(full details of Not the Oxford Literary Festival can be found here)

We Need You!!

The climax of Not the Oxford Literary Festival, on the night of the 30th and early hours of the 31st of March, is “Paint Oxford With Poetry”, our effort to see Oxford wake up to a city filled with poetry. We won’t actually be painting, but we will be leaving leaflets at bus stops and in phone boxes, putting posters through cafe doors and various other things. And each one will have a poem on it, and a very simple message

“This poem comes to you from Not the Oxford Literary Festival. We hope you enjoyed it. And if you did we hope you’ll consider writing your own, and leaving it where you found this one. And share it with us at http://eightcuts.com. And pass it on to someone you know. Help make Oxford a city of poetry.”

We will also append the name of the poem’s author.

And this is where you come in. We are asking everyone to bequeath one of their poems to Oxford for us to distribute on the night. It can be a few words or a many lines. We’ll be leaving them in public places, so no naughty words, but that aside, write something, or send us something, either in the comments here, or by e-mail to eightcutsgallery@gmail.com, and we will share it with Oxford.

Oxford has a great poetic tradition, and with Hammer and Tongue, and Catweazle, Pride, the International Women’s Festival, the Jericho and Backroom Poets, George’s Jamboree, and, we hope, our own New Libertines, it has an exciting, vibrant, and vital poetic present. Sadly the Literary Festival focuses only on the past, and it can seem as you walk through the streets of Oxford that if this is poetry, it has little to do with you. Which couldn’t be further from the truth. Poetry is for everyone, and Not the Oxford Literary Festival wants to let everyone in Oxford know about the present of Oxford’s poetry – and to be part of its future.

You can also contribute a short poem or haiku on twitter on the night, simply using the #oxfordpoetry hashtag. All will be used.

And finalyy, COME ALONG TO THE ALBION BEATNIK BOOKSTORE. From midnight we will be distributing poetry. Come and help! And before that come and write, listen, and be part of our fabulous festival.