Events

Tag: #poems

Simon Armitage

Your chance to hear performance poetry, insights and stories from Poet Laureate Simon Armitage in his home town.  

 

Simon will read from several of his poetry books which include Magnetic Field: the Marsden Poems, two recent illustrated Sunday Times bestsellers, Blossomise and Dwell, and New Cemetery, a highly imaginative and wide-ranging major new collection in which the Poet Laureate makes peace with the dead. He will also read new unpublished poems. 

 

The hour-long performance will include an audience Q&A and will be followed by a book signing. 

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Simon Armitage was born and grew up in Marsden, West Yorkshire. His numerous prizes and awards include the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry and an Ivor Novello Award for his song writing. He has published over a dozen poetry collections, including Magnetic Field: the Marsden Poems and two illustrated Sunday Times bestsellers, Blossomise and Dwell. His latest major poetry book New Cemetery is out now.  A regular broadcaster, who also writes for television and radio, Armitage presented the popular BBC Radio 4 series The Poet Laureate has Gone to his Shed. His brand new podcast series The Shed is available now on Apple, Amazon, Podbean and Spotify.  

 

Armitage also writes, records and tours with the band LYR. Last summer LYR performed their commission with Ulster Orchestra for the Proms: 100 years of the Shipping Forecast.  His book Never Good with Horses features his song lyrics and celebrates his ear for the music of language. An award-winning dramatist, his plays The Last Days of Troy and a contemporary spin on Hansel and Gretel were performed at Shakespeare’s Globe. He is also the author of two novels and three memoir bestsellers: All Points North, Walking Home and Walking Away.  

 

Armitage is Professor of Poetry at the University of Leeds. A Vertical Art brings together the vibrant and engaging lectures from his tenure as Oxford Professor of Poetry (2015-2019). He was appointed Poet Laureate in 2019.  

www.simonarmitage.com 

Photo © Paul Stuart Photography Ltd 

 

Sunday 17 May 

7pm-8pm 

Lawrence Batley Theatre, Queen Street, Huddersfield HD1 2SP 

£22 (£20 conc) 

Age guidance: 14+ (U16s should be accompanied by an adult) 

Access Guide: https://www.accessable.co.uk/huddersfield-literature-festival/access-guides/lawrence-batley-theatre  

Book now

 

 

 

Please note: booking for this event is via the Lawrence Batley Theatre box office: 01484 430528; enquiries@thelbt.org; https://www.thelbt.org/  

NOTE: all ticket prices include a £2 theatre levy.  

Early booking recommended to secure your preferred seats. 

 

Access: if you have specific access needs or seating preferences, please contact our Admin team at info@huddlitfest.org.uk with your request.

Concession & Carers: For further information on concession and essential carer tickets, please visit our FAQ’s page.

An Evening with Lemn Sissay

Inspirational poet and Festival Patron Lemn Sissay OBE returns with a life-affirming and electrifying performance of his work.  

 

In the first half of his set, he will revisit past work from his collections such as Gold from the Stone. After the interval, Lemn will perform a selection of the short poems he creates every morning at dawn, collected in the anthology Let the Light Pour In. Poignant, often humorous, these poems are fuelled by resilience and defiant joy. 

 

The performance of 2 x 40-minute sets with a 20-minute interval will be followed by a book signing. 

About Lemn Sissay

Lemn Sissay OBE is a poet, playwright, memoirist, performer and broadcaster. He is the author of several poetry collections, including Gold from the Stone, the No 1 Sunday Times bestselling memoir My Name Is Why and the children’s book Don’t Ask The Dragon, illustrated by Gregg Stobbs. 

 

Lemn was awarded The Pen Pinter Prize in 2019 and has been nominated for and won numerous awards for his writing, TV documentaries, radio work and plays. He was the first poet commissioned to write for the London Olympics 2012 and has judged many prestigious literary competitions. He has also worked in music over the years, including with Leftfield, Baaba Maal and the BBC Proms. 

 

In 2015 he brought a legal case against the government for critical mistakes in the first 18 years of his life; the government settled out of court in 2018. In 2020, the BBC series imagine… broadcast a two-part documentary about his life, ‘The Memory of Me’.  

 

In 2021 he was named OBE for services to Literature and Charity. The University of Huddersfield has awarded him an honorary doctorate, and has also established the Lemn Sissay PhD scholarship for Care Leavers.  

 

Thursday 30 April 

7pm-8.40pm 

The Civic, Huddersfield Road, Holmfirth HD9 3AS 

£20 (£18 conc) 

Age guidance: 14+ (U16s should be accompanied by an adult) 

Access Information: https://www.accessable.co.uk/huddersfield-literature-festival/access-guides/the-civic-holmfirth 

 

Book tickets

 

Access: if you have specific access needs or seating preferences, please contact our Admin team at info@huddlitfest.org.uk with your request.

Concession & Carers: For further information on concession and essential carer tickets, please visit our FAQ’s page. 

Eventbrite note: When purchasing tickets please download the Eventbrite ‘app’ or ‘create an Eventbrite account’. This will facilitate quicker access to your tickets.