Tuesday 22 March 2016

Spring



The frogs are getting frisky and the hills are alive with lambs, so it seems a fitting time to introduce myself as the first-ever official Otley Town Poet.

For those who don't know me, my name is Matthew Hedley Stoppard: I'm a family man, a librarian and poet with two books published by Valley Press and spoken word releases by Adult Teeth Recording Company. I write poems and prose, and I read them aloud all over the country, either on my own or with my friends A Firm of Poets.


I was born and brought up in a town and have always felt compelled to return to one, so to represent Otley, as a poet, is an immense honour, far beyond my imagination.

My family and I have lived here for almost a year and have endeavoured to become familiar with every resident and rodent, every pint of beer and earwig; The Chevin, the allotment sheds, the characters and customs, and I've always felt very much at home.

The Steinbeck fans among you will remember the famous opening line from Cannery Row: "Cannery Row in Monterey in California is a poem..." And this is what I thought when I first visited Otley many years ago. When you begin to describe the region it takes little effort to convert it's landscape into verse, and this will be my duty over next 12 months.





It thrills me to think of the year ahead in this role, and I can't wait to get stuck in and produce poetry and deliver events inspired my our community.

As Town Poet, I have a very exciting programme of events for 2016/17, including involvement in Stage 2 of the Tour de Yorkshire, the Town Meeting, Otley Carnival, National Poetry Day and Otley Victorian Fair - and I'm sure some others will crop up, too.

One of my main aims is to engage non-poetry fans in poetry, as well as nurture and support the immense talent we have in the area - Otley Poets and Courthouse Poets to name just two groups.

It goes without saying that I will be writing poetry inspired by the town, and representing Otley in other areas in the North and further afield. I will also offer seasonal blog posts along with posts about events and projects. 

If you see in me in the street, please say "hello" and look out for me on my trusty Honda Cub. I also have a presence on Facebook and Twitter.