OXFORD’S first city poet has spoken of her excitement at taking the new role.

Kate Clanchy was appointed last week after councillors voted in favour of having a City Poet at its full council meeting.

Ms Clanchy, 46, said: “I am looking forward to doing some good things in the community. A poet laureate produces poems of praise, but I want to put what other people are writing first.

“People think of Oxford as being the dreaming spires, but I want to celebrate that other Oxford that we know.”

“I will be getting people together to talk about their memories and experiences,” she added.

Councillor Bob Price, leader of Oxford City Council, said: “I am delighted that Kate has accepted this post and I look forward to seeing the benefits of her work within the community.”

Ms Clanchy, who has worked at Oxford Spires school running creative writing workshops, will now be working with Oxford City Council and Oxford Brookes University to bring poetry to the city’s communities and inspiring people to write their own poetry.

Steven Matthews, Professor and Joint Director of Research at Oxford Brookes University, said: “The Poetry Centre at Oxford Brookes has worked on local poetry initiatives in the city for over a decade now.

“We are very excited to participate in the City Poet initiative, and look forward to working with Kate, who we are very lucky to see as the first poet to take on the role.”

As part of her new role Ms Clanchy will also be visiting schools around the city and working with libraries and the Oxford Literary Festival.

She will also be promoting Oxford’s bid to become UNESCO’s World Book Capital in 2014. Her next project will involve working with teachers across the city to get them writing.

Ms Clanchy was raised in Scotland, but came to Oxford 13 years ago. She has written three collections of poems, as well as working in other genres.