Paul McCartney to give wings to UK poetry day
( 2001-09-10 10:38 ) (7 )

Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney is to take to the stage in London's West End to read a selection of his poems in celebration of National Poetry Day, organisers said on Sunday.

It will be the first time that McCartney, who published an anthology of his poetry and lyrics, "Blackbird Singing", earlier this year, will read his work in London.

He has given three previous public readings of his poetry in New York, his hometown Liverpool and at the Hay-on-Wye literary festival in the Welsh border town.

Joining McCartney on stage on October 4 will be a band of British bards including Frieda Hughes, daughter of the late poet laureate Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath, and the event organiser London poet Michael Horovitz.

The recital at The Queen's Theatre will commemorate the 21st anniversary of the UK's Poetry Olympics -- an event created in the 1980s by Horovitz to try and resuscitate the popularity of British poetry.

"The jazz and beat poetry boom of the Sixties was overtaken by yuppie careerism," Horovitz said in a statement.

"I'm heartened to know that there are at least 300 active professional poets in Britain today, and that the popularity of poetry is increasing with every year," he said.

Nine British performance poets will participate in the event, some with jazz accompaniment.