Nottingham Poetry Festival is returning stronger than ever with an ambitious nature-led programme exploring how poetry can connect urban communities with the natural world.
Brian Bilston, John Hegley, Yomi Sode, Henry Normal, Vanessa Kisuule and Nottingham’s own Nature Poet Laureate Cara Thompson headline the 10-day festival taking place across the city from 4 June.
This year will see the first mini children poetry festival, nature-themed workshops, a new filmed poetry commission, the popular Henry Normal library tour, a poetry slam, refugee storytelling and a young carers’ poetry project.
Nottingham’s thriving poetry community has welcomed the return of the full festival with open arms, thanks to the Arts Council England funding being secured for 2026 following a decision not to fund the festival last year.
Bridie Squires, GOBS Collective director, said:
“Nottingham Poetry Festival is one of the most important and exciting events in the city’s creative calendar. It’s a time for collectives, organisations, and poets to come together and reconnect.
“The festival brings a real injection of vibrance into our artistic practices, especially through working with nationally and internationally revered poets. We get to learn from the greats and collaborate alongside them. There’s some big energy in the GOBS Collective right now which we’re buzzing to share, and can’t wait to reconnect with creative groups across the city.”
A new poem from Nottingham’s Nature Poet Laureate Cara Thompson has been commissioned. Upcoming filmmaker Keiran Donnelly will create a piece for the new poem to be shown at Broadway Cinema, as part of the festival’s aim to bring poetry into everyday spaces and reach new audiences.
Tickets are now available for the headline events, with loads of free stuff happening too.
Brian Bilston
6 June, Metronome, £20 + fees
With more than 500,000 followers on social media and a host of sell-out shows across the country, Brian Bilston is one of the UK’s most popular poets.
He has published several bestselling collections of poetry, and his novel Diary of a Somebody was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award, and he has also written collections of poetry for younger readers.
Henry Normal
10 June, Central Library, Free
Jokes, stories and poetry from Radio 4’s reticent poet, writer and TV and Film producer Henry Normal, co-founder and friend of Nottingham Poetry Festival. This new fun packed show features his latest collection ‘Collected Poems and other landfill’.
Henry’s Library Tour will take in nine locations across the city, including the newly opened and long awaited Sherwood Library.
Yomi Sode
11 June, Lakeside Arts, £18 + fees
Yomi Ṣode is an award-winning Nigerian-British writer. His debut collection, Manorism, was shortlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize and the T S Eliot Prize. He will be exploring the poignant third section of Manorism, which delves into the guilt, shame and acts of remembrance that can surface in the wake of losing a loved one. Yomi will collaborate with DJ and producer Rewyld, who will bring the poetry to life through music and immersive soundscapes.
John Hegley
12 June, Canalhouse, £15 + fees
Poet, comic, singer, songwriter and glasses-wearer, John Hegley has captivated and devastated audiences all over the country. He’ll be performing some seriously funny, cleverly comic poems on everything from love, family, France, art and the sea to dogs, dads, gods, taxidermy, carrots, spectacles and – of course – potatoes.
John is also performing a Young Person’s Show at Carousel, 1pm, 13 June.
Vanessa Kisuule and Cara Thompson
14 June, Poppy & Pint, £10 + fees
Vanessa Kisuule and Cara Thompson are appearing in a joint headline show, an important milestone as it marks the first time a Nottingham poet has filled a headline spot. Vanessa has won over ten poetry slam titles and was the Bristol City Poet. Her poem on the toppling of Edward Colston’s statue ‘Hollow’ garnered more than 700,000 views and is frequently used as a resource in schools and universities. Supported by GOBS Collective.
Programme highlights include:
Launch Party
4 June, Fox & Grapes
All welcome for the pre fest meet where poets and organisers warm up for the 10 days ahead, with open mics.
Jessica Bailey, Castle Rock Brewery, said:
“We’re incredibly proud to be supporting Nottingham Poetry Festival for the 11th year running. It’s a festival that not only celebrates the power of words and creativity, but also their ability to bring people together – something that sits right at the heart of everything we do here at Castle Rock.
“We’re especially excited to see this year’s festival champion both established voices and emerging local talent, while creating welcoming spaces for people to discover new ideas, reconnect with familiar faces, and feel part of something bigger. We can’t wait to welcome new faces into our pubs and discover more brilliant poets from Nottingham and beyond along the way.”
Loud Poets x Fluent in Both
5 June, New Art Exchange
Nottingham’s own Fluent in Both, meet Edinburgh’s Loud Poets in a special night celebrating the breadth and depth of poetry. Expect work in multiple languages and poems covering everything from love and political protest at what is set to be an unmissable night.
