ACTION BUSES TO DISPLAY THE WORDS OF LOCAL POETS

For the next three months, poems by four of the ACT's most talented poets will be posted on the walls of about 100 ACTION buses as Poetry in ACTION once again hits the fleet, Chief Minister and Minister for the Arts, Jon Stanhope, announced today.

Now in its fourth year, Poetry in ACTION is one of the most broad-reaching poetry initiatives in Canberra, taking poetry to up to 10,000 bus commuters a day.

The winner and long-listed poets from the ACT Poetry Prize's David Campbell Award were commissioned to write short poems for Poetry in ACTION 2010 and an expert panel advised on the final six selected.

The featured poems are by Danijela Kambaskovic-Sawers, Moya Pacey, Geoff Page and Maggie Shapley.

"Each year, shortlisted poets for the David Campbell Award are commissioned to write poems for possible display inside ACTION buses," Mr Stanhope said. "This year six poems were selected by an expert panel for display inside 100 ACTION buses.

"Over the coming months the poems will be read and re-read by about 10,000 Canberrans travelling on some of ACTION's busiest routes including the inter-town routes.

"Poetry in ACTION is just one of the ways the Government helps local poets to get a little more of the exposure they deserve.

"Congratulations to the poets represented on our buses this year."

The commissioned poems and information on the ACT Poetry Prize can be accessed at http://www.arts.act.gov.au/

Media Contact:

Jess Wurf
6205 0504
0411 772 700
jess.wurf@act.gov.au