Other projects
Poetry in the community
The Festival is delighted to announce that its project 'Poetry In Dementia' that it initiated in partnership with the Courtyard Theatre, Hereford earlier this year has been highly commended in the PraXis Social Care Projects Award. John Killick, a poet and specialist in communicating with dementia sufferers mentored four poets new to this area. They went into care homes in the region and worked with dementia sufferers talking with them and creating poetry. A book of poetry 'In The Pink' was subsequently published. It is a great project, and one which the poetry festival were only able to participate in due to funding from the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation and Hereford Council. Below is a poem by Audrey Gibbs.
MY DAUGHTER’S SMILE by Audrey Gibbs
Sometimes it’s large
sometimes it’s small
some have a big noisy laugh
and some you only have to look at them
to know what it means.
Her face just lights me up.
It’s that smile
that I live on.
Schools programme
Every year the Festival places poets in local schools to inspire the pupils to read, write and enjoy poetry. During the Festival, the pupils perform their poems at the Out Loud event to an enthusiastic audience of over 200 people.
This year poet Roz Goddard has run a Keen Writer's Workshop, The Young Shakespeare Company ran a very successful day at Hellens Manor with five primary schools - exploring The Tempest. In June we have Kenneth Steven coming down to run workshops around the environment and during the festival Fetch Theatre is doing a special performance around puppety and poetry.
Book online >
The Festival has published a gorgeous anthology of poems and illustrations by pupils on the Poets in Schools programme called Schools Out Loud. Email admin@poetry-festival.com to order a copy at £3.50.