An immersive, multi-layered experience of literature formed of three specially commissioned texts. Speculative stories will be projected onto screens for audiences to read whilst they’re enveloped by original sound and narration.
It features the work of projectionist Zaron, writers Laura Bui, Selma Dabbagh and James Giddings, and musicians Commodo, DSL Official, Utah?, Rider Shafique and Georgia Williams. It is curated by Somerset Maugham Award-winning writer Akeem Balogun.
Words, Vision & Sound was originally commissioned by the University of Sheffield’s Off the Shelf Festival of Words with support by Arts Council England. HuddLitFest is the first literature festival to share this event.
A Dark Horse Theatre street theatre production commissioned special for this year’s Festival.
Love is an ever-fixed mark, that looks on tempests and is never shaken.
Dark Horse are Huddersfield-based company of nine actors with learning disabilities, creating bold, progressive, and visually impactful work.
The company has a reputation for creating poignant and entertaining street theatre rooted in physical storytelling.
After the success of their hard-hitting film trilogy #OutBreakOut (commissioned and released online as part of HuddLitFest2021 during a Covid Lockdown), and the 2023 street theatre performance Making Room at HuddLitFest2023, the company are thrilled to be back at the Festival with When there is always Love.
Inspired by poems about love and our millennial obsession with romantic films of the Noughties, the Dark Horse company present a love letter to love and all its complications, heartbreak, and wonder. Ever been in love? Never been in love? This show is for you.
Please note: This is a pop up event and you do not need a ticket to attend. Just turn up and enjoy the performance!
Date: Thursday 25 April
Start Time: 2pm
Venue: Courtyard, Lawrence Batley Theatre, Queen Street HD1 2SP
Festival Patron lisa luxx delivers a magical performance from her poetry and short story collections, with musical accompaniment from Kareem Samara on the oud.
lisa luxx is a queer poet, playwright, essayist and political activist of British and Syrian heritage. Raised in Huddersfield, lisa has strong connections with the local area and is a Patron of Huddersfield Literature Festival. Her debut poetry collection Fetch Your Mother’s Heart was published in 2021, and her debut short story collection Sun Son will be released by Comma Press this year.
Her work has been published in a variety of anthologies and literary journals, and broadcast on radio and TV. Much in demand for her live performances, she is the winner of the Out-Spoken Prize for Performance Poetry. She also wrote the script for three theatre shows: Eating the Copple Apple, what the dog said to the harvest and The Moon is Listening from Dawn til Dusk. Between writing, lisa luxx guest lectures on revolutionary poetics and queer theory, and works as a lyricist with LA-based Maison Arts. She splits her time between Beirut and London.
Access and Covid safety measures: if you have specific access needs or queries and/or prefer to be seated away from other audience members as a Covid safety measure, please contact our Admin at: [email protected] with your request.
Date: Friday 26 April
Time: 7.30pm-8.30pm
Venue: Attic, Lawrence Batley Theatre, Queen Street, Huddersfield HD1 2SP
The critically acclaimed and multi-award-winning poet performs work from her latest collection How to Find Where You Belong, followed by a Q&A and signing.
Twenty years since moving from Canada to the UK, Rose Condo considers the features, facets and philosophies for determining a sense of belonging. Her new collection explores community, identity, personal growth and societal wellbeing through compassion, sharp political observation and finely honed humour. It is a love letter to home, wherever you might find it.
Rose Condo is an award-winning Canadian poet based in Prestwich. With a background in theatre and performance, Rose has been writing, performing and teaching for over 20 years. Her debut poetry collection After the Storm was published in 2020 and she has won awards for her projects and shows, which include: The Empathy Experiment, The Geography of Me and How to Starve an Artist. She has hosted and won many Slams, and she runs workshops for people of all ages exploring wellbeing through creative writing.
HYBRID EVENT – this is a Hybrid event, which can be attended in person at the venue or accessed online. Simply select the Live or Online ticket link for your preferred event viewing. For online access a link will be sent to you the day before the event takes place.
