A £10,000 grant has been awarded to Morecambe Poetry Festival, as the celebration of spoken word returns for its fourth year.
The festival runs from September 12-14, with headliners John Hegley and Jan Brierton, Henry Normal and Nigel Planer, and Michael Rosen and Clare Ferguson Walker performing at the Winter Gardens on the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights respectively.
Further performances take place throughout the festival at satellite venues the Kings Arms, Bath Hotel, and Morecambe Library, with over forty poets set to perform across the weekend.
Additional supporting activities include a pre-festival get-together on September 11, late night prize-winning open mics on the Friday and Saturday night, and activities for kids at Morecambe Library.
The grant has been awarded by Morecambe Town Council.
Matt Panesh, founder of Morecambe Poetry Festival, said, ‘We’re really pleased with the ongoing support for the Poetry Festival, helping restore Morecambe to its rightful place on the cultural map.
‘’This year’s festival builds on previous years, with loads of free events in the library, workshops for beginners and experienced poets alike, and guests with household names like Nigel Planer and Michael Rosen. The funding also lets us look with confidence at next year, which will be our big number five!’’
Cllr Lee Bradbury, chairperson of Morecambe Town Council’s Festivals, Sponsorships, and Events Committee, said: ‘’Morecambe Poetry Festival is only four years old, and yet it is fast becoming one of the country’s leading poetry events. Not only has it brought a national spotlight to Morecambe, but it also provides great performance opportunities to local poets and is helping to nurture a vibrant artistic community among our residents.
‘’We’re excited to see it continue to grow and flourish.’’
The line up for the UK’s fastest growing poetry festival will see powerful performances from 45 poets, with several takeover events from poetry collectives from around the UK.
Michael Rosen, Clare Ferguson Walker, Henry Normal, Nigel Planer, John Hegley (below), Jan Brierton, Robin Ince, Luke Wright and Su Andi are this year’s stellar pick from the spoken word scene, with headliner double bill tickets now available.
As ever, the festival has loads going on for all ages from a flash mob poem performed by schoolchildren and pedal powered poetry outside the town’s library to the epic late night open mics - ‘Last Poet Standing’ and ‘They Shoot Poets Don’t They’.
“This festival is our biggest yet, the buzz it's created around the town is immense," said Matt Panesh.
"I'm hugely looking forward to it. We have some of the best spoken word artists in the country, are accessible at all levels and are here to enjoy the words, and the community spirit. And of course, have a brilliant time.”
Check the schedule to be sure to catch the many highlights including:
Workshops run by children’s authors; the Word Walks and How To Write a Poem drop in workshops at Morecambe Library on Saturday morning.
A retrospective of the legendary film poems of Tony Harrison followed by a Q&A by his long-time collaborator and television producer Peter Symes.
A Tribute to Hovis Presley - the late poet and stand-up comedian from Bolton - with a staging of scenes from his play ‘Hovis in Wonderland’.
An exhibition by Write Out Loud, the community hub for poetry, celebrating their 20 year anniversary at the festival.
Bloodaxe Books, the UK's leading poetry publisher, will be in attendance with a number of their poets, underlining the festival’s growing literary importance.
Takeover Sessions featuring Speech Therapy from Nottingham, along with poets from London, Wordsworth Grasmere, and Manchester, celebrating the legacy of Jackie Hagan.
The winners of the Poetry Competition judged by John Hegley will be announced, with more than 550 entries this year. Each winning poet will see their work included in the daily ‘Chat book’ released during the festival.
The new Morecambe Poetry Anthology will be available featuring work from John Hegley, Nigel Planer, Henry Normal, Luke Wright and Su Andi, along with previously unpublished poets. All proceeds go towards making the festival happen.
Morecambe Poetry Festival is supported by Arts Council England, Waterstones, T S Eliot Foundation, Eden Project Communities, Wordsworth Grasmere and Morecambe Town Council.
Shows for the Friday, Saturday and Sunday headliners are £20 each plus booking fees. Access to the second stage at the King’s Arms is £5 but admission is strictly limited due to capacity. The best way to catch all the action is to grab a weekend pass for guaranteed access to all the shows for just £65 plus booking fee.
To view the full schedule, go to Morecambe Poetry Festival Facebook.
Tickets available from Skiddle at Morecambe Poetry Festival tickets
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