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Nottingham Poetry Festival is back for 2020

This November, Nottingham Poetry Festival will once again present an eclectic line-up of acclaimed national and local poets and performers.

    Georgina Wilding at Nottingham poetry Festival
    Nottingham Poetry Festival Creative Director Georgina Wilding takes the stage at a previous festival

    From Friday 13 – Sunday 22 November, Nottingham Poetry Festival returns with an eclectic line-up of digital events.

    As Creative Director, Nottingham’s first Young Poet Laureate Georgina Wilding will lead the event through ten days of live and online spoken-word performances, panel discussions and readings, featuring some of the most renowned poets in the country.

    Georgina Wilding, Nottingham Poetry Festival Creative Director comments: “It’s 2020 and the importance of poetry, art, literature, and music is pressing. So, from Friday 13 - Sunday 22 November, Nottingham Poetry Festival will be hosting performers, educators, entertainers, debaters, and even wrestlers, who’re all set to dazzle us with their talent.

    More than that, they’ll empower us, give us new skills and perspectives, and embolden us to use our voices, share our stories, respond to the times, and have a bloody good laugh doing it. Thank you to Arts Council England for enabling us to deliver this festival, and supporting us throughout the many changes and challenges that the pandemic has presented.”

    Georgina will work closely with a new core team: Tommy Rosley and Bridie Squires as Event Support, and Manjit Sahota as Community Outreach Coordinator. The festival is supported creatively by its partners – Nottingham Trent University’s Curated & Created programme, Confetti Media Group, Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature, Apples and Snakes, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Libraries, Mud Press, Big White Shed, LeftLion, Waterstones and Five Leaves Bookshop.

    The festival has also been awarded National Lottery Funding by Arts Council England.

    The 2020 line-up features incredible national names, with Lemn Sissay, Vanessa Kisuule, Anthony Anaxagorou and Henry Normal performing alongside local poets.

    Craig Chettle MBE, NPF Co-founder and Chief Executive Confetti Media Group comments: “I am delighted that Georgina and the team at NPF have managed to assemble such a great line-up for the festival’s fifth year – a notable milestone. Like so many events this year, in May we had to press pause on our original plans, and reinvent a festival fit for a pandemic. Due to Covid restrictions, the scale might have been reduced, but the ambition and quality of the line-up certainly hasn't. We are thrilled to be welcoming Lemn Sissay, Festival Co-founder Henry Normal, Vanessa Kissule and Anthony Anaxagorou. These events will take place in Metronome, our Covid-secure venue, alongside a number of other events across the city and county.”

    All events will now take place digitally, and are free to watch. Visit the  Nottingham Poetry Festival website to see what's coming up.

    About Nottingham Poetry Festival

    Nottingham Poetry Festival was launched in April 2015 by Nottingham-born poet, TV and film producer Henry Normal and CEO of Confetti Media Group Craig Chettle MBE. The Festival has become an integral part of Nottingham’s cultural offer, attracting audiences from all over the country. Festival line-ups have included Carol Ann Duffy, Luke Wright, John Cooper Clarke, John Hegley and Roger McGough together with many local poets Tony Kirk, Ioney Smallhorne, Jamie Thrasivoulou, and Gregory Woods.

    Published on 23 October 2020
    • Category: Current students; NTU Arts; Staff; School of Arts and Humanities