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Ode to be in Luton now that April’s there..

Call to budding Byrons to pen a poem for Luton

Bedfordshire town plans its own book of verse.

Budding Betjemans, Blakes, Burns, Brownings and Byrons, would-be Wordsworths Wildes, aspiring Shakespeares, Shelleys and Swifts - prospective poets throughout the country have been invited to pen an ode to the Bedfordshire town of Luton, with the chance of it being published in a planned anthology of verse.

The invitation comes from the town’s promotional consortium, Luton First, which has already successfully completed a similar project with new novelists. Ten short stories by previously unpublished authors were chosen for inclusion in their ‘Junction 10’ paperback, published in 2005 by Antony Rowe Publishing.

Now they plan to publish on on-going series of poems about the town on a dedicated website, with a selection of the best printed in a give-away format every few months. The very best of the best will then be published at the end of the year in a paperback compendium entitled ‘Love Luton’.

“This is an open invitation to poets of all ages, from all over the country, to visit Luton, absorb some of the unique spirit of the town, which speaks more than 120 languages, and put pen to paper with a poem,” says Patricia Murchie, chair of the Luton First consortium which is supported by The University of Bedfordshire, London Luton Airport, The Mall [Arndale] shopping centre, Whitbread, Vauxhall Motors and other organisations, including Luton Borough Council.

Luton can already point to a string of successful writers who have lived in the town, including David Renwick, who wrote ‘One Foot in the Grave’ and Arthur Hailey, author of ‘Hotel’ and ‘Airport’. John Bunyan, the 17th century author of ‘Pilgrims Progress’, was born just outside the town.

“But we are also proud to include poet John Hegley in a list of literary Lutonians,” says Patricia. “John moved to Luton as a boy and, while he now lives in London, regularly visits us as a Luton Town FC supporter.”

John Hegley, who received an Honorary Arts Doctorate from the University in 2000, will be keeping an interested eye on the project. “I have had many formative experiences in Luton,” he says. “A budding poet will find inspiration there; it is all in the looking and I have found it conducive to contemplation.”

In his poem ‘Luton Remembered’ John Hegley wrote:

Your earth, I’ve found, is fertile,
When I was asked to help encourage poetry production,
Brought in as a manure,
I left your chalky Chiltern children
Knowing they were naturals
And poetry’s secure, here.

John Hegley’s latest volume of work, ‘Uncut Confetti’, features a strong autobiographical strand with some poignant reflections on his father, who would have been 100 in the year of publication.

The University of Bedfordshire, which offers a popular degree course in creative writing, will oversee the selection process throughout the project.

Entrants, who should make only one submission to www.loveluton.com, may be invited to present further work in due course. There will be no charges for the publication of their work. Proceeds from the sale of the ‘Love Luton’ paperback anthology will be donated to charity, in line with the policy of sales for the ‘Junction 10’ book of short stories.

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