ganges",
the eldest jokes, as he towelled
him with his hair, as long as a sari.

Both safely aboard his skateboard,
they disappeared like a speedboat,
round the bend.

Owen Gallagher

CITY STORIES

Because of their past,
they bought into futures
but the futures they bought
stole the future they had.

Sad.

His broker said "Widgets"
so he spent all his cash
but his broker broke him;
the "Widgets" were trash.

Rash.

The cash-cows were fatter
and dealers were glad
but there's something the matter,
the cash-cows are mad.

Bad.

"Sell!" they said, "sell!
it's sell now or die!"
So fortunes were lost,
they should have said "Buy!

Buy!"

Christopher North

If you're a journalist looking for press information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.

Published by Friends of the Earth Trust