Community Poem

I created this concept of a visual Community Poem. Bournemouth Writing Festival included it in the Festival's 2024 and 2025 programmes.

In 2024, the local community invested their hearts and souls into this poem. The poem took on a life of its own as an expression of Bournemouth's Community. It was wonderful and emotional.

I gathered contributions via a "Postbox" I made and left in Bournemouth Library and from members of the public over the course of a single day in Bournemouth Town.

I was invited to repeat the Community Poem in 2025. This time, two days were allocated for the poem. Once again, the end product was an authentic and vivacious representation of local voices.

Every time I do a Community Poem, amazing things happen. In 2025 this included poems from two stunt bike riders, one of whom did a parcourt jump up to the bandstand where we were creating it, and a healing prayer for my arthritic dog.

Please see images below from the 2025 and 2024 Community Poems. :)

Enjoy this 2025 Instagram Reel https://www.instagram.com/p/DJGz0MTsTsH/
and 2024 TikTok film here: https://www.tiktok.com/@estellephillips/video/7362551484325596449