That was the beginning of the poetry-reading phenomenon in America was that night.

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Organisers hope to make the town a "pilgrimage" destination for Thomas fans, with visitors walking the trail every year and reading poetry.

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Baroque Spring will feature a mixture of music, drama and comedy, with highlights including actor Dominic West reading poetry from the period and a celebration of the 'Genius of Bach'.

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On a slightly lesser comedic level, the 50, 000-volume literary center has also recently installed lyrical works in Little Rock and New Orleans and hosted such notables as Anne Carson and Thomax Lux, shown above, reading poetry on the Brooklyn Bridge.

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What that evening's poetry readings did was start a poetry-reading energy going first in the Bay area, and then across the whole country.

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Others include Seize the Day, a day-long celebration of the art form taking place later in the year that will feature a marathon reading compered by Poetry Please presenter Roger McGough.

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The 0846 GMT departure from Cardiff Central railway station to Treforest on Thursday was a real case of poetry in motion - with three poets from the University of Glamorgan on board reading verse.

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He will address the crowd, and the service will include a Native American blessing, a moment of silence and a poetry reading.

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In 2000, his spoken-word album The Rose That Grew From Concrete featured luminaries from Mos Def to Nikki Giovanni reading his poetry.

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