Poetry buys clean water for 14,000 people

Who says poetry doesn't have efficacy in the real world?

Some extraordinary sales figures in today from Oxfam's Su Lycett - Life Lines: Poets for Oxfam, launched just a few months ago, in June 2006, has already sold around 5,000 copies, and made £10,000 in profit (around $20,000 USD) for Oxfam. That translates into clean running water for 14,000 people, or equipment for five schools, or livestock for eight farms.

With National Poetry Month coming this October, and then the Christmas sales season, there is every expectation the CD (which I edited on a volunteer basis) will sell even more. The nearly-70 major and emerging poets involved also donated their time and poems, and publishers donated their rights. The list of contributors reads like a virtual who's who of UK poetry, across a broad spectrum, from mainstream, to performance, to avant-garde. This will surely make it one of the most successful poetry CDs (let alone anthologies) of its kind, ever.

The CD is now available in about 200 places and online at www.oxfam.org.uk/poetry.

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