An all-star cast ‘from all over the world’ will celebrate 21 years of the Ledbury Poetry Festival, 30 June-9 July. The UK’s biggest poetry festival line-up includes scientist and author Richard Dawkins, multi-award winning poet Simon Armitage, comedian and poet Sean Hughes, acclaimed Kurdish poet Bejan Matur, Romanian poet Ana Blandiana, novelist and journalist Andrew O’Hagan and former leader of the Liberal Democrats Paddy Ashdown.
Founded in 1997 by a group of local enthusiasts, Ledbury Poetry Festival is recognised as the nation’s biggest poetry festival.
With over 135 events in ten days, the Festival will ‘take poetry off the page via talks, readings, performances, slams, sign language, translations, competitions, workshops, prescriptions, residencies, theatre, song, dance, puppetry, comedy, art, walks and bike rides’, according to the organisers. Website: www.poetry-festival.co.uk/