Book crossing for National Poetry Day

National Poetry Day is Oct. 5, and North West libraries are marking the occasion with a poetry-specific Book Crossing effort.

Library staff will be leaving specially purchased poetry collections by poets from the North West region, in public places such as health centres, leisure centres, pubs and cafes, hairdressers’ salons - wherever they think someone will have time and curiosity enough, to pick up a book and read a poem or two. Finders of books can read and keep them, or pass them on, after registering their “find” on www.bookcrossing.com.

While books are being released, four poets are going to be spreading the word about the Book Crossing project at readings across the region. Rosie Lugosi in Liverpool (3pm at Tate Liverpool), Mandy Coe in Manchester (BBC mobile studio), Joy Winkler in Carlisle (Castle) and Jennifer Copley in deepest Cheshire (Deep Store) are all reading briefly before leaving their own collections somewhere in the locality.

The NW Book Crossing project is co-ordinated by Time To Read, the NW Libraries Reader Development partnership. For more information about the project as a whole, please contact Jane Mathieson Tel 0161 236 4451 or e mail nwreader@libraries.manchester.gov.uk