Here at Dorset Food & Drink, we’ve teamed up with Artsreach to find a local poet to help us celebrate Dorset’s outstanding local food and drink producers and to thank those who shop local, with a new Grow Local, Grow Vocal campaign.
Grow Local, Grow Vocal is a new initiative that aims to creatively celebrate producers and residents who choose to shop local, particularly since the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Dorset is known for being home to some of the best food and drink producers in the UK, many of which are operating within communities who partner with Artsreach, the county’s rural touring arts charity.
Together, we are looking for creative types to write poetry celebrating those producers. The commissioned poet will receive a fee of £300 to compose a poem in any form, which will then be printed on postcards, and distributed through a variety of networks across Dorset including food delivery boxes/orders from Dorset Food & Drink producers.
When Covid restrictions allow, a second fee will be given for the commissioned poet to perform the poem on the doorsteps of customers receiving deliveries from Dorset Food & Drink Producers, over a pre-agreed number of days, as a small gesture to combat the loneliness experienced. A short film of the commissioned poet performing the poem will also be captured as part of the project.
The application deadline for the Grow Local, Grow Vocal campaign is 19th February. Those who have been chosen will be offered their commission by 26th February, with their poems submitted by 8th March for distribution the following week. To apply and for more information, please visit Artsreach’s website here.
