Here’s your daily dose of wholesomeness.
Due to the coronavirus outbreak, there are thousands of elderly people who are having to self-isolate and, understandably, might be feeling a little lonely. In order to combat the struggle of social separation and ensure that older people remain visible in a positive way, PoetryGeneration have come up with an amazing idea. For every day we’re in lockdown, they’re asking an elderly person to record a reading of their favourite poem to be shared with the rest of the world.
Elderly people can record any poem that is out of copyright, which means that the author needs to have been dead for 70 years or more. However, if you have your heart set on recording something more modern, then you can contact poetrygeneration2020@gmail.com who will try and obtain the rights for you from the publisher. And don’t worry, if you want to record a poem that somebody else has already recorded, you can still do that too.
If you’re a little bit shaky with technology, that doesn’t matter. The video doesn’t need to be a Spielberg rival, it just needs to be audible and have your face visible as well. If you’re isolating entirely by yourself, then just you can create your poetry recording using the ‘selfie’ mode on your phone or tablet.
And don’t worry, there is no need to act or project or add fancy flourishes to your recording. Simply read it however you feel most comfortable or how you might read it to a younger child.
Check out all the poems that people have already recorded thus far over on PoetryGeneration’s website and, if you’re inspired, you can send your own poetry recording to poetrygeneration2020@gmail.com.