Festival Goers Will Inspire Climate Poem

A spoken word artist is going to compose a poem all about climate change. Good Energy, a renewable energy company, has asked Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner to write the piece to highlight how the arts can tackle climate change. Hay Literature Festival will play a big part in the poem – Good Energy is asking anyone attending the festival to leave climate-related messages which will form the basis of the poem.

Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner, who became known worldwide following her inspirational performance at the UN climate summit in 2014, will use messages from festival-goers about what they could lose to climate change as the root for her poem.

Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner said: “I live on the Marshall Islands in the Pacific. Our homes are under threat from climate change. My poetry is the most powerful thing I have to tell communities about the world and I can’t wait for the people of Hay to help inspire my next piece.”

Juliet Davenport OBE, founder and chief executive of Good Energy said: “I’ve invited Kathy to create this new poem because her work is so moving. Working with Kathy and Hay on this project will create some awesome content.

“The combination of thoughts, ideas and minds at the festival make it a perfect platform for inspiration and creativity. It allows us to think of new ways to persuade people that we can do something about climate change.

“Kathy’s work is profound and I can’t wait to hear the final piece.”

Peter Florence, Director of Hay Festival, said: “Hay Festival is delighted to be partnering with Good Energy again and we look forward to this year’s events where we will be exploring the practical solutions to climate change and the cultural responses to the impacts.”

Social media users are invited to share their own suggestions using the hashtag #HayGoodEnergy. The final poem will be revealed later in 2016.