Image by Jade Hylton
Winchester once again plays host to a celebration of poetry, when Winchester Poetry Day takes place on Saturday 5th October.
This special day of poetry readings, performances, workshops and drop-in activities welcomes the well-versed and the poetry-curious in equal measure.
Winchester Poetry Day concludes with the live announcement of Winchester Poetry Prize 2024 winners. Audiences can attend in person at The ARC, or online. It is BSL interpreted.
Winchester Poetry Prize had an increase in entries this year, with 1956 poems received from 38 countries worldwide. The competition judge, poet Clare Shaw, read all eligible poems and whittled them down to the 25 they deemed the strongest. As well as entries from as far as Zambia, Iran, Romania, Pakistan, Finland and New Zealand there were 315 poems entered by writers based in Hampshire, perhaps hoping to win the inaugural Kathryn Bevis Prize. This new category in the competition celebrates the strongest poem entered by a poet living in Hampshire, and is supported by The Writing School Online, which was founded by local poet Kathryn Bevis.
Winchester Poetry Festival has built a reputation over the past ten years for producing a high quality biennial poetry festival engaging the country’s finest poets to share their work and expertise. This year’s one day event, aims to bridge the gap between the larger-scale festival whilst maintaining a commitment to ensuring everyone feels welcome and included.
Featured poets at Winchester Poetry Day (presented by Writing Our Legacy CIC) include Akila Richards and Adriana Lord (pictured top). There is talented local representation from Winchester author/facilitator Susmita Bhattacharya and Southampton spoken-word group Write A Note. The day includes a celebration for young people who took part in Hampshire Young Poets’ competition (held in partnership with Hampshire Cultural Trust, judged by Damian Kelly-Basher).
Amy Juliet Brown (Festival Manager, Winchester Poetry Festival) says: “We are excited to present our shorter poetry all-dayer – it bridges the gap between our biennial festival years, and provides a welcome opportunity to connect through poetry. Once again we are opening up the festival to make everyone feel welcome – our programme is largely free to attend, our BSL interpreters return, there is online access and this year we’re providing casual poetry drop-sessions. If you love poetry, there’s lots to enjoy this year! If you’re not sure how you feel about this creative artform, why not dip your toe at our Poetry Day – we can’t wait to meet you.”
Winchester Poetry Day takes place Saturday 5th October at The ARC.
For more information and tickets, visit: winchesterpoetryfestival.org
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