Some of it may be incomprehensible to many, yet his popularity and influence has lasted for over 200 years.

His poem To a Mouse is thought to have inspired John Steinbeck’s seminal novella Of Mice and Men, published in 1937.

Despite this, according to recent research, Burns was encouraged not to write in Scots as it was thought it would limit his audience.

Dr John Moore was a travel author and Scottish physician who wrote to Burns on a regular basis. He advised him that his writings would not appeal to readers in London.

Burns disregarded the advice and continued to write in his native language

About 800 letters written by Burns and 400 letters from his fans and friends were examined by academics at the University of Glasgow’s Centre for Robert Burns Studies.

We get closer to Burns the man in this correspondence than perhaps anywhere else. His letters convey his achievements, disappointments, concerns, fears, and joys.
It’s interesting to see that Moore urged Burns early on not to write in Scots. He warned Burns that he was limiting his audiences. He believed that English readers would be unable to understand or relate to the Scots language. Dunlop also encouraged him to stay away from politics.

However, Burns was his own man and disregarded the warnings and continued regardless. History has proven that he was correct.

Burns Night is celebrated on January 25th around the world to commemorate the poet’s birthday in 1759

The letters will be included in the upcoming Oxford University Press edition of Robert Burns’ Collected Works.

Burns sends Dr John Moore a long, impassioned letter giving a full account of his childhood and life up to the year 1787. This letter is now known as Burns’s autobiographical letter. In reply, Moore requests that Burns split the letters when they are so heavy due to the cost of postage.

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Some regard rap as a natural progression of African American oral traditions. Significant links can be seen between rap and talking blues and oral storytelling.
People evolve, and music changes with them but the two forms are more closely tied than most people realise. Rap is just a form of modern blues. If you listen to those old blues singers you’ll notice that the style isn’t too unlike some rappers. There isn’t much of a distinction between rap and talking blues.
From early slave songs to religious spirituals and folktales to James Brown and Jimi Hendrix’s there is a clear thread. When tracing the origins of rap and its predecessors, it’s clear that it goes back far further in time than the immediately previous forms. Further than just blues or spoken word in the twentieth century.

The age-old traditions of oral performance and storytelling in African culture have always been an important part of communication in African communities; from oral folktales to roaming griots.

Despite historical attempts to suppress indigenous African culture these forms of expression remain an inalienable component of African American culture. Afro-American culture is powerful, which is why it has survived. People can be removed from an area, but they take their culture with them. It influences their way of thinking.

In the twentieth century, spoken word poetry really rose in popularity in America. Jazz poetry became popular at the time of the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s. Poets experimented with developing their work in line with jazz rhythms, using freestyle approaches.

Figures from the Beat Generation were drawn to free-form jazz poetry in the 1950s as an alternative to the mainstream. Their appetite for hedonistic methods and activities matched the spontaneity of live performance and production.

In the 1960s, artists like the Last Poets, and Amiri Baraka made popular spoken word poetry more explicitly political by speaking out in support of the civil rights struggle. The direct element of oral methods, along with the innate Black aesthetic, served to convey the urgent concerns of racial inequity.

In the 1970s saw the arrival on the scene of Gil Scott-Heron, a powerful poet and musician. His political poems like Whitey on the Moon and B-Movie are examples of how rhythm and melody can perfectly offset deep messages. Modern spoken word performers like Saul Williams or Ursula Rucker write poetry but also frequently work with contemporary musicians.

Historically, African American music and literature have worked in tandem. Both African American poets and musicians have recognized the connection between their arts.

In addition, both African American literature and music have speech-like rhythms. For example, when it comes to the blues’ use of rhythm and nuance, Afro-American speech is itself similar to the blues. It’s the way people speak and draw out meanings from words. Just by emphasising a word, you can give it multiple alternative interpretations.

