Poet laureate Simon Armitage is among the big names lined up for this year’s Ledbury Poetry Festival.
Former children’s laureate and We’re Going on a Bear Hunt author Michael Rosen will also be performing at the festival, which gets underway at the end of July.
Ted Hughes Award-winner Hollie McNish, poets Michael Pedersen and AF Harold, beatboxer Jasmine Gardosi and illustrator Chris Riddell will also form part of the 2022 line-up.
Early bird booking is now open for selected events and a full programme is expected to be released in the coming weeks.
Simon Armitage will be reading from his new translation of The Owl and the Nightingale, described as a jewel of Middle English verse, and from his most recent collection Magnetic Field.
At Ledbury Community Hall on Friday, July 1, Armitage will also read some new, unpublished poems, answer audience questions and sign books.
Michael Rosen will be appearing at the Community Hall a few days later on Wednesday, July 6.
He’ll be reading from his latest book Many Different Kinds of Love: A Story of Love, Death and the NHS.
The book is an account of Rosen’s recovery in hospital after he was admitted with Covid in March 2020 and spent a month in an induced coma.
On Thursday, June 30, Hollie McNish and Michael Pederen will be appearing together at the Community Hall.
McNish’s latest work is Slug, a collection of poetry and prose featuring Finnish saunas, soppy otters and grandparents. Pedersen, who counts Irvine Welsh and Charlotte Church among his fans, has released his poetic prose debut - Boy Friends.
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Jasmine Gardosi, a spoken word poet, beatboxer and slam champion, will bring her new show - in which she tackles the subject of gender identity and argues with a band of live instrumentalists - to the Market Theatre on Wednesday, July 6.
She’ll be joined by Alternative Dubstep Orchestra’s Damo Wilding (drums) and DJ C@ in the H@, trumpeter/techno artist Sam Wooster and Ire-Ish’s multi-instrumentalist Jobe Baker-Sullivan.
There are also opportunities for open mic performers to take part in this event - email boxoffice@poetry-festival.co.uk if you’re interested.
On Saturday, July 9, poet AF Harrold will read selected poems while illustrator and children’s author Chris Riddell draws live on stage at the Community Hall.
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