The World's Longest Poem

See more on this project

We've now converted the 1215 lines of the existing poem and we will now be adding all of the contributions which have come flooding in during the last few weeks, as Gez Walsh travels the length and breadth of the UK and, indeed, beyond, performing and appearing in schools and libraries and at festivals. If you've recently sent us something, watch out for it appearing in the next couple of weeks or so!

WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT?
Famous Potty Poet, Gez Walsh, is hoping to add the title "Guinness World Record Holder” to his many accomplishments. He’s aiming to produce the world’s longest collaborative poem!

There have been many famous long poems in literary history, of course, from the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh to Anglo-Saxon sagas such as Beowulf, through Medieval poems such as The Canterbury Tales, via Paradise Lost and Wordsworth’s Prelude …

All of which are very tough acts to follow: Gez is unfazed by this, but he needs the help of all you unsung poets out there:

"What makes my idea different is that it will be a collaborative effort,” he says. "People still think of poetry as essentially a solitary activity, with the lonely poet sitting up in his attic, sighing about his lost love. Nothing could be further from the truth! -We're going back to the original roots of poetry, when people would gather round the campfire and swop epic tales of heroes, villains, monsters, myth and magic.

One other important difference between Gez's poem and its epic predecessors is that it will be created online and this is another factor, says Gez, which will promote co-operation and inclusivity. Gez believes the internet can be liberating. "The internet is the modern equivalent of gathering round the campfire to tell tales and stories. It's just that now, the camp fire is a global one, and everyone is welcome. As long as people stick to the basic structure and any rhythm or rhyme scheme that is going on - or invent their own," says Gez, "they can take the poem where they like, subject to the normal standards of taste and decency and some basic legal considerations - which, in Potty Poetry, are set pretty low!" What else would you expect from the poet laureate of flatulence?