Poetry is on the menu at Letterkenny University Hospital this week for Poetry Day Ireland.
On Thursday 28 April, a Menu of Poems will be distributed on meal trays in hospital wards, waiting rooms and other healthcare settings for patients, visitors and staff to enjoy.
Over 10,000 people will be receiving the short anthology of poetry, which is distributed annually in a range of healthcare settings.
Produced by Saolta Arts on behalf of Arts and Health Co-ordinators Ireland, supported by Poetry Ireland and HSE Health Promotion and Improvement, over 10,000 people in healthcare settings will receive the Menu of Poems on Poetry Day Ireland.
The poetry was selected by Galway poet Rita Ann Higgins, who was asked to include a poem of her own.
The poets involved have also kindly recorded the poetry and it will be available at https://saoltaarts.com/stories/menu-of-poems/ . The Menu of Poems is also available to anyone working in a healthcare facility to print and distribute in their own locations.
Rita Ann Higgins, Poet and Editor of the 2022 Menu of Poems, said: “It’s not unusual to reach for poems at a time of crises or distress, sometimes poems are all we have to get us over the tough times. Selecting poems for this project was a great pleasure. It made me take down the books I had not read for a while. It was like meeting old friends. In the end the selection made me feel warm and grateful for the powerful voices of Cullen, Evans and May, may the creative force stay with them.”
For more information on the Menu of Poems project and if your hospital or healthcare facility would like to take part email saoltaarts@hse.ie
