Positive Poetry to brighten the days of Festival Place visitors
Festival Place in Basingstoke is bringing uplifting, thought-provoking poetry to the masses by working with a poet who addresses issues around love and mental health.
The shopping centre is working with James McInerney, from Northampton, on his Poetry in Public project, which has seen his life-affirming quotes appearing on billboards at London airports, on shopping centre screens and on Tube station message boards.
James’ poetry will be displayed on digital boards throughout Festival Place.
“The aim of the project is to get poetry into places you wouldn't normally see it and open people’s eyes to the joy of poetry,” said James.
“The response from the public so far has been amazing and by working with Festival Place we are creating an opportunity to experience poetry in another unique environment.”
Emily Palmer, Marketing Director at Festival Place, said: “We are a huge supporter of projects that address mental health.
“We are continually looking to create unexpected moments in Festival Place that surprise and delight our guests and we expect that James’ poetry, which will be featured on all of our digital screens throughout the centre, will leave a lasting impression on our guests, and hopefully generate a whole new audience for this much-loved medium.”
A recent survey by the National Literacy Trust found that, over the last five years, poetry’s popularity has grown, with one in two children and young adults now engaging in poetry and children from disadvantaged background in particular being most engaged.
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