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Southbank Centre's Global Poetry System

On Thursday 8 October, as part of this year’s National Poetry Day celebrations, Southbank Centre will launch Global Poetry System (GPS). Combining the geographical networking capacity of the internet with the idea that poetry is all around us, Southbank Centre has created GPS, a new website that encourages members of the public to seek out, upload and share poetry.
 
From an engraving on a statue in a town square to a line of graffiti on the way to work, poetry resonates with just about everyone. Whether it is a sentimental line on a Valentine’s Day card or a nursery rhyme remembered from school, GPS uses Google maps to pinpoint the location of the poems that surround us and reveals the unique personal stories and memories behind them.
 
Highlights of poetry uploaded so far include a profound sentence scrawled across a Seattle gallery wall that haunts its reader “I can’t be what you want me to be”; a small but significant grammatical device used in a customer sign reveals more than a hint of sarcasm from a bitter Edinburgh pub owner ‘“Sorry” Toilets for customer use only’, and a piece of graffiti alludes to the local nickname for a fish and chip shop whose staff could regularly be found dancing along to hip hop videos.
 
GPS is the vision of poet and Southbank Centre Artist in Residence, Lemn Sissay working with Southbank Centre’s Learning and Participation team. Intrigued by the idea of found poetry, Lemn initially set out to track down all the poems that were present across the Southbank Centre 21- acre site. Having collected over five hundred poems in this one location, Lemn was inspired to extend the search for poetry globally. Together with Southbank Centre and 8 partner organisations throughout the UK, GPS is a tool to get the world collecting and documenting poetry.
 
Lemn Sissay said: “If you thought GPS meant Global positioning system then you need to reposition yours. As of national Poetry Day on 8 October, GPS is Global Poetry System. From the public toilet walls of the world to great memorial statues, poetry is all around us! GPS is a dynamic new website to upload, find and share poetry with the world. It is quite literally the word on the street!”  
 
In conjunction with the Poetry Society, the BBC and Southbank Centre, National Poetry Day takes place on the Clore Ballroom, Royal Festival Hall on Thursday 8 October from 2-5pm and includes readings from Carol Ann Duffy, John Hegley, Roger McGough, Selima Hill, Anjan Saha and Lemn Sissay. There will be a chance for audiences to get involved, with Beach Ball Haiku (make a Haiku using 11 inflatable beach balls all printed with a different word) and the GPS photobooth.
 
Lemn Sissay will be available for interview on Thursday 8 October from 2-5pm
 
G.P.S partners include Academi, Apples & Snakes, Beverley Literature Festival, Dylan Thomas Centre,  Litfest, National Association of Literature Development, The Scottish Poetry Library, The Verbal Arts Centre

For full press information, please contact Jenny Brown on 0207 921 0926, jenny.brown@southbankcentre.co.uk  or Miles Evans on 0207 921 0676 or email: miles.evans@southbankcentre.co.uk