The idea of honouring poets at local, regional, and international levels may be said to have its genesis in 1936 when Tessa Sweezy Webb began to honour Ohio poets on the third Saturday in October. Soon, other people grew enthused about the idea and formed both state and national obervances. By 1951, 41 countries were observing October 15 as World Poetry Day.
In Trinidad and Tobago, Poetry Day celebrations were first introduced by Anson Gonzalez and The New Voices on October 15, 1979 at a function at The Normandie Hotel, Port-of-Spain. At this function, five outstanding poets of the 1970s were honoured: A. M. Clarke, Maria Gonzalez, Victor D. Questel, Paul Keens Douglas, and Abdul Malik. Discussions following a paper presented by Marina Ama Omowale Maxwell at this function led to the formation of the Writers' Union of Trinidad and Tobago (1980).
Since 1979, there has always been a major poetry function on or near October 15. The secondary schools usually organize a grand function and the Colonial Life Insurance Company Ltd (CLICO) organizes a Poetry Day Writing Competition for secondary schools. The Writers' Union of Trinidad and Tobago also stages a major poetry recital.
Poetry Day activities and their spinoffs have led to a great resurgence in reading and writing poetry and to the rise of performance poets in Trinidad and Tobago.
Poetry Day activities have also been held in Guyana, Grenada, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Monsterrat, and Dominica.
The Writers' Union of Trinidad and Tobago (WUTT) invites the public to its World Poetry Day Recital at the Heritage Library, Knox Street, Port-of-Spain at 7.30 p.m. on Tuesday October 15,1996. Admission is free. For information call : 633-4486, 628-6744, 627-3394, 653-3964. See Anson Gonzalez's report on this event.
The International Poetry Day Poetry-Writing Competition prizegiving ceremony will be held on October 15 at 10 a.m. at the Flamingo Room, Trinidad Hilton Hotel, Port-of-Spain. Education Minister Adesh Nanan has been invited to deliver the feature address.
Reference: The International Who's Who in Poetry 1978-79. Ernest Kay, Ed. International Biographical Council, Cambridge, England.
