Winchester will welcome established and up-and-coming poets to the city's latest poetry festival.

This year, Winchester Poetry Festival will be held at the Arc from October 13-15 with fringe events taking place throughout October.

Featured poets during the festival weekend include multi-award winner Daljit Nagra; Welsh poet and activist Menna Elfyn; performance poet Luke Wright; prize-winning poet Zaffar Kunial; sci-fi verse novelist Harry Josephine Giles; and poet and biographer Matthew Hollis. 

The festival will host writers and performers from around the UK, as well as showcasing local poets.

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Clare Pollard, artistic director, said: “Some of the best weekends of my life have been at poetry festivals - there is nothing I love more than the buzz of live-readings, the sharing of ideas, and the sense of being part of an artistic community.

"I am honoured to have been able to curate this year's programme for the Winchester Poetry Festival. Our theme - the languages of the United Kingdom - is a wonderful excuse to showcase a diverse range of exciting poetries. There should be something to whet the appetite of anyone who loves language and literature. I can't wait.”

The programme combines 25 performances, workshops, discussions and readings. Key events are BSL interpreted and live-streamed, there are relaxed performances, and 11 events are completely free to attend.

Amy Juliet Brown, festival manager, said: “We are making strides towards making Winchester Poetry Festival a more welcoming and inclusive environment where everyone feels able to join in. With the cost-of-living crisis bringing fresh challenges to the post-pandemic environment, we believe that people from all backgrounds should have the opportunity to engage with poetry in its many forms. Finding common ground is central to our collective well-being, and we believe that poetry can provide a feeling of community and connection through language, people and place. We are proud that almost half of our programme is free to access this year, and hope that this opens up the world of poetry to those who might not normally feel able to take part.”

For more information and tickets, visit: winchesterpoetryfestival.org.