Photo (c) Hobbs House Bakery.

Photo (c) Hobbs House Bakery.

Bread Poetry

Bread Poetry was a collaboration between Luke Jerram, 10 poets from around the UK and Hobbs House Bakery.

Every Saturday from January to March 2020, a different poem was baked into 200 loaves of white bread and sold to the public through bakeries across the west of England. The poetry was printed onto small sheets of edible rice paper and baked onto the underside of each white loaf. Each weekend a ‘Poet of the Week’ was celebrated and for the same price as their standard loaf, the public were able to read, share and digest this unique artwork.

Over 10 weeks, over 2000 poetry loaves were created and enjoyed by an estimated 4,000 people.

Bread Poetry combined Luke’s interest in giving people the opportunity for creative expression, and bringing people together – on this occasion, around the simple act of sharing bread and poetry.

Journey of the arts project
In November 2019, we held an open call for poetry for the project and had 237 submissions! Bristol’s Poet Laureate Vanessa Kisuule, supported Luke Jerram Studio to curate and select 10 poems. With some amazing submissions from both amateur and professional poets from across the UK, shortlisting proved a difficult task. We are no longer in knead of poetry submissions for the project!

Press Coverage
BBC Radio Bristol Listen

Top 10 and the best of the Rest
With so many great poems submitted for this arts project, it did seem a shame not to share the best of those that didn’t quite make the final cut. Here are the Best of the Rest.

Poet of the Week (week 10)
Emma Robinson is this week’s ‘Poet of the Week’ and here is her poem!

Emma Robinson is the author of five novels and the parenting blog Motherhood for Slackers, as well as being an English teacher and mother to two primary aged children. This poem was inspired by an unexpected day at home together due to the gift of heavy snowfall. It captures that sense of unreality of a day away from the normal routine and the contrast between the cold outside with the warm cosiness inside.

Poet of the Week (week 9)
Sarah Westcott is this week’s ‘Poet of the Week’ and here is her poem!

Sarah Westcott’s first collection Slant Light is published by Pavilion Poetry and her pamphlet Inklings was a Poetry Book Society choice. Her poems have appeared in magazines including Poetry Review, POEM and Magma, on beermats, billboards and the side of buses, and in anthologies including Best British Poetry. Recent awards are the London Magazine poetry prize and the Manchester Cathedral prize.

Sarah grew up in north Devon, on the edge of Exmoor, and has a keen interest in the natural world. She teaches poetry at City Lit in London and lives in Kent with her family.

Poet of the Week (week 8)
Alan Shepherd is this week’s ‘Poet of the Week’ and here is his poem!

I began to write and perform poetry in and around West Cornwall in 2008 and run weekly music nights at The Crown in Penzance. If you are lucky enough to arrive early and get a seat, the downside is that you hear a couple of my verses to get the night underway. Most people don’t seem to mind. I have been a runner all my life – and many of my poems germinate while I am running on the towans at Godrevy. Life is finite, however, as are joints and muscles. This poem is about prevarication and running out of time.

Poet of the Week (week 7)
Fathima Zahra is this week’s ‘Poet of the Week’ and here is her poem!

I am an Indian poet based in Essex. I am a Barbican Young Poet and Roundhouse Poetry Collective alumna. In my work, I explore the lives of the diaspora and what belonging means to us. Ramadan, 2019 is a homage to the months of fasting I observed while growing up in Jeddah and the infectious feeling of community during those months.

Poet of the Week (week 6)

Kelly Davis is this week’s ‘Poet of the Week’ and here is her poem!

I was born in London and I now live in Maryport, on the Cumbrian coast, where I work from home as a freelance editor. My poems have been published in Mslexia and The Journal and several anthologies, including Write to Be Counted (The Book Mill), Dusk (Arachne Press), Out of Context (Grey Hen Press) and This Place I Know: A New Anthology of Cumbrian Poetry (Handstand Press).

The show mentioned in my poem is called Not by Bread Alone. It was developed and directed by Adina Tal and some extracts can be seen on http://adinatal.com/videos/

Poet of the Week (week 5)

Charlotte Bartlett (age 12) is this week’s ‘Poet of the Week’ and here is her poem!

Hi, I am Charlotte and I am 12 years old. I live in Dorset with my parents, twin sister, younger sister and lots of crazy animals. I wrote this poem to raise people’s awareness of what we are doing to the environment, so that we can all make changes before it is too late.

Poet of the Week! (week 4)
Lizzy Lawrence is this week’s ‘Poet of the Week’ and here is her poem!

My poem is about the pressures of being able to provide and survive as a young, single mother. Although I have come through the other side now, my poem addresses the hard work it took to get there and the sacrifices a teacher makes at the expense of their own children and well-being. I wanted to highlight these issues and dispel myths about teenage mums and people on benefits. The title uses a metaphor for providing – as well as linking to the loaf of bread – it also symbolises a difficult time for me when I couldn’t afford food.

Poet of the Week! (week 3)
Cheryl Pearson is this week’s ‘Poet of the Week’ and here is her poem!

My first collection of poetry, “Oysterlight”, was published in 2017, and I am currently working on a short story collection rooted in traditional fairytales. I wrote my poem, ‘Blue Hour’, specifically for this project; I am interested in exploring different kinds of creativity, and am particularly fascinated by practical creativity such as baking and knitting. A lot of my poems are concerned with where we come from and what we pass on, not just genetically but practically – in this case, a recipe, a craft. The poem is thirteen lines long to represent the baker’s dozen.

Poet of the Week! (week 2)

Karishma Sangtani is this week’s ‘Poet of the Week’ and here is her poem!

Karishma Sangtani is a poet based in London and Durham. She is currently in her final year of studying for a degree in English Literature from Durham University and wrote this poem whilst reflecting on her time there. She dedicates this poem to a specific group of women who have become some of her closest friends over the past three years. More specifically, this poem is inspired by the ritual of buying ingredients and cooking for these friends as a form of expressing her deep gratitude and love for them.

Poet of the Week! (week 1)

Spikey Tim from Bristol was our first Poet of the Week and here is his poem!

I’m Tim Vosper (stage name Spikey Tim) and I’m a Bristol based performance poet. I’ve been described as “anarchic and comedic” and “charismatic and energetic.” I perform for all ages, and have a particular passion for enthusing children about experiencing, creating and performing poetry.

I’m part of the “Echoes & Edges” music/ poetry collective, I run kid’s performance poetry workshops, and perform poems and stories at children’s parties. My poetry covers topics such as my incredible trampoline, being heckled by a dog, and my failed attempts to ski.