Hitchhikers Guide to Verse

AUCKLAND, Today: Phantom National Poetry Day is happening again this August. The company will be promoting New Zealand poets on their posters (naturally).

“But that’s just the beginning,” they say (in their latest Phan Mail e-newsletter. “Poets and fans around the nation will be taking part in poetry slams, open mics, readings, and a whole lot more.

“Now’s the time to plan and register your poetry event. Make sure you do it by Wednesday 19 May. There’s even seed funding available.

“Want to create a poetry event in your ’hood but not sure what to do? Check out the guidelines.”

Here are some of the creative ways people marked Poetry Day in 2020:

• Poetry Workshops for young people
• …and adults
• Collabs with artists and photographers
• Pop-up events in galleries, shops, libraries and other spaces
• Typesetting and hand-printing a favourite poem
• Music and poetry extravaganzas
• Theming a poetry event around something that’s going on the world, like the Covid pandemic or Black Lives Matter
• Poetry in schools
• Interviewing a poet
• Poetry written on the beach
• Poetry written while you wait
• A poetry party

“At Phantom Billstickers, we’re pretty excited to see what you come up with. We’ll put up the posters. Then let the poetry party begin.”

The mailing address is:
Phantom Billstickers
PO Box 8277
Symonds Street
Auckland, 1150
New Zealand

• Phantom National Poetry Day: nzbookawards.nz/national-poetry-day