Fleetwood Library (Lancashire, UK) retain WW1 Exhibition until the end of November 2013

Fleetwood Library (Lancashire, UK - I specify because I have found one in Canada and one in the USA) have retained the WW1 Exhibition until the end of November 2013.  Entry Free.  

There will be a poetry reading on Friday, 29th November at Fleetwood Library from 11 am - 1 pm.   when you can bring a poem you have written yourself or your favourite poem - it doesn't have to be a war poem.  If you don't have a poem you would like to read out, just come along and join in a general discussion.

You can read a review of the Exhibition in Fleetwood Library here:  http://www.altblackpool.co.uk/female-poets-world-war-one-exhibition-fleetwood-library

A visit to Fleetwood - once a thriving fishing port - is definitely worthwhile - The North Euston Hotel (family run), with its breathtaking view across Morecambe Bay to Furness Peninsula, was taken over by the Ministry of Defence and used as the HQ of the Gunnery School based at Fleetwood Golf Links.   Wilfred Owen the poet was posted there in November 1916 and had lodgings in a house in Bold Street which is a short walk from the North Euston Hotel.  A blue plaque on the house reminds people that Wilfred Owen was there. 

Fleetwood Golf Links are happy to show people where the Firing Ranges were situated and they have produced a commemorative booklet for those who are particularly interested.   Fleetwood also boasts a Memorial Park and garden and there is a lovely marina at Fleetwood Free Port.

Fleetwood Library

North Albert Street

FLEETWOOD

Lancashire

FY7 6AJ

England

Review of the WW1 Anthology "We aged a hundred years" ('Wij werden honderd jaar ouder') edited by Chris Spriet

"We aged a hundred years" ('Wij werden honderd jaar ouder') - the title of Chris Spriet's WW1 Anthology - is the first line of the poem "In Memoriam, July 19, 1914" written by Russian poet Anna Akhmatova (1899 - 1966), which is featured on page 48.  Opposite, on page 49, Chris has translated Anna's poem into Dutch.

Dutch is not 'one of my languages' but I needed to have a look at Chris's Anthology in order to find out more about French, German and Dutch poets, which is not easy to do as most English language WW1 anthologies concentrate mainly on poets who wrote in English.  Not that many of them are about women poets either.

Why am I interested in poets outside my comfort zone? Most of you will know that I am putting together a series of exhibitions for the coming Centenary years to commemorate the First World War. This is in memory of my Grandfather, a career soldier with the Royal Field Artillery, who survived and of my Great-Uncle who volunteered, joining the Northumberland Fusiliers , who was killed at Arras in 1917.  Grandfather was an "Old Contemptible" - one of the first British soldiers to go to France in August 1914 and his Regiment was the Royal Field Artillery which he had joined as a boy soldier in 1905.

The First World War was undoubtedly the first conflict to affect all countries of the world and civilians and soldiers alike.   Women were not left out and, in spite of the fact that in his anthology "The Sweet Red Wine of Youth" Nicolas Murray leaves women out 'because they did not fight', some women did fight.   I decided to try to find as many women poets from as many countries of the world as possible.

An added bonus in Chris's 356- page anthology are some fabulous, thought-provoking illustrations by Wim Opbrouck which are cleverly woven in between the poems, bringing light relief for tired eyes.

I am very grateful indeed to Chris Spriet for his meticulous research, which brings together so many poets of different nationalities with a wide variety of poems which he has left in the original language as well as translating into Dutch.  At the back of the book is a comprehensive list of the 97 poets featured with brief biographical details.  With the help of google.translate these notes are not beyond the comprehension of English speakers.   

Here you will find all the old favourites - Wilfred Owen, Isaac Rosenberg, Edmund Blunden, Apollinaire, Vera Brittain, Rupert Brooke, Jean Cocteau, Geoffrey Dearmer, Eva Dobell, e.e. cummings, Gilbert Frankau, John Galsworthy, Ivor Gurney, Rudyard Kipling, D.H. Lawrence, Ezra Pound, Siegfried Sassoon, Charles Hamilton Sorley, Edward Thomas, Sara Teasdale, Edna St. Vincent Millay and W.B. Yeats - as well as many who may be new to you.  It is fascinating to read their poems in Dutch.

Chris Spriet's Anthology is a true labour of love - a fitting memorial to the First World War and definitely a 'must read' for anyone who likes poetry and who is interested in that conflict. 

With many thanks to Peter Parsley in Belgium for coming to our rescue and posting us the copy we had sent to his house.  Thank you Peter - I couldn't manage without your continuing help for my project.

Lucy London, November 2013

A slight departure...Salomé Ureña - Dominican Republic

Although this weblog is primarily about women who were alive during the First World War, I am nevertheless trying to include all countries of the world.  So far, the only poet I have found from The Dominican Republic is Salomé Ureña - with grateful thanks to Joel Uribe for the suggestion.  Joel is from:

Women Poets International
"I'm all I can be, a woman, a poetess"

Woman' Scream (International Poetry Festival)
http://womanscream.blogspot.com
http://facebook.com/womenpoetsinternational

Français:Femme Poètes International
"Je suis tout que je peux être, une femme, une poète"

Festival International de Poésie "Cri de Femme"http://festivalcridefemme.blogspot.com




which looks absolutely amazing - definitely worth a good peruse.

