UNESCO first adopted March 21 as World Poetry Day during its 30th General Conference in Paris, with the aim of supporting linguistic diversity through poetic expression and increasing the opportunity for endangered languages to be heard. The heritage organisation said: "World Poetry Day is the occasion to honour poets, revive oral traditions of poetry recitals, promote the reading, writing and teaching of poetry, foster the convergence between poetry and other arts such as theatre, dance, music and painting, and raise the visibility of poetry in the media." READ MORE: Oxford United 'told to stop new stadium work or face action'This time on Looking Back, we've found a selection of fantastic poetry celebrations in Oxfordshire from the year 2014, now 12 years ago. Language lovers converged for the day of celebration on bookshops, schools, at recitals and conferences. Take a look back through this Oxford Mail archive gallery to find pictures from a decade ago of World Poetry Day celebrations in Oxfordshire.

Source: The Herald March 29, 2026 12:05 UTC