Loud Poets Slam
6 June, Metronome
The prestigious Loud Poets Slam Series returns for its fourth year! Watch Nottingham’s top poets compete in one of 10 heats for the biggest prize in UK slam poetry. Featuring Henry Madd as sacrificial poet, this slam heat will be an electric celebration of the very best of spoken word.
Poets off The Endz taster session
June, Fisher Gate Point
Led by Jah Digga, Poets Off The Endz are one of the city’s most dynamic and exciting poetry collectives. They are running an informal taster session for those who are new to poetry, want to try writing and wonder what being a part of a collective is like. They follow it up with their own headline show at New Art Exchange, 13 June.
Jah Digga, Poets Off The Endz, said:
“Nottingham Poetry Festival plays an important role in the local poetry scene. It gives poets across Nottingham a chance to share their work, meet others, and find opportunities they might not get otherwise. It’s an important part of how our community grows.”
Mini Children’s Poetry Festival
7 June, Lakeside
Nottingham Poetry Festival will deliver nature-based activities for children and young people providing an inspiring foundation for creativity, wellbeing and learning. It’s all about making poetry playful, relevant and rooted in real-life exploration, enriching the space. The drop in activities will be complemented by inhouse children’s poet Dommy B.
Meanderers Walk
9 June, Nottingham Castle
Exploring nature around the city, this walk in collaboration with the Green Hustle Collective will focus on wellbeing and poetry. Starting at Nottingham Castle with Robert Montgomery’s evocative light piece poem The People You Love Become Ghosts Inside of You presented as part of an exhibition. Montgomery is a Scottish-born, London-based contemporary artist and poet known for his large-scale light installations featuring words and poetry in public spaces, often created with environmentally friendly LED lights.
BBC Upload collaboration, headlined by Leicester’s Poet Laureate Mr Shay
12 June, Rough Trade
Eight local poets were handpicked by the festival in collaboration with BBC Upload with their exclusive filmed performances available to watch across BBC and NPF social channels. This event will celebrate these incredible poets and their work, headlined by Leicester’s Poet Laureate, Mr Shay.
BBC Upload x We, The Poets
13 June, Rough Trade
Panel chats, podcasting, performance and jolly good fun. Led by multi award-winning poet, children’s author and former rap battler Mark Grist, alongside Jay Sandhu, Leanne Moden, Charley Genever and Keely Mills, We, The Poets is a podcast and live series exploring the real, human side of writing. For Nottingham Poetry Festival, Mark, Jay and Leanne each host a guest in a series of fast-paced 20-minute interviews, uncovering the surprising things poets learn along the way.
BBC Upload is the BBC’s talent discovery platform for emerging creatives, offering poets and spoken word artists a route to share their work with a wider audience. By submitting recordings directly to their local BBC radio station, artists have the chance to be broadcast, featured, and supported by producers, helping amplify new voices and connect grassroots poetry scenes to national platforms.
Dean Jackson, BBC Upload, said:
“I’m thrilled to be involved in the Nottingham Poetry Festival. BBC Upload is all about providing a platform for local creatives, which aligns perfectly with the spirit of the Festival. Nottingham is brimming with talent, and the Nottingham Poetry Festival is both a wonderful celebration of that creativity and an invaluable hub for collaboration.”
Refugee Project
Working alongside Refugee Roots, local poet and musician David ‘Stickman’ Higgins will work with a group of refugees to explore their relationship with nature, landscape and home, in collaboration with festival photographer, Lux Gagos.
The Young Carers’ poetry project was born through the poetry festival and has since gone from strength to strength. Project leader Danny Donnely has been invited to the Houses of Parliament to speak to MPs on young carers’ rights, has been asked to oversee carer provision at Nottingham University, and most recently was invited to Windsor Castle to discuss the lack of support for young carers in the UK.
Festival director Alma Solarte-Tobon said:
“Nottingham Poetry Festival plays a vital role in celebrating creativity, amplifying diverse voices, and connecting communities through the transformative power of poetry. We aim to grow every year and this year is no exception. Thanks to our sponsors and Arts Council England, we can deliver a dynamic, inclusive, and forward-looking space for poetry.”
Nottingham Poetry Festival brings together partners including ChalleNGe, Nottingham City Of Literature, Writing East Midlands, BBC Upload, libraries, cultural organisations and local poets to deliver the citywide programme, supported by public funding from Arts Council England and sponsors Castle Rock Brewery.
For more information on the programme and to buy tickets for headline shows, go to www.nottinghampoetryfestival.com and follow the socials.
Posted on 11 May 2026
