Community poet pounds the beat

10:35pm Thursday 10th May 2007

PEOPLE in Swindon had their minds and wallets expanded after being paid to listen to poetry.

Self-styled community poet Tony Hillier spent the day paying people £1 to read them a poem.

Tony read verses to members of the public, asked people to choose a poem for him to read to them, then read them aloud in the street, before handing over his £1 fee.

He travelled around Swindon on the bus, reading poems to other passengers on his way.

He visited the Oxfam bookshop in the town centre, then read to teenagers in Cavendish Square, spent a couple of hours in Old Town before ending up at the Community Crossroads on Faringdon Road.

Tony said: "I took a few props with me. I showed them some money, and some honey wrapped up in a five pound note and it really helped people visualise the Owl and the Pussycat.

"With the older people especially, they remember the words and you can see them starting to mouth along.

"I have given away about £50. A lot of people refused to take it and others were in a big group, so I probably read more like 60 poems.

"I don't think poetry is dying out. If anything I think people like it more. People these days haven't got time to read a typed page of A4, but can absorb a few lines of poetry and it really touches them.

"We wanted to take poetry on to the streets and pay people to here it.

"In other words it's Byron, get one free."

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