The Voice...

On this day...American inventor Thomas Edison recorded one of the earliest recordings of the human voice in 1877. Known as the 'Wizard of Menlo Park' for his phonograph invention, Edison used tinfoil and a grooved cylinder to record poor quality sounds. The recordings could only be played several times, and the phonograph was redesigned a decade later by Alexander Graham Bell using wax-coated cardboard cylinders. Yet the occasion of Edison's remarkable breakthrough in 1877, was marked by him reciting 'Mary Had a Little Lamb', which can be heard here.

Although this has obviously had an incredible impact on modern society, the Poetry Archive is one small example of how it has furthered literature. Set up by former Poet Laureate Andrew Motion, the site contains recordings of poets reading their own work, including names such as Alfred Lord Tennyson and Seamus Heaney. Motion created it with the thought that any lover of literature is able to gain deeper insight , levels of understanding, and enjoyment by listening to a poem in the voice in which it was composed.

Libraries part of cost-cutting venture...

'Libraries are hugely important in the national psyche'. So says a report into public sector reform. Yet, 'there is a problem with libraries, that they are not very much used and very expensive to run'. Their solution to such an issue, in a cost cutting venture thinly veiled by suppositions to improve such institutions, is to let libraries be run by locla community volunteers. However, former Poet Laureate Andrew Motion, never short of a contentious word, believes the move will 'harm the most disadvantaged', adding, 'we ought to be able to accept that libraries are very important pieces of machinery for delivering to human beings what they need – information, pleasure, instruction, enlightenment, new direction in life'. Dismissing the report's suggestions as 'outlandish', Motion believes that it is a time for 'big thinking, not big mistakes'.

Avast ye! Andrew Motion writes Treasure Island sequel...

Former Poet Laureate Andrew Motion is set to write a sequel to 'Treasure Island'. The Robert Louis Stevenson original was published in 1883, and feature characters, such as Long John Silver, who are now household names. The perhaps predictably named 'Return to Treasure Island', will be full of the same 'adventure, excitement and pathos', and is due for release in 2012. Following several attempts at both prequels and sequels over the years, Motion's publisher believes this will be the best yet, calling it a work 'literary ventriloquism'. 'Anyone who loved Stevenson's original will fall on this book with cries of delight'

Literary Live Aid...

In collaboration with 21 fellow poets, laureate Carol Ann Duffy has launched a literary live aid-style event to raise money for victims of the Haiti earthquake. Duffy thought of the idea after following the news coverage of the story, saying; 'it didn't seem enough to do the usual thing and get my credit card out, and I wondered if we could do something bigger than that, and being a poet, a poetry reading was the only thing I could think of.' She added, 'We turn to poetry at intense moments in our lives...it is the perfect art form for public or private grief.' Joining her on Saturday afternoon at Central Hall, will be recent prize winner Christopher Reid, former Poet Laureate Andrew Motion, children's poet Roger McGough and Gillian Clarke. Poetry Live for Haiti, aims to raise £20,000.

You and me could write a Bad Romance...

On a similar theme, the Guardian and Observer this week are launching a series about the Romantic poets. From tomorrow, each day the paper will include a booklet about an influential poet of the era, including Keats, Shelley, Byron, Coleridge and Wordsworth. The booklets will contain some of their finest works, excerpts of personal correspondance and a foreward from a well known admirer; names such as Margaret Drabble, Andrew Motion, and even Germain Greer appearing. In honour of the series, Andrew Motion has recorded a podcast which can be found here

English teachers just going through the Motions...

Former Poet Laureate, Andrew Motion, has criticised Britain's English teachers for not being 'equipped' to teach poetry. In a stinging attack, he criticised the education system for its 'tick-box' culture, and added, that with less than half of teachers graduating in English, they merely passed on their own anxieties about poetry to their pupils. Instead they were teaching in a manner which equated to, 'add up the similes, spot the alliteration and say something about the verse structure', often using rap or other 'modern' mediums to try to evade the situation. Motion believes this current dearth can be countered by holding national recital poetry contests, teaching and allowing children to understand more challenging poems, and developing imagination even if this can seem daunting. 'After all,' he says, 'Why should we pretend that poetry is always and inevitably easy; it isn't...Get over it'. 

Wyld to win...

The winner of the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize has been announced today as Evie Wyld. The debut novelist beat off competition from Booker Prize winner Aravind Adiga and Orange Prize winner Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Set in eastern Australia, where her family own a sugar cane farm, 'After the Fire, A Still Small Voice', was acclaimed by the judges as, 'fantastically mature... never showy, a slow burn that drags the reader in...Wyld captures the inflections of male speech and male bonding in a way that feels both acute and realistic.' Wyld, a bookseller from Peckham, walks away with a £5,000 prize. Previous winners include Margaret Drabble and Andrew Motion.

Motion heads Man Booker...

It has been announced that Andrew Motion is to be the chair of judges for next year's Man Booker Prize. The former Poet Laureate, who was involved in accusations of plagiarism earlier this month, said it was an 'exciting challenge' and that he was looking forward 'to a year of reading voraciously'. Following on from Hilary Mantel's victory ealier this year, the longlist of her potential successors will be announced in July; the shortlist of six is published in September, and the winner will be named in October. Previous recipients of the £50,000 award include William Golding, Salman Rushdie, and Ian McEwan.

Shakespeare the plagiarist?...

Former Poet Laureate Andrew Motion, has been accused of plagiarising another author's work for his latest poem. 'An Equal Voice', was published in The Guardian newspaper on the eve of Rememberance Sunday as a tribute to war veterans; Motion describing it as 'stitching together the voices of shell-shocked people'. Yet Ben Shephard, author of 'The War of Nerves', claims Motion has in fact 'stitched together 17 passages from his book'; 'of the 152 lines...all but 16 are taken from 'A War of Nerves'...there's a word for this...it begins with 'p' and it isn't poetry.' Motion has hit back, maintaining there is a long tradition of 'found poetry'. He uses the example of Shakespeare's play 'Anthony and Cleopatra', which borrows large passages from Sir Thomas North's 'Life of Mark Anthony'. The dispute is likely to run on for some time.

Durham book festival...

The Durham Book Festival was held last week, with the theme of 'Free Range Reading'; appealing to every age and taste. From 'story parties for the under-fives' to a 'Vampire Writing Club', the festival aimed to inspire and educate; galvanising people both to write themeselves and explore the works of others. Guest speakers included authors Kate Mosse and Nick Hornby and the former and current Poet Laureates Andrew Motion and Carol Ann Duffy. It is hoped that this will assist Durham's bid to become Capital of Culture in 2013.

On this day...

Former Poet Laureate Sir Andrew Motion, was born in 1952. At the age of 17, his mother was induced into a coma by a riding accident; a coma which continued for nine years before her death. Motion stated that he aimed to keep his mother's memory alive through poetry and most certainly her memory is well honoured. For Motion was appointed Poet Laureate in 1999, succeeding Ted Hughes upon his death. Previously a position held until death, Motion was the first to say that he would accept the post for only ten years; a post that offers a butt of canary wine and £5,000 annually. During his tennancy, he wrote 'Spring Wedding' in honour of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles. His lasting legacy is achieved through the establishment of Poetry Archive, through which poets can be heard reading their own works.