We can identify modes of language performance in African American culture. These include sermons and prayers in the traditional Black Church; public speakers in political and social life; children’s games and skipping-rope rhymes: telling tall tales, including toasts and brags; and the lyrics of spirituals, jubilees, gospel songs and shouts. African American poetry contains all of these qualities in terms of form and theme.

Rap utilises a wide range of aural techniques and approaches. However, it is critical to identify rap’s unique quality that differentiates it from poetry. Many raps are written with no purpose of being lyrical and are instead written for entertainment value. Rap styles and lyrical matter might vary widely, but the trademark hip-hop flow and aesthetic is the uniting quality.

Rap is more than just a kind of spoken poetry. It also draws inspiration and borrows from previous spoken word works and genres.

It’s not quite correct to say that spoken word poets like Amiri Baraka and the Last Poets were the first rappers. However, the influence and similarities between poets who came before rap and rap pioneers are undeniable.

Whilst the history of poetry goes way back, rap can be traced back to the early ’70s with roots in funk and soul movements. Characters such as Kool Herc and Kurtis Blow are credited as being the first MCs. They would talk over the DJ in order to encourage people to dance and raise the intensity levels of the crowd.

The original goal of MCing was to engage the audience and establish a relationship, and the art of MCing evolved to do so while maintaining attention and energy.
MCs used to just work the audience and introduce people but someone like DJ Hollywood was the first rhythmic rapper who’d write long, rhythmic verses.

Artists like Kid Creole and Melle Mel were the first to actually flow and have a poetic vibe to their rhymes. They were real pioneers of rap.

As the hip-hop movement gained traction and grew, more artists became inspired. New rap styles began to emerge, pushing the form forward. As rap became more innovative, the parallels between rap and spoken word poetry became more evident. Rap’s success can be linked to a number of reasons, including increased influence and a desire to carve out one’s own distinct voice or niche. Hip-hop’s inherent competitiveness drove the focus on form and creative meaning. Rappers were able to experiment more, exploring the possibilities of rap as a medium. They took cues from spoken word poets before them, deepening the link between rap and spoken word.

For some rappers, the influence of spoken word poetry is obvious. Guru, for example, followed the tradition of boast rap by aligning himself with the highly influential and respectable figure Langston Hughes. Hughes was a key proponent of jazz poetry. He looked to educate his audience but also demonstrated the African practice of toasting and boasting.

In light of their unique histories and shared ancestry, there is clearly a connection between spoken word poetry and hip-hop. The impact and influence of the movement’s political spoken word poetry on the hip-hop generation is evident. The experimental and progressive nature of rap as an oral form relates so closely to spoken word poetry. Rap draws from spoken word, by highlighting Project Blowed of the Good Life Café. When the virtues and accomplishments of both rap and spoken word are compared, the merits and successes of both can be acknowledged as vital and of equal significance.

A Poetry walk can take numerous forms. Some locations call for majestic stanzas, while others favour limericks. You can walk for just a few minutes or for as long as a few weeks. The point is that walking while listening to poetry is very enjoyable. It could have something to do with the rhythm. It’s entirely possible that miles of walking may have influenced our language and tone.

Poetry became effective as a navigational tool as soon as we started travelling large distances and trying to recall routes. Walking lends itself well to learning lines and memorization, which children excel at and love. All of the routes below share a link between the poet and the landscape.

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William Blake, London and Felpham, Sussex

Blake’s genius was never really realised in his own time. For the majority of his life, London was his unhappy home. Stroll along the Thames Path from Tate Britain to St Paul’s after viewing his paintings. Then cross the Millennium Bridge and travel to Bunhill Fields, where he is buried.

Blake moved to Felpham, near Bognor Regis, on the south coast, and lived in a cottage near the Fox inn, where he was happier for a while. The cottage, Hotham Park, and other monuments are all accessible via a short stroll. The property where Blake composed his most famous poem, about building paradise in England, is shuttered indefinitely while funds are raised for renovation. We can only hope that the great man would have understood the irony.

