Festival 2022: Recent Episodes
Ledbury Poetry
A Story of Life, Death and the NHS. In March 2020, Michael Rosen became unwell. Soon he was struggling to breathe, and he was admitted to hospital with coronavirus. What followed was months on the wards: a month in an induced coma, and weeks of rehab and recovery as the NHS saved his life, and then got him back on his feet. Throughout it all, a diary was kept at the end of Michael’s bed, where his nurses wrote him letters of hope and support. And as soon as he was awake, he was ready to start writing his own story.
Combining stunning new prose poems by one of Britain’s best loved poets and the moving coronavirus diaries of his nurses, and featuring original illustrations by Chris Riddell, this event celebrates a beautiful book about love, life and the NHS that honours the power of community and the indomitable spirits of the people who keep us well.
Camino de Santiago in music and poetry.
A musical journey along the Camino de Santiago walking route with harpist Olivia Jageurs, starting with the music of Claude Debussy and Lili Boulanger, ending with the beloved Rodrigo guitar concerto reworked for the harp by jazz harpist Dorothy Ashby.
Actor Alex Knox will guide the audience along the pilgrimage route with prose and poetry about the famous trail.
Photo credit: Guy Carpenter
Sponsored by Carolyn Beeves
Two celebrated Welsh Poets, Mererid Hopwood and Owen Sheers, introduce the work of two great Medieval bards of sixth century Wales, whose work is celebrated in the Llyfr Aneirin – The Book of Aneirin, which includes his most famous work – Y Gododdin and Llyfr Taliesin - The Book of Taliesin. Live streamed to Zoom Sponsored by Mrs Annie Titmas
Mererid Hopwood and Peter Florence.
Mererid Hopwood, the great Welsh language poet and Professor of Languages, the first woman to win both the Bardic Chair and the Crown at the National Eisteddfod, introduces the life and work of the Chilean poet, who in 1945 became the first Hispano-American winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. Strong and intensely human, Mistral’s poetic women confront impossible situations to which no sane response exists.
Hear poets with forthcoming collections read and hold conversations about their work. Dr Jo Clement couldn't attend at the last minute so the poets are introduced instead by Neil Astley. Raine Geoghegan is a UK-born poet, writer and playwright of Romany descent with two pamphlets, Apple Water: Povel Panni and they lit fires: lenti hatch o yog and full a collection forthcoming The Talking Stick: O Pookering Kosh.
Sarah Wimbush’s poetry is rooted in Yorkshire with tales of childhood, colliery villages and Gypsies and Travellers. Her first collection is Shelling Peas with My Grandmother in the Gorgiolands.
(The main recording failed for this event so we have used the audio from Zoom instead - apologies for the lower audio quality)
Sponsored by BRM & Viv Arscott
Deborah Landau is a professor and director of the Creative Writing Program at New York University. Her latest collection, Soft Targets follows two others in the US, The Uses of the Body and The Last Usable Hour. Deborah Landau has developed a style of writing poetry that reminds me of Maggie Nelson and Anne Carson, these long poems that feel dreamy because they are so lyrical. This is also her most 'political' book. (Major Jackson) Alex Dimitrov is the author of three books of poems, including Love and Other Poems, Together and by Ourselves, Begging for It, and the chapbook American Boys. With the poet Dorothea Lasky, he is the co-author of Astro Poets: Your Guides to the Zodiac. Dimitrov teaches at New York University and Columbia University and lives in New York.
Live streamed to Zoom Weekend Pass Event
What is the Role of the Poetry Critic? How do poetry reviews reflect diversity and the value of poetry in society? Who are they written for? Panel discussion with Kevin Young, Sandeep Parmar, Sarah Howe and Ledbury Poetry Critic Oluwaseun Olayiwola.
Live streamed to Zoom Weekend Pass Event
Brian Bilston has been described as the Banksy of poetry and Twitter’s unofficial Poet Laureate; with over 150,000 followers on social media, Brian has become truly beloved by the online community. His most recent collection, Alexa, What Is There To Know About Love? is described by one reviewer as 'the funniest collection of humorous verse I have seen in a long time'. This event will also preview Brian's forthcoming collection, Days Like These. 'Someone who knows their way round both a joke and a bittersweet narrative' (The Times).
Sponsored by Butler & Sweatman
A magical, musically highlighted spoken word performance with poet Anthony Joseph and virtuoso musicians playing improvised jazz. Sonnets for Albert remixes the form in a set of elegies for the poet's father that navigate absentee fatherhood and masculine fragility As a poet, musician and novelist, Anthony Joseph has produced an extraordinary body of work including four critically acclaimed albums, and has been described as ‘the leader of the Black avantgarde in Britain’. Hosted by Ledbury Poetry Critic Jade Cuttle. Sponsored by Wendy & Stuart Houghton
photo credit: Naomi Woddis
The Ted Hughes Award-winning author of Nobody Told Me, Hollie McNish returns with Slug, a new collection of poetry and prose. From Finnish saunas and soppy otters to grief, grandparents and Kellogg's anti-masturbation pants, Hollie ‘writes with honesty, conviction, humour and love.' (Kae Tempest).
She appears with Michael Pedersen, prize-winning Scottish poet, scribbler, stitcher. He's unfurled two acclaimed collections of poetry and a new poetic prose debut, Boy Friends. His writing has attracted plaudits from voices as luscious as: Irvine Welsh, Jackie Kay, Shirley Manson & Charlotte Church.
Sponsored by Jo Kingham and The Feathers Hotel