‘Finally shall come the poet, worthy that name’: exploring the role of a cathedral poet-in-residence

Cathedrals have been hosting poets- and writers-in-residence since 1998, when the first ‘cathedral poet’ came to Worcester under the Poetry Places scheme. Such residencies are steadily increasing, although they reveal mixed priorities and portfolios. Some poets come as unpaid volunteers to reflect p...

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Bibliographic Details
Subtitles:Cathedral Studies (Part 3)
Main Author: Harper, Sally 1962- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Interlibrary Loan:Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany)
Published: 2025
In: Journal of beliefs and values
Year: 2025, Volume: 46, Issue: 4, Pages: 684-701
Further subjects:B poet-in-residence
B Spirituality
B Cathedral studies
B Creative writing
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:Cathedrals have been hosting poets- and writers-in-residence since 1998, when the first ‘cathedral poet’ came to Worcester under the Poetry Places scheme. Such residencies are steadily increasing, although they reveal mixed priorities and portfolios. Some poets come as unpaid volunteers to reflect primarily on the varied aspects of cathedral life and to offer creative workshops; others may receive external funding to work on a cathedral outreach programme, sometimes in partnership with another institution. The outcome of a residency may be equally varied, ranging from a traditional volume of ‘cathedral poems’ to spontaneous ‘spoken word’ poetry, emphasising performance and community interaction. The very distinctiveness of English cathedrals suggests that there is no obvious blueprint for a successful residency, although the capacity of poetry to help us ‘see differently’ suggests increasingly creative ways in which a poet may transform our encounter with a cathedral and all that it stands for.
ISSN:1469-9362
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of beliefs and values
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/13617672.2024.2448037