Roger McGough: "This is a lovely idea."

BBC Poetry Season:
"The free project, led by Japanese poetry expert Alan Summers, is the first attempt in Europe to produce a 1,000 verse Renga."

Alan Summers, Japan-UK 150 haiku & renga poet-in-residence, and June Wentland, B&NES Reader Development Officer invited both the public and world-wide writers to jointly create a 1000 verse group linked poem called a senku renga.

The first verse, and others, was composed on National Poetry Day 2009.

Poets from London to Washington; Mexico; India; Australasia; mainland Europe; and Africa sent in renga links (verses) in support and to achieve this goal of 1000 Verses.

Over 1000 verses have been collected, and now we are in our second phase of this project.

Updates on this project which started on National Poetry Day 2009 are available on the Area 17 blog: http://area17blogspot.com

The second phase of this project is already underway.

Once the ebook is created, this can be uploaded to this site or information to download it for free will be posted at Area 17.

Alan Summers
founder/writer With Words
Japan-UK 150 haiku and renga poet-in-residence

Alan was also involved with the Lord Mayor's Thames Festival 2008 with micro-one-to-one haiku workshops and launching the With Words Haiku Journal notebook, and became a roving Japan-UK 150 renga poet-in-residence in Bristol; Bath; NHS; and BSL renga festival with the University of Bristol.

June Wentland is jointly involved with the 1000 Verse Renga Project, and both are planning a second venture in another part of the country later this year.

Alan Summers & June Wentland