| St Andrew Square became a Poetry Garden yesterday at 1.30pm with a special, free poetry event.
Richard Holloway, Chair of Scottish Arts Council, welcomed visitors, saying 'the wonderful thing about poetry is the way, in a few lines, it can sum up profound human experiences: sorrow, love, joy, rage. And the wonderful thing about having a poetry garden in a famous square in a beautiful city is the way it will help people to pause for a minute or two and let poetry into their lives.' Ron Butlin, Edinburgh's Makar, followed with a short reading of two poems, including one written specially for the garden.
Visitors to the garden floated poetry written on paper lotus, across the pond in St Andrew Square, in celebration of poetry becoming part of the garden on a permanent basis in the City of Literature.
Afterwards, despite the rainy August weather, Ryan Van Winkle, Reader in Residence with Edinburgh City Libraries and the Scottish Poetry Library, was on hand as a 'Personal Poetry Shopper', ready to recommend a perfect poem for visitors to read.
Edinburgh Makar, Ron Butlin, said: 'Located in the centre of Edinburgh, this poetry garden will give our city a creative heart that will be unique and truly vital - not just culturally, but in our daily lives.'
Ryan will be hosting another free Personal Poetry Shopper session in the garden on Friday 5 September, 12.30 - 1.30pm
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