The Itinerant Poetry Library

The Itinerant Poetry Librarian smoking a cigarette wearing the Library "CLOSED" sign

Poster for QueerFest promoting the opening of The Itinerant Poetry Library in Norwich on 01.03.26 from 12 to 2pm at Anteros Arts Foundation, 7-15 Fye Bridge Street

As per our official Operating Hrs we are currently "inconveniently closed" HOWEVER you're in luck *Norwich* as we'll be "conveniently OPEN" in yr delightful environs 4 a @queerfestnorwich special selection ASAP aka 01.03.26, 12-14:00 hrs: Come Get Your Library On! 🤓 #TIPL #THEITINERANTPOETRYLIBRARY

The underpass of a stone bridge

A campsite in the woods

The group walking up a trail, lined with stones quarried from the site 100 years ago

A shot of our library field field guide

The Metro NY Library Council is creating an outdoor library in Westchester County. We now own 26 acres — and this wknd we’re hosting a group of international librarians to help us think about what this place can be! It’ll soon be open to the public + usable by all our 100s of member institutions ☺️

All #Public #Libraries closed by successive Brit. gvrnmnts (lack of imaginative) policies, starting with the Carnegies for a theme & ending at the Edward Edwards memorial - who is definitely turning in his grave over the shredding of his public libraries vision that was the origins of the 1850 Act ⚡

The Itinerant Poetry Librarian is sitting behind the library table, holding up a membership card to inspect it and the person attempting to join the library (who remains out of the frame)

The Itinerant Poetry Librarian is reaching across the library table to point to a specific title. A new Valued Patron of the Library, wearing a puffer jacket and woolly hat leans in to inspect the title.

The Itinerant Poetry Librarian and a new Valued Patron of the Library between them hold a long scroll, stretching across the room, on which is inscribed an Allen Ginsberg poem.

The Itinerant Poetry Librarian is sitting at the library table, next to them on the table appear the signs "Open" and "Free Poetry Library: Join Before we travel on".

Delighted2 welcome 6 new Valued Patrons @ today's Library in #norwich w some @salenagodden.bsky.social James Kirkup Kathleen Raine Herbert Burke @barbtetenbaum.bsky.social Gertrude Stein Lawrence Bradby & co. amongst today's library items, special thanks2 @rachelmcw.bsky.social 4 libr* assist #tipl

@rachelmcw.bsky.social

Image of The Itinerant Poetry Librarian standing in front of an orange coloured wall holding up a magazine from the Library's collection. The signs "Open" and "Library and Archive" are attached to the wall next to the Librarian.

Happy #nationalpoetryday, esp. those of you IN (or who can get to) NORWICH…we’ll be iterating over to NR2 for (belated) celebrations! Come Join Before We Travel On! 05.10.25, 2-4pm. 16 Newmarket Street, Norwich, NR2 2DW. With magical library assistance from @rachelmcw Map: bit.ly/library-05-1...

Cover image of Tony Harrison's poetry pamphlet "Eloquence", title text embedded in red rectangle.

Title page of Tony Harrison's "Eloquence" dedicated "To Gordon, much love T. 2/91"

Text of Tony Harrison's poem "Study"

RIP Tony Harrison...newly arrived in the library last week! "The best clock's only wound for layings out / so the stillness isn't tapped at by its ticks. / The settee's shapeless underneath its shroud. // My mind moves over silence and Aeneid VI."

The words "Libraries Are For Everyone. Invest In Libraries." on a black background.

New Yorkers rely on their libraries for high-quality programs and materials, all for free.

But NYC’s libraries are facing rising costs, along with growing demand for our services.

That’s why we’re asking you to send the message: #InvestInLibraries!

queenslibrary.org/support/take...

Hong Kong skyline at night, view from balcony

Is it an external journey to the end of the night?

Picture of a mobile library operating on Macau

Traffic cone with text "World Genius"

Roads to Happy valley and Kowloon with skyscrapers in the background

Sign in Hong Kong central library reading: "Reference library: Except with the permission of the librarian or when accompanied by an adult, a person under 12 years of age again not enter or use the reference library."

"As Apollinaire describes in Zone, on a morning walk: 'You read the handbills the catalogues the singing posters / So much for poetry this morning and the prose is in the papers". #TIPL

Library stamp from Hong Kong Central library

Cityscape view of skyscrapers and blue sky

Black and white photograph, view of harbour looking out over boats moored towards backdrop of skyscrapers

Black and white photograph, harbour view with skyscrapers in background

"A book is a library. In turn, a library is a town, full of handouts, colour adverts, covers of magazines and fence-like screens."... #TIPL

Robert Bly. From: Collected Poems (Norton, 2018).

