Poetry / Lyra Bristol Poetry Festival
Lyra – Bristol Poetry Festival returns this spring
Many of poetry’s biggest names are set to descend upon Bristol after Lyra, Bristol’s acclaimed poetry festival, announced it has received a funding grant from Arts Council England and will be returning this Spring.
The festival will take place from March 31-April 10, and will feature a range of in-person and online events including readings, performances, workshops, panel discussions, a lecture, family activities, a walking tour, an open mic, poetry slams and a film screening.
The theme for this year’s festival is Breaking Boundaries: New Worlds, which celebrates interdisciplinary poetry across art forms and cultures, translated and multilingual poetry, and poetry as a bridge between groups and communities.
is needed now More than ever
2022 also marks 100 years since the publication of T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land, and the festival will have both a lecture and workshop responding to the poem and exploring its relevance in the present day.
This year’s programme is rife with the most cherished poets in the UK and beyond, including Roger McGough, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Zena Edwards, Anthony Joseph, Inua Ellams, TJ Dema, Raymond Antrobus, the most recent T.S. Eliot Prize winner Joelle Taylor, and many more.
Roger McGough
Anthony Joseph
Lyra will also host international guests including US poets Terrance Hayes and Buddy Wakefield, and Argentinian poet Diana Bellessi, as well as performances for young people by two of the nation’s favourite poets Michael Rosen and Daljit Nagra.
All live venues will be wheelchair accessible. The festival also features many free and low-cost events, BSL interpreted and captioned events, multilingual readings and a number of participatory activities.
Michael Rosen
Daljit Nagra
Lyra’s 2022 Festival Poet is writer, poet, performer and historian Edson Burton. Burton will engage in community outreach work, a public performance and workshop, and other activities centred around the festival’s 2022 theme.
Lyra Festival is co-directed by Dr Lucy English and Danny Pandolfi, in collaboration with several key partners including Bristol University’s Poetry Institute, Bath Spa University, Apples and Snakes, Poetry By Heart, Culture Weston, Bristol Ideas, Rebecca Swift Foundation, Destination Bristol and many more.
Diana Bellessi
Edson Burton – the Lyra Fest 2022 Festival Poet
Lyra: Bristol Poetry Festival takes place at multiple venues across Bristol, from March 31-April 10. For more information including the full programme, festival passes and individual tickets, visit www.lyrafest.com.
All photos courtesy of Lyra Fest 2022
Read more: Bristol’s Poetry Festival returns for 2021
Listen to the latest episode of the Bristol 24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast:
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
