News / Lyra Bristol Poetry Festival
Bristol’s poetry festival returns for 2021
Lyra, Bristol’s poetry festival, will return in April 2021.
Having received funding from Arts Council England, the festival will take place online from April 14-25.
The nine-day festival, themed around reconnection, will feature poets from Bristol, across the UK and from around the world.
is needed now More than ever
“We are delighted to be able to present a digital Lyra Festival 2021, and we invite audiences from far and wide to attend our events and take part in the writing workshops, meeting people from around the country and world in the process,” says Lyra co-directors, Dr Lucy English and Danny ‘Craft-D’ Pandolfi.
“This year’s festival theme is Reconnection, exploring ideas of community, collaboration and inclusion, as we find ways to reconnect to each other, to our shared histories, our local communities and our environment.”
Poets announced to perform include 2020’s Forward Prize winners Caroline Bird, Malika Booker and Will Harris, and Bristol-based Dr Edson Burton, Kat Lyons and Dizraeli. Kat François and Phil Kaye are also billed.
City poet Caleb Parkin will speak with Madhu Krishnan, professor of African, world and comparative literatures at the University of Bristol.
Additionally, Vanessa Kisuule, Safiya Kamaria Kinshasa and Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan will celebrate spoken word in an event hosted by renowned theatremaker Travis Alabanza.
Lyra’s 2021 festival poet has also been announced. Beth Calverley, poet, creative coach and founder of The Poetry Machine, will work local community groups throughout April to help them write poetry in response to the city’s parks and green spaces. There will also be a public callout for poems on this topic.
Beth Calverley will also appear at a number of festival events. Photo: Sam Cavender
16 events, including readings, writing workshops, panel discussions, a lecture on Thomas Chatterton, a film screening of Reconnections by Liberated Words and a poetry slam have been planned for the festival.
There will also be events taking place in and around the city, including a special edition of Tonic, a writers’ group, a poetry competition and poetry masterclasses.
Almost half of the events will be free to watch, with several events captioned and BSL interpreted.
“We’re delighted to be able to offer this digital festival at this particular time,” say Lucy and Danny.
“Many people have missed that feeling of sharing in the enjoyment of live art, but at the same time the influx of digital events has, in many ways, connected us more so than ever before.
“It has also made live poetry accessible to those who once faced barriers to this experience, and accessibility, inclusivity and representation are at the heart of what we believe poetry should be about.”
Main photo of Safiya Kamaria Kinshasa: Safiya Kamaria Kinshasa
Read more: First academic collection of essays on the history of spoken word edited by Bristol poet
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