Enjoy poetry in motion with Poems on the Buses in Brighton

Spokeswoman Abi Rose said: “Poems on the Buses is a collaboration between local charity Brighton & Hove Arts Council (BHAC) and the Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach Company. The poems have been specially selected from entries to BHAC’s 2023 Sussex Poetry Competition. They will appear on many of the 222 Brighton & Hove buses – variously displayed on A4 posters, digital screens or printed on coving panels. The poems will be available until at least the end of February 2024, with competition winners remaining on the buses for most of the year.

“The Poetry Competition, organised by Kevin Rance of BHAC, has taken place every two years since 2013. The competition winners are invited to read their poems at the BHAC Poetry Festival which occurs in November of the competition year. In 2023 the competition received its largest number of entries ever – more than 800 poems! The judge, maverick local poet and academic John McCullough, certainly had his work cut out for him.

“Most of the Poems on the Buses are displayed on posters which have been distributed randomly across the bus fleet. BHAC are calling for readers to send in photos of poems they have spotted so they can be displayed on the photo gallery on BHAC’s Poems on the Buses webpage. Photos can be sent to BHAC via the webpage so have your phone ready when you travel and let’s catch those poems!

“Brighton & Hove Arts Council was established in 1974 to promote the vibrant not-for-profit creative arts communities in Brighton & Hove and in the neighbouring towns and villages of East and West Sussex. BHAC supports around 100 member groups by promoting performances and events in the quarterly printed Arts Diary, and via their website and social media. BHAC is a registered charity run entirely by volunteers.”

Competition judge John McCullough is pictured performing his poetry at the 2023 BHAC Poetry Festival at St George’s Church.