The search has begun for entries from people of all ages for the seventh Ripon Poetry Festival competition.
This year’s event runs from September 19 to September 22 and the closing date for entries is July 31.
Advising would-be entrants, festival curator Andy Croft (pictured) said that the poems “can be serious or funny, solemn or silly. And they can be on any subject you like”.
He added:
“If you are looking for inspiration – how about writing about Hope? The wars in Gaza and Ukraine? climate change, the cost of living, polluted rivers, the refugee crisis, plastic in the oceans – at the moment we could all do with a bit of Hope…”
The best of the entries will be collected in three books published during the festival. Everyone who has a poem in one of the books will be invited to read at the launches on Saturday 21 September, where they will receive a free copy.
The categories are:
- Under-11s ( with a £2 entry-fee per poem)
- 12-18 year-olds (£3 entry-fee per poem)
- Adults (£5 entry-fee per poem)
Festival highlights
Highlights of this year’s programme include well-known performance poets Kate Fox and Adisa the Verbaliser, readings by Jackie Litherland, Marilyn Longstaff and Joe Williams.
There will also be poetry-workshops for children and grown-ups, an open-mic evening and book-launches by local poets Trevor Vaughan and Ian Clark.
The 2023 festival proved a huge success with sell-out performances and a record entry for the annual poetry competition.
More information about the poetry competitions or about the festival can be obtained from Andy Croft on 07721890778 or [email protected].
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