Poetry trail amplifies diverse local voices

A poem namechecking Weymouth's ice cream parlour Rossi's is located at the premises

Thirty poems by local residents have formed an interactive poetry trail across two towns.

The OmniVerse Poetry Trail has been launched across Weymouth and Portland in Dorset as part of the Towns of Culture 2025 programme, in which the towns received a combined £60,000 from Dorset Council in funding.

The poems, 15 in Weymouth and 15 in Portland, aim to amplify under-represented voices, including LGBTQ+, neurodivergent, and disabled poets.

Volunteer Jess Worner, who helped create the trail and has a poem on it, said: "Getting to see our gorgeous towns through many people's eyes and stories helped me find my own voice too."

The project was arranged by the Jawbone Collective and local poet Naomi Wilcox-Lee, and included two workshops, two performance events, and the creation of the trail.

Ms Wilcox-Lee said: "I'm so excited about our trail. We're really pleased to bring people's voices into the spaces that inspire them.

"It's really great fun hunting down all the poems, and we have such a wonderful array of fantastic poems for people to discover."

'Rewarding'

The poems are situated in locations connected to their content, such as one poem that opens with a line about Weymouth's ice cream parlour Rossi's and is located at the premises.

Another poem about rockpools at Newton's Cove is situated close to the shoreline.

Each location features a QR code accessing a dedicated webpage to read or listen to the poem. A map is available on the Jawbone Collective website.

Ms Worner said: "It's been such a privilege to be involved in the poetry trail.

"Getting to read and hear so many beautiful diverse local voices connect through our creative voices has been a joy."

Another poet, Evelyn Burdett, added: 'It's been an extremely rewarding experience to walk around Weymouth and Portland and see everyone's wonderful poems up and about.

"The poetry trail displays an overflowing amount of talent and creativity from diverse voices across Dorset, as well as showcasing appreciation for this area we love to call home."

The poetry trail is in place until the end of October.