THE JOSEPHINE HART POETRY HOUR

‘Poetry, this trinity of sound, sense and sensibility gives voice to experience in a way no other literary art form can. It has never let me down.’
Josephine Hart 2005

What is the Josephine Hart Poetry Hour?

Since January 2004, Josephine Hart has been hosting The Josephine Hart Poetry Hour at monthly readings at the British Library in London (www.bl.uk) . Ralph Fiennes, Brian Cox, Roger Moore, Edward Fox, Eileen Aitkens, Grey Gowrie, Dominic West, Tom Hollander, Edna O’Brien, Harold Pinter, Harriet Walter, Bob Geldof, Juliet Stephenson and Elizabeth McGovern have read the work of the great poets to spell-bound audiences. Josephine Hart devotes each evening to one or two poets, introducing and setting their poems in the context of their life. `The idea is simple’, she says ` An understanding of the life and philosophy of the poet illuminates the poetry and therefore makes the experience of reading or listening to each poem more intense.’ The readings by some of our finest actors then ignite the poems. They have become a ‘hot ticket’ in London and plans are afoot for taking the poetry overseas.

All proceeds above costs go to the Actor’s Centre; a unique space in the heart of London where those who practice the craft of acting can strive for excellence. www.actorscentre.co.uk

What is the aim of the Poetry Hour?

The aim of the poetry hour is to reach a wide audience, namely schoolchildren who may not have been exposed to poetry in the best way. Josephine Hart hopes that by “guiding the reader through the poems in relationship to the poet’s life, I hope to help people read the poetry again – or to read them for the first time.” The relevance of poetry to the world today is huge, it can provide one “with a route map through the world and its worldliness…Without poetry I would have found life less comprehensible, less bearable, and infinitely less enjoyable.”

What next?

Josephine Hart is compiling a book of poetry featured in the Poetry Hours, which will be introduced by her and will be accompanied by a complimentary 80 minute CD featuring a selection of the actors’ readings. Time Warner will publish the book for Christmas 2006.

Biography of Josephine Hart

Josephine Hart was born and raised in Ireland.  She was a Director of
Haymarket Publishing and founded Gallery Poets before going on to produce a
number of West End plays, including the award winning The House of Bernarda
Alba  by Lorca, Noel Coward’s The Vortex  and The Black Prince  by Iris
Murdoch.  She presented the series Books by My Bedside  for Thames TV. She is the bestselling author of Damage, Sin, Oblivion,The Stillest Day and The Reconstructionist. She is married to Maurice Saatchi and has two sons.

Click here to find out more about Josephine Hart’s novels www.josephinehart.com

Rose Astor has been co-producing the Josephine Hart Poetry Hour since September 2004, before which she represented actors including Dominic West, now a regular to the poetry hour stage.