GAZETTE Laureate Jean Hayes joined other members of Rrrants as they launched their new publication The Big Bardaid Book with live performances outside Waterstones in Hemel Hempstead on Saturday.
Despite gale force gusts of wind and an ominously black sky the performers who as well as Jean included Jamie Sammy, Poeterry, The Antipoet, Ian Freemantle, Victoria Laxton-Bass, Poet Hairy, George Stanworth and Mark Niel, managed to attract quite a crowd.
The eclectic band of poets, storytellers and songwriters who make up the Rrrants Collective put any profits raised from gigs into their Bardaid Initiative.
The project then uses the money to buy contemporary, non-curriculum poetry books which are donated to school libraries in the hope of inspiring youngsters to unglue themselves from their latest electronic device, pick up their pens, and become the voices of tomorrow.
The Big Bardaid Book is a collection of poetry which brings together some of the better known wordsmiths on the performance poetry circuit together with new voices in print for the first time.
The book was put together especially for youngsters but will be enjoyed by the more mature too.
Just don’t expect your typical poetry book themes of unrequited love and beautiful landscapes, look forward instead to expanding your mind as the Rrrants Collective break all those stifling literary rules and surprise their readers.
The Big Bardaid Book edited by Donna Daniels-Moss and published on December 1, 2011 is priced at £4.99 and is available to buy via Amazon and at Waterstones.