BLACKBURN Rovers manager Roy Hodgson has chosen the first 'Poem for the Month' to mark the appointment of the town's new writer-in-residence, Julia Copus.

The selected poem, Lament by Dylan Thomas, is on display in libraries and public buildings in recognition of the 28-year-old's six-month residency in Blackburn.

Julia, of Shear Brow, will be offering help and advice to budding writers, as well as running classes at Age Concern and giving free hour-long writing clinics at Blackburn Library.

She said: "Most of us write stories or poems at some time in our lives. The problem is that we don't usually receive any useful feedback on what we write.

"I am here to provide that service and to offer advice on other aspects of writing, such as how to get into print."

Stories, poems or articles should be sent, along with a telephone number, to Julia Copus, Writer-in-Residence, Blackburn Museum, Museum Street, Blackburn, BB1 7AJ.

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