As Salomé is particularly inspirational, I have taken the liberty of including her here:

SALOME UREÑA (1850 – 1897) DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Salomé Ureña de Henriquez was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on 21^st October 1850.  Her Father – Nicolás Ureña de Mondoze - was a writer who taught his daughter about French and Spanish classical literature.  Her Mother was Gregoria Diaz.

Salomé published her first anthology when she was seventeen and soon made a name for herself as a writer.  In 1870, she married Dr. Francisco Henriquez y Carvajal, a writer and politician. 

In 1881, encouraged by her husband, Salomé started an establishment for the higher education of young women in the Dominican Republic – “Instituto de Señoritas”.   Five years later, the first six female teachers graduated – which was an achievement at that time.

Salomé died from TB on 6^th March 1897 at the age of 47.  She is remembered and revered as an educator and one of the most important poets of the nineteenth century and the first female poet of the Dominican Republic to write about subjects outside the domestic issues usually reserved for women writers. 

In the introduction to her complete anthology published in 1950, Joaquín Balaguer described Salomé as “a great poet who embodied the hope and aspirations of the newly consolidated Republic”.

MARTING, DIiane E. Ed., “Spanish American Women Writers:  A Bio-biographical Source Book” (Greenwood Press, Connecticut 1990).

For examples of Salomé Ureña's poems, please see the excellent website: 

http://www.los-poetas.com/n/salo1.htm 

Exhibition retained at Fleetwood Library, Lancashire, UK until the end of November 2013

News has just come in that Fleetwood Library would like to retain the exhibition until the end of this month as it has attracted quite a lot of attention.

Fleetwood Library
North Albert Street
FLEETWOOD
Lancashire
FY7 6AJ
UK

As there are also Fleetwood Libraries elsewhere in the world, I think it wise to specify - there is one in Canada and one in the USA.

Entry is free and you can view the exhibition during normal library
opening hours.

If you have never visited Fleetwood - where Wilfred Owen was posted in October - December 1916 before leaving for the Western Front - don't forget to visit:

The North Euston Hotel, which was the HQ of the Gunnery School
Fleetwood Golf Links - where the firing ranges were situated and
Wilfred Owen's lodgings in Bold Street, Fleetwood (blue plaque in situ)

Fleetwood Freeport is also worth a visit, as it is alongside the marina which is full of interesting yachts.

And Fleetwood has a park called Memorial Park - near Fleetwood Town FC - which has just received a grant for renovations.

Australian Poets

Thank you to Clare Gervasoni and Michael Taffe in Australia for helping me to find several more names to add to the list of Australian poets I had already found -

Nettie Palmer ((1885 - 1964)
Elizabeth Scott (1833 - 1948)
Mary Wyatt (? - 1941)

And while I was researching those poets, I found twelve more Australian poets who are not on my list!

And thank you to the Administrators of the lovely Facebook page Mud, Mining, Medals which has so much interesting information - who have also been extremely kind.

I shall add these new Australian women poets to the list and hope to publish a revised list shortly.

Photo of an Australian billet during WW1 near Ypres. An Imperial War Museum photograph taken by WW1 photographers Frank Hurley and George Wilkins.

2013 Pendle War Poetry Competition Winner from Canada reads winning entry on local radio

Christine Poropat from Sudbury, Ontario, Canada (in photo), was featured on CBC Radio's Points North programme where she read out her poem that has won second prize in the Overseas Category of this year's Pendle War Poetry Competition.

 You can hear Christine read out her poem and tell about her family's involvement in the Second World War in this excellent feature that was put together by Jennifer Norwell at CBC Sudbury, Ontario.

 To listen, click on the sound icon below (please note this may take longer to load if you are using a Mac...):

 Photo by Jennifer Norwell, CBC. To find out more about the Points North programme on CBC, click here:  http://www.cbc.ca/pointsnorth/

 To see details of all the winners of the 2013 Pendle War Poetry Competition, look here: www.pendlewarpoetry.com

Mea Culpa! Error alert - oops!

I have just had an e-mail from Penelope Monkhouse in Germany:

"you seem to have the names muddled up in your latest blog entry – it should be Wolfgang Deppe, Christopher Middleton and Herbert Schönherr

Regards,


Penelope"


Apologies - I copied my information from here: http://www.amazon.com/Ohne-Fahne-Hatred-Haine-Drapeau/dp/B0030AIIFG - no wonder I couldn't get hold of a copy!!

Many thanks indeed to you Penelope - I work alone so I do very much rely on people who read this weblog to point out any errors.

Onwards - more exhibition panels to prepare for the exhibition going to Stow Maries WW1 Aerodrome in Essex.