Simon Armitage wanted to see if he could earn a living with only his poetry. In order to test whether this was possible, he set out to walk Pennine Way, a 264-mile trail across the English countryside, with no money. In order to cover his expenses, he asked for donations from attendees of nightly poetry readings he held in pubs, halls and houses along the way. In a recent BBC News article, Armitage explains that, even though he publishes his poetry in books, he still considers it important to read in front of people. The experiment, which started July 8 and ended July 26, proved a success, as he was able to pay his way with the earnings from the readings. Armitage plans to write a book about his trials and the people he met on his journey.

Armitage was born in Huddersfield, England. His work includes poetry, plays and novels. He has received several awards for his work, and taught at the Iowa Writers' Workshop. He currently teaches at Manchester Metropolitan University. Click here for the full article from BBC News.