Picture of speakers on stage at British Library event "Libraries and AI: Opportunity or threat? Held at British Library, London on Thursday 23 January 2025. The panellists for this event were: Sue Lacey Bryant, President of CILIP, Visiting Professor in Knowledge and Information Mobilisation at Manchester Metropolitan University; Svein Arne Brygfjeld, Special Advisor on AI at the National Library of Norway; Rob Cawston, Director of Digital and Service Transformation at the National Library of Scotland; Dr Tom Chatfield, author and tech philosopher; Dr Mia Ridge Digital Curator for Western Heritage Collections at the British Library.

Picture of speakers on stage at British Library event "Libraries and AI: Opportunity or threat? Held at British Library, London on Thursday 23 January 2025. The panellists for this event were: Sue Lacey Bryant, President of CILIP, Visiting Professor in Knowledge and Information Mobilisation at Manchester Metropolitan University; Svein Arne Brygfjeld, Special Advisor on AI at the National Library of Norway; Rob Cawston, Director of Digital and Service Transformation at the National Library of Scotland; Dr Tom Chatfield, author and tech philosopher; Dr Mia Ridge Digital Curator for Western Heritage Collections at the British Library.

Absolute banger at tonight's @britishlibrary.bsky.social "Libraries and AI" event by @cilip.bsky.social CILIP president Sue Lacey Bryant with excellent #librariantakedown of cardigan stereotype. Felt like a CILIP prez ready to wrestle for the cause (we're with you all the way pal 💪)!

We'll be sending our librarian lackey to the 23rd January event to take notes since we consider Library Threat level: SEVERE ⚠️ (on issues of data privacy, intellectual freedom etc.)

Chuck us on there eh?

👋 Library here! Would appreciate an ad!

👋

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@granardbooktown.bsky.social Let us know if u need a travelling library of "lost and forgotten" poetry (our official acquisition policy) in town for the festival? <librarian@tipl.info> No doubt we can find a couch 2 crash on while we're there (The Librarian needs sleep otherwise grumpy librarian!) 😁

Guerilla poetry library at your service 🫡 Please whack us on this so we can be of use :-)

Can you whack us in there Valued Non Patron?

We still ploughing our itinerant poetry furrow: 2026 is our 20yr anniversary (😱)...hope2make it back2San Fran where we've left 388 Valued Library Patrons; or indeed Vancouver (55), Leipzig (105), Helsinki (29). We remain free, for all, & always "reaching the parts other libraries have yet to reach".

Time and the universe being what it is, we are delighted to announce that after much searching this item has come back into our collection, so in celebration of #NPD Hurrah! #NationalPoetryDay #LibraryWallOfShame

The colophon page of Glyn Pursglove's "The Heart of The Ancient Balcony", published by Writer's Forum 1977

Front cover of "The Heart of the Ancient Balcony"

Page 12 of "The Heart of the Ancient Balcony", reading "Is not the fat valuable?"

Page 10 of "The Heart of the Ancient Balcony" reading "What has the girl got on?"

Back in 2006, in an Antwerp bathhouse, where we were operating in our 1st year of being, we lent out “The Heart of the Ancient Balcony” & the borrower became recalcitrant, never returning this item (yes, we’re talking about you, Xavier Roelens, our first ever entrant to The Library Wall of Shame!).

Thank you kindly for the heads-up, and therefore see* you there! (*We'll be sending The Librarian's dogsbody in our actual personhood absence as we don't intend to guerilla library at this event but she'll take notes on this topic on our behalf!).

Sending you best library love and auspicious literary vibes ♥️ for these days ahead!

👋 ahoy! Special collection here 😁😎

"I'm never bored and never poor as long as I have my library card" - Diamond Dave, San Francisco c.2007 (Valued Patron of our Library)

Rotterdam library operations continue! Come Join Before We Travel On #TIPL

Image of The Librarian with information about today's library which is at LantarenVester 20:00hrs+

We've moved on! Next up is a guerilla OG library operation, as #PIFR don't know we coming 😂 (ok we tagged them so they do now lol). Come find us somewhere in the building... rumour is the toilet block requires reading material 😉 Opening ASAP (better get a move on!): Come Join B4 We Travel On! #TIPL