The latest development in the Barnard Castle Winning Words poetry project for the cultural Olympics is a Renga Relay. We are grateful to poet Ian MacMillan for providing the opening stanza for the relay which reads:
Pass on this great torch
through these streets paved with North’s gold:
pass it to your Mam …
Pupils from local primary schools have been busy using the Generator game to add further verses to the relay which will be continued by library and writing groups throughout the summer.
Renga is a traditional Japanese ‘linked poem’. The idea began more than seven hundred years ago in order to encourage poets to work together to produce collaborative compositions. A typical Renga consists of alternating three-line and two-line stanzas linked together on a theme. Our theme is the Olympics.
Three-line stanzas follow the traditional haiku pattern of 5, 7 and 5 syllables while the two-line stanzas each contain 7 syllables.
Whereas the language used usually incorporates images associated with seasons, nature and love, we have given participants the freedom to incorporate their own words and images around the theme.
Feedback so far is positive. Pupils have enjoyed working together to write poetry and are particularly keen on using the generator to produce words.
The relay continues until the end of September when Ian MacMillan will provide the closing stanza. The whole will be read out during a celebration event at NeST gallery, Barnard Castle on Thursday 4th October, National Poetry Day.
We hope that the poem will be at least thirty six lines long by that time as this is the stipulated length for a Kasen. If you would like to take part in this poetry relay, e-mail your details to project lead Judith Lesley Marshall via judith@barnardcastlenest.org.uk
winningwordsatbarnardcastlenest 