This is the week to “break with the tyranny of prose” and celebrate all things poetical, thanks to National Poetry Day. Ahead of this UK-wide celebration on Thursday 8 October, for which you can find the full programme here, we want to get you thinking, dreaming and acting like a poet.
We would love you to dedicate a poem to someone you care about – it can be one you like or one you have created yourself. Please briefly explain who you are dedicating it to, and why, before you recite the poem. Other than that, surprise us: be as creative as you like. Simply record yourself, and share the video with us by clicking on the blue ‘Contribute’ button at the top and bottom of this page.
It doesn’t have to be professional – your words are what are important – but please make sure, if you’re filming with your phone, that the sound is ok. Please keep the video to under three minutes. For inspiration, you can check out the excellent readers’ videos of poems you know by heart, from last year. This year, the official theme for the day is Light – here are 36 poems, new and old, that the Forward Arts Foundation have compiled for the occasion.
We will feature your best performances on the Guardian site on National Poetry Day.
