Nottingham Poetry Festival

The annual celebration of words features some of the UK’s leading poets - Linton Kwesi Johnson, Hollie McNish, Michael Pedersen, Luke Wright, Anthony Joseph and Henry Normal - along with a huge array of homegrown talent, open mics, panels and workshops, exhibitions and free poetry books from the city’s independent publishers.

This year, the festival is paying tribute to the late poet Benjamin Zephaniah with a screening of films featuring his poetry made by Ben Wigley, the Nottingham filmmaker who worked with the renowned poet as he looked at the state of the world at a moment in time.

After the Broadway screening on 16 June, local poets will pay tribute to Zephaniah followed by a Q&A with Ben Wigley and producer Anna Griffin about their experience collaborating with the poet. Proceeds will go to the brainstrust charity. Tickets available now.

Hollie McNish and Michael Pedersen, Poppy and Pint, 8 June (waiting list)

After a run of sold out shows up and down the UK, Hollie McNish is back with a brand new book, Lobster and other things I’m learning to love. In Lobster, Hollie brings her much-loved style to questions of friendship, flags and newborns, clocks, cocks and volvos, shining a ridiculous and beautifully poetic lens upon all those things we have been taught to hate, and which we might just learn to love again. Here, she will be joined by fellow poet Michael Pedersen reading from his latest brilliant books The Cat Prince and Boy Friends. Tickets £15/10.

Luke Wright's Silver Jubilee, The Old Cold Store, 12 June

Crack out the bunting! It’s Luke Wright’s Silver Jubilee. Over twenty-five years, Luke Wright has built up a reputation for being one of Britain’s most popular live poets. Thwarted in his attempts to hold a street party by the philistines on the council and unable to shift the over-ordered commemorative plates, Wright does what a poet does best, and takes a deep dive into himself. What follows is his most confessional show to date excavating lives lived and not lived. Tickets £12/10.

Nottingham Poetry Festival presents Linton Kwesi Johnson, Metronome, 14 June

Linton Kwesi Johnson is a recording artist, reggae poet and activist born in 1952 in Clarendon, Jamaica. He came to London in 1963 and went to Tulse Hill secondary school, joining the Black Panthers whilst there. Johnson’s first poetry collection was Voices of the Living and the Dead and in 2002 he was only the second living poet and the first black poet to be included in Penguin’s Modern Classics; that book is now republished as Selected Poems. Time Come, the first collection of his selected prose, came out in 2023. Tickets £18/£15.

Cultural Vibrations presents Anthony Joseph, Antenna, 15 June

Anthony Joseph, winner of the T.S. Eliot Prize 2022, is a poet, novelist, academic and musician who moved from Trinidad to the UK in 1989. As well as four poetry collections, a slew of albums, and three novels, Joseph has published critical work exploring the aesthetics of Caribbean Poetry. At the festival, he will perform alongside a dynamic line up of spoken word artists and performers from the Caribbean & West African diaspora.

Music from DJ Suga Lion. Tickets £10/£5.

With almost 40 community events in the packed programme, here’s just a taster with the full programme to be available on the festival website.

Vice Verses, St Ann’s Allotments, 8 June

Hilarious, thought-provoking and uplifting experience of poets performing each other's work plus the opportunity to write your own poem, taking inspiration from the surroundings. Pay what you can.

Comedy in Poetry, Theatre Royal & Concert Hall, 9 June

Henry Normal, Hollie McNish and Michael Pederson will talk about the role of comedy in poetry. Comic poetry is some of the most loved verse in the country. Whether it's tight rhymes, subverting forms or hilarious observations of the everyday it can surprise and delight audiences. Comedy can also bring nuance to darker writing. With Hollie & Michael’s performance sold out, this is likely to be popular. Free.

Henry Normal’s Library Tour, 10-11 June

Henry will be accompanied on his tour of libraries in Retford, Southwell, Kirkby-in-Ashfield and West Bridgford by four Nottingham poets; Manjit Sahota, Bridie Squires, Michelle Hubbard and Pete Ramskill. Free.

Henry said: “I love libraries. Without Notts libraries I would never have become a writer. In a world becoming ever more isolating, libraries are one of the few remaining safe spaces where people can interact. The choice offered by libraries opens up a wide world of possibilities. Libraries are a place where you can find the world and find yourself. If we lose any library we are all the poorer. We should be putting more money and resources into the libraries - they are an essential part of our community life and vital for the mental health of the nation and future generations.”

Nottingham Slamovision Heats, Nottingham Central Library, 10 June

Nottingham City of Literature is looking for an incredible slam poet to represent the city at the global Slamovision finale taking place in Manchester later this year. Take part in this local heat or sit back, relax, and enjoy an evening of top slam poetry. Free.

Cultural Vibrations presents: Pidgin, Patois & Poetry, Antenna, 15 June

An entertaining creative workshop exploring how dialects and slang from the Caribbean & West African diaspora has influenced British language & creativity. Free.

Nottingham Poetry Festival Attempt A Poetry Record, 15 June

Come and join the attempt to break the record for the longest street poem in the world. Right outside Nottingham Central Library, pick up the chalk to add your own lines of poetry and be a part of history in the making. The event has been sponsored by It’s In Nottingham. Free.

Notts vs Derby, Poetry Slam! The Old Cold Store, 16 June

Finish off the festival with the ultimate Slam challenge as the best of Nottingham and Derby go head to head in a battle of words. Champions from each city bring their best poems together to compete for honour, glory and a grand prize. There's gonna be fireworks! Free.

In the build-up to this year’s programme, the festival has also been working with a diverse mix of groups to develop work to be showcased at the event, including the poetry of young carers, an exhibition by early career creatives and a showcase of exciting new voices from four local secondary schools.

Working with young carers aged 8 and upwards on weekly creative writing sessions, writer Jim Hall has been encouraging each young person to find their voice and explore what they want to say, and has been delighted by the response. Supported by community artist Danny JD and TuVida, these young carers have given everything to the page. The launch of their moving and vital anthology of creative writing at the Royal Concert Hall foyer on June 15 is set to be a special moment for these young people, their friends and families. Free.

Festival sponsor Castle Rock Brewery is offering a discount to festival goers on the Castle Rock App, offering 20 percent off purchases during the festival, as well as a ‘thanks for coming’ follow up offer.

Jessica Collins, Castle Rock Brewery, said: “We are delighted to be able to continue our sponsorship of Nottingham Poetry Festival, especially as they have an incredible line-up planned for us all this year! The festival is an amazing platform to spotlight local talent, bring the community together, and celebrate Nottingham’s rich cultural and creative landscape.

Nottingham Poetry Festival is always a highlight of our year, and we hope to see many new and familiar faces enjoy the wonders of discovering, creating, listening to and getting involved with poetry, in our pubs and beyond.”

The festival has been awarded National Lottery Project Funding by Arts Council England and is supported by It’s in Nottingham, NTU, Confetti Media Group and Castle Rock Brewery.

Tickets are on sale now for these announced shows.

Click here for more information.

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