John Cooper Clarke, Salford

Few poets evoke where they’re from like John Cooper Clarke. Salford is perfectly encapsulated by his gruff but good-natured cynicism. For a poetry walk take the railway to Clifton in Manchester’s northwestern outskirts, then take the Salford Way long-distance footpath south along the Irwell’s banks to Salford Quays. After that head up Great Cheetham Street. Cooper Clarke’s roots are spread all over this area. He grew up on the corner of Bury New Road where he attended secondary school. Things were so tough he once joked the school had its own coroner.

Take a right and then another down Camp Street, the scene for his poem Beasley Street. It’s also the location for its follow-up Beasley Boulevard which takes a pop at the gentrification of the area. Grab a seat at one of the Quays’ cafes and search for other local alumni like Lemn Sissay, Longfella, JB Barrington and Mike Garry. After that visit an art gallery to observe how Laurence Stephen Lowry incorporated thousands of John Cooper Clarkes into his works.

Seamus Heaney, Bellaghy, County Derry

Heaney was born near Bellaghy, just a few kilometres from Lough Beg’s shores. Starting at the Seamus Heaney HomePlace in the hamlet, walk down to Poet’s Corner coffee shop. Turn right past Bellaghy Bawn to see The Turfman, a statue inspired by Heaney’s poem Digging. It’s a half mile down to Lough Beg, where you can walk along the beach on a boardwalk. In the summer, weather permitting, you can visit Church Island. It is claimed that it was visited by Saint Patrick on his journey down the River Bann and is mentioned in Seamus Heaney’s poem The Strand at Lough Beg. On your walk, download the Seamus Heaney HomePlace app and listen to his poems.

Carol Ann Duffy, Forest of Bowland and Pendle, Lancashire

The best poetry walk will combine outstanding language, beautiful scenery, and a good route. However, historical resonance also contributes to the experience. It’s a 48-mile journey from Sabden to Lancaster that passes through Pendle Hill and the Forest of Bowland. Duffy’s evocative poem is etched on ten posts along the way.
When you get to Lancaster, visit the castle where witches were tried. Then stroll half a mile onwards to The Golden Lion pub, where the unfortunate souls drank their final swig. Finally, make your way up Moor Lane to Golgotha, where they were hanged.

DH Lawrence, Eastwood, Nottinghamshire

Few poets join the exclusive club of those who have been banned. Lawrence is one of those who does. After being smuggled into Britain, his anthology Pansies was confiscated by the police in 1929 and had to be privately printed. It could be argued his best poetry is about nature, but not necessarily the British kind. On a trip through Lawrence’s hometown of Eastwood, you’ll be unlikely to find hummingbirds or kangaroos. But at least you’ll be able to marvel at the red brick streets.

Any poetry walk should begin at the DH Lawrence Birthplace Museum in the city centre. After that head to the many houses where he lived. Any walk should begin at the DH Lawrence Birthplace Museum in the city centre and go to the many houses where he lived. The Sun Inn features in both Sons and Lovers and Lady Chatterley’s Lover, so a pint there is a respectable literary goal. A two-mile extension to the walk takes you into High Park Wood. This runs across Moorgreen Reservoir, where Lawrence used to walk to see his close friend Jessie Chambers.

Philip Larkin, Hull

Philip Larkin is intimately tied to Hull. He described it in unfavourable terms but it has changed dramatically since Larkin’s time there. It is slowly recovering from the effects of being vandalised; first by the Luftwaffe and later by its own planning department.

Begin with a visit to the poet’s statue in the railway station, then make a stop at the Royal Station Hotel bar, which was a favourite venue of his. From there, take a stroll east to City Hall, a memorable feature of his poem Broadcast. You’ll pass many grand buildings, including Ferens Art Gallery, before heading off into the old town. Here is the famous Land of Green Ginger street and several pubs identifiable from his work. The trail comes to a close at Cottingham Cemetery, where Larkin was laid to rest.

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