2011 Review

The second Wenlock Poetry Festival featured poetry readings by some of the best poets living and writing in the UK today, from as far away as North Uist in the Outer Hebrides and from right here on the doorstep too, with our ‘home-grown’ local poets. Poets included our founding patron Carol Ann Duffy, Andrew Motion, Simon Armitage, John Hegley, Jo Shapcott and many more.

We kicked off in fine style with the Ian MacMillan Orchestra; we enjoyed Poetry Slams for adults and children; there was a wide range of thought-provoking workshops; a choral poetry event in the local church; street poetry from John Gorman and the Wirral Poets, and a surprise reading of the Wenlock Poetry Anthology 2011 from the much-loved Miriam Margolyes.

There was fun to be had at the Poetry Takeaway, our Poet-tree looked wonderful on the Church Green, and we’re still knitting our giant knitted poem – do help!

All in all it was a wonderful celebration of poetry as living word, and we are of course so lucky that Much Wenlock is, as Carol Ann said, ‘the perfect place for poetry’. Our medieval streets, our unique High Street, our state-of-the-art Arts Centre, and the lovely venues scattered throughout the town (the Pottery, the Church, the bookshop, the library, the Methodist Hall, the Priory Hall) all combine to create the very best setting for a poetry festival.

We are working now to present Wenlock Poetry Festival 2012 – a very special year for Wenlock as it was here that the idea for the modern Olympics was born. The dates are 13th – 15th April 2012 and we do hope you will join us for another marvellous festival of words, music, and creativity.

Contact us if you would like to become a Friend of WPF 2012 or to join our mailing list. You can even follow us on twitter @WenlockPoetry. But best of all - do come and join us.  

Anna Dreda, Artistic Director, WPF