Sheaf Poetry Festival will be celebrating the best of UK poetry, spoken word and lyrics, with not only a variety of venues across Sheffield but also live-captioned events and live-streaming for online audiences.
The festival aims to provide an inclusive environment for not only poetry enjoyers but also those completely new to the genre, by providing a range of activities for everyone to take part in. These include poetry walks, workshops, discussions, readings and music, meaning that there’s something for everyone to get stuck into.
The main festival weekend, 27th and 28th May will take part in the newly opened Theatre Deli on Arley street. The performances will explore themes such as Activism’, ‘Access to the Outdoors’, and ‘Brains and Consciousness’. With the closing day, Sunday 28th being a celebration of all things great in Sheffield. The day will include poetry from Helen Mort, Rachel Bowerb and Sile Sibanda, and music from Rosey PM, as part of the closing celebrations.
For lovers of all things spooky ‘The Dead Women Poets Society’, will be right up your alley, with them committing a ‘poetry seance’ on the Friday 26th May at Sheffield General Cemetery. Their mission is to ‘resurrect’ forgotten female writers of the past by having readings from current poets. If a seance isn’t your cup of tea, then they also have events like zine-making workshops with prize-winning poet Charlotte Shevchenko Knight and Safia Khan.
The event not only features acclaimed poets like Inua Ellams, Yomi Ṣode, Jen Hadfield and Fran Lock, but also aims to help uplift local organisations Hive Young Writers Network and Sheffield Flourish mental health charity.
The festival’s single tickets are priced between £0-18 with them operating a Pay As You Feel option for those wanting to take part but may find it difficult to afford the suggested ticket price. For those wanting an all round experience of the festival, with access to both online and in person events, there are festival passes priced between £20-£30. The festival is running from 21st to the 28th May.
For more information visit www.sheafpoetryfestival.com or follow their socials on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and join their mailing list.
