Cheltenham Poetry Festival 2018

It is that beautiful time of the year again when Cheltenham Poetry Festival reveal the programme and tickets go on sale!

18 – 30 April, venues throughout the town

https://cheltenhampoetryfest.co.uk/

Visitors to Cheltenham Poetry Festival will have the chance to fight the power, at least with a pen – this Spring.

The Festival, which has been described as ‘ A poetry party with a healthy dose of anarchy’ by the Guardian offers a jam packed programme of readings, performances, cinema, music and socially conscious workshops all inspired by a theme of ‘power’.

On offer this year is a workshop with poet Peter Raynard called Fight the Power and plus David Punter, Professor of Poetry at the University of Bristol talks about anarchy, capitalism and political poetry.

The Eighth Cheltenham Poetry Festival celebrate the power of words in a programme of exciting live literature events, challenge the abuse of power in a series of outspoken readings, empower lives with inspiring and innovative community activities and powder keg your poetry with our potent workshops.

Highlights of 2018 include BBC Radio 6 Music’s Poet in Residence Murray Lachlan Young – ‘A rock ‘n’ roll poet of our time’ (Chrissie Hynde),‘Chap hop’s leading exponent’ (The Wall Street Journal) Professor Elemental, Salford rising star JB Barrington, hip hop artist TrueMendous, ‘the missing link between Jarvis Cocker and Roger McGough’ (Irish Times) Vinny Peculiar, internationally acclaimed writer Amir Darwish, ex judo champ turned poet Owen Lowery and TS Eliot Prize winner Jacob Polley.

As ever the Festival welcomes some of the UK’s most important contemporary poets to the Festival. They include Jonathan Davidson, Martyn Crucefix, Sam Willets, Costa- Prize winner Jonathan Edwards, Rishi Dastidar, Pat Borthwick, Gill McEvoy, Peter Raynard, Tom Sastry, Wayne Holloway Smith, Cora Greenhill, Adam Horovitz, Jane Commane, Chrys Salt, Nina Lewis, Rachael Allen, Patrick Mackie and Ben Wilkinson to name just a few!

Also on offer are poetry film showcases from Elephants Footprint, a screening the critically acclaimed film Love Somehow – a poetic re- telling of Caitlin’s Relationship with Dylan Thomas (staring Griff Rhys Jones as the voice of Dylan), Scarestories – a multi-media dystopian vision of the western word featuring poetry from David Clarke and the chance to explore local history with Angela France’s praised poetry show The Hill.

‘ A poetry party with a healthy dose of anarchy’ – the Guardian.

‘Talks, walks, workshops and lots of lovely poetry take the streets of Cheltenham to a higher plane for this yearly celebration of all things lyrical’. METRO UK

‘One of the foremost poetry festivals in the country’. Hamish Wilson