World's finest poets

The three-day event will focus on the connection between poetry and history, feelings of displacement and belonging, and the power of local places to inspire creativity and new writing.

The annual festival, now in its eighth year, attracts some of the world’s finest poets to the city. This year, their number will include poet and creative practitioner Bridget Hamilton, who will take up a post as poet-in-residence at Newcastle’s iconic Grainger Market and perform new work at the Festival.

Another commission is the ‘South Shields Poetry Walk’. Jake Morris Campbell, whose first collection Corrigenda for Costafine Town (Blue Diode Press, 2021) was made up of poems exploring the cultural, post-industrial, and personal connections he has to South Tyneside, will host a tour of his home town with readings on Little Haven Beach; on Keppel Street; King Street; and by the river Tyne.

Newcastle University Creative Writing students have also been writing poems about local landmark Morden Tower and will be presenting these poems on Saturday, 11 May, at the Festival Showcase event.

A highlight

Festival Director Dr Theresa Muñoz said: “This year’s festival will see us building on eight years of success with a really exciting programme that will take us in a lot of new directions. We have worked hard to build cultural and creative links to sites of heritage in Newcastle. We will be platforming writing communities both locally and nationally and including the voices of young people, students, poets, publishers, and producers.”

Renowned poet and Newcastle University Chancellor Imtiaz Dharker, who is taking part in this year’s festival,said: “The Newcastle Poetry Festival is a highlight of my year, with lively discussions, workshops, school events, community events and a host of poets I can't wait to hear. It's a festival Newcastle and the North East can be proud of, a real treasure.”

Taking place at Northern Stage from 9 to 11 May, the weekend is one of the highlights of the UK’s poetry year, which will put readers in dialogue with local, national and international poets, spark conversations and initiate new creative collaborations.

In/Out of Place will also feature readings by acclaimed poets including Jackie Kay, Fred D’Aguiar, former Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy, Carolyn Forché and Helen Mort.

For tickets and more information about the programme, please visit the Festival’s website.

The organisers are grateful for the support of Newcastle University, the Poetry Book Society, the Catherine Cookson Charitable Foundation, the T.S. Eliot Foundation, Newcastle City Council, Bloodaxe Books, BBC, The Institute of English Studies, the Royal Society of Literature, South Tyneside Council, Pavillion Poetry and the Poetry Translation Centre.