Poet and alumnus Dan Simpson (Rutherford 2005), who graduated from Kent in 2008 with a BA (Hons) in English and American Literature, is currently walking from London to Canterbury along the route of the Roman road as part of the project run by Professor Ray Laurence and Dr Ellen Swift from the Department of Classical & Archaeological Studies.
The walk will help Dan to create a new and special piece of poetry, reflecting on his 50 mile journey and will also raise greater public awareness of local museums that house a wealth of information about the Roman past.
Having started his journey on 29 September, Dan has already visited the Dartford Museum, and Rochester Guildhall Museum. His next stop tomorrow will be the Maison Dieu museum in Faversham, where Lloyd Bosworth will be laser-scanning objects and photographing objects found in the Ospringe Roman cemeteries.
Dan will complete his walk to Canterbury on Friday 3 October, and will present his poem that evening in the Canterbury Roman Museum to staff of the museum service, Roman experts from the University of Kent, and others.
The University of Kent has world-leading experts in the field of artefact studies. Notably Dr Ellen Swift, whose most recent work sets out to understand the nature of Roman design of everyday objects from dice to spoons.
Dan commented: ‘Having been taught by staff in the School of European Culture and Languages during my time at Kent as an undergraduate, I am incredibly excited to be working with the School by being in-residence at the Canterbury Roman Museum. This project gives me a chance to get involved with the fascinating research the School undertakes, and use it creatively as I walk from London to Canterbury – making new and historical discoveries along the way.’
You can interact with Dan as he walks on twitter @dansimpsonpoet with the hashtag #romanresidency or follow his progress on the web http://canterburyromanresident.wordpress.com/