Acclaimed poets to perform at Woodbridge School Youth Poetry Festival

Three nationally-acclaimed poets will take to the stage to inspire the next generation of Suffolk’s young poets. Lemn Sissay MBE, Suffolk poet Rebecca Goss and Vanessa Kisuule will be hosting poetry evenings on November 1 and 2 from 7.30pm, at the Seckford Theatre as part of Woodbridge School’s Youth Poetry Festival.

Manchester-born Lemn Sissay MBE is set to perform on Wednesday, November 1. Lemn is a renowned author of books, poetry and plays and he is a regular contributor on BBC Radio 4. He was awarded an MBE in 2010 for services to literature and an Honorary Doctorate at the University of Huddersfield, and he is also Chancellor of the University of Manchester.

On Thursday, November 2, Suffolk poet Rebecca Goss will be performing. After several years teaching creative writing at Liverpool John Moores University, Rebecca’s poems have appeared in many literary journals and anthologies, including The Poetry Book Society’s Next Generation Poets in 2014. She was also the winner of the Poetry category award at The East Anglian Book Awards in 2013.

Also on November 2, Vanessa Kisuule will be returning to Woodbridge after her inspiring performance at the 2016 Woodbridge Youth Poetry Festival, and most recently at Woodbridge School’s annual Speech Day. Vanessa is a Bristol-based writer and performer who has performed at The Royal Albert Hall, British Library and Glastonbury Festival.

Neil Tetley, Headteacher at Woodbridge School, said: “We are very excited to welcome three fantastic young voices from the world of poetry to Suffolk as part of our Woodbridge Youth Poetry Festival this year. Poetry is a creative and expressive art, so we hope our Youth Poetry Festival will enthuse and inspire the next generation of young poets and writers locally.”

The poetry evenings are free for all students across Suffolk or £5 for non-students. Tickets must be purchased in advance from the Seckford Theatre box office on 01394 615042 or online here.

Pictured Lemn Sissay taken by Hamish Brown