Poetry Taxi to hit streets

A LITERATURE festival has launched Britain’s first Poetry Taxi offering tourists the chance to hear hand-picked verses as they ride, organisers have announced. 

Visitors to Bath Literature Festival next year will be able to relax in the golden taxi while an actor reads out their chosen poems.

Writers signed up to speak are Steven Berkoff, Gyles Brandreth and Terry Pratchett.

Organisers say the Poetry Taxi offers “a unique artistic experience”, free of charge, on the streets of the city.

Interested members of the public choose verses from a list before picking up the cab at an agreed location and time, where they will meet a handful of like-minded passengers.

Festival artistic director Sarah LeFanu came up with the idea after a visit to the Toulouse Festival of Words in France, where she took part in a similar project.

Ms LeFanu said: “Bath Literature Festival is a very ’hands-on’ festival.

“We like our audiences to debate, discuss, consider and participate and then Poetry Taxi provides a new way for people to do that.”

The taxi can be caught over both weekends of the festival - February 23 and 24, and March 1 and 2.