Access and Covid safety measures: if you have specific access needs or queries and/or prefer to be seated away from other audience members as a Covid safety measure, please contact our Admin at: [email protected] with your request.
Date: Saturday 20 April
Time: 5.30pm-6.30pm
Venue: Small Seeds, Castlegate (New Street junction), HD1 2UD
Tickets: In-Person £5, free for University of Huddersfield staff and students & essential carers, Online £2
Please note: When purchasing tickets please download the Eventbrite ‘app’ or ‘create an Eventbrite account’. This will facilitate quicker access to your tickets.
One of our most popular Festival events – our annual Poetry Slam – returns with 10 amazing poets battling it out to be crowned the HuddLitFest2024 Slam Champ. Hosted by award-winning poet Rose Condo and sponsored byGoat Drinks.
A lively evening of moving, inspirational and wildly entertaining competitive poetry!
1st Prize: £50, and a guest spot at the HuddLitFest2025 Poetry Slam.
Want to apply to take part? Send a video (max length three minutes) of you performing your work to [email protected] (it’s fine to use a phone to record your video). Deadline to apply is Friday 22 March 2024. See below for T&Cs.
Rose Condo is an award-winning Canadian poet based in Prestwich. With a background in theatre and performance, Rose has been writing, performing and teaching for over 20 years. Her debut poetry collection After the Storm was published in 2020 and she has won awards for her projects and shows, which include: The Empathy Experiment, The Geography of Me and How to Starve an Artist. She has hosted and won many Slams, and she runs workshops for people of all ages exploring wellbeing through creative writing.
Rose will also be performing work from her new collection How to Find Where You Belong at the same venue from 5.30pm-6.30pm. Visit our What’s On page for details.
Access and Covid safety measures: if you have specific access needs or queries and/or prefer to be seated away from other audience members as a Covid safety measure, please contact our Admin at: [email protected] with your request.
Terms and Conditions
To apply please send a video (max length three minutes) of you performing your work to [email protected] (it’s fine to use a phone to record your video).
We will only view one application per person. Further applications will be ignored.
The deadline for applications is strictly 5pm on Friday 22 March. We regret that we cannot view any applications received after this time.
Successful artists should hear back from us by five working days after the deadline.
SLAM RULES
Poetry must be your own original work
No singing or props.
There will be two rounds. The poets will draw numbers from a hat and perform in that order. In the second round the order will be reversed.
Poets have 3 minutes to perform their poetry. The clock starts from the very first thing you say – including hello.
Points will be deducted for over-running as follows: 1-9 seconds minus 1 point 10-19 seconds minus 2 points 20-29 seconds minus 3 points 30 seconds minus 4 points, host will stop you, you’ll be judged on your incomplete poem.
The poets will be scored out of 10 in two categories. Written content and quality of performance. The highest total score over both rounds wins £50. In the event of a tie there will be a final sudden death round.
Judges’ decisions are final.Please remember the slam motto: “The points are not the point, the poetry is the point.”
HYBRID EVENT – this is a Hybrid event, which can be attended in person at the venue or accessed online. Simply select the Live or Online ticket link for your preferred event viewing. For online access a link will be sent to you the day before the event takes place.
Date: Saturday 20 April
Time: 7.30pm-10pm
Venue: Small Seeds, Castlegate (New Street junction), HD1 2UD
Tickets: In-Person tickets £8 (£5 conc) free for University of Huddersfield staff and students & essential carers, Online £3
Please note: When purchasing tickets please download the Eventbrite ‘app’ or ‘create an Eventbrite account’. This will facilitate quicker access to your tickets.
Celebrate Eid with a magical and inspirational performance of the 13th-century poet Rumi’s The Alchemy of Love, featuring Gulcin Bulut and the Sahba Ensemble.
A partnership project between MACFEST and HudLitFest.
Join us to celebrate Eid with poetry and music. Enjoy the magic of the celebrated 13th-century Persian philosopher-poet Maulana Rumi’s ‘Alchemy of Love’, performed by the renowned British-Turkish singer Gulcin Bulut and the Sahba Ensemble.
A unique and inspiring event celebrating a poet and philosopher whose influence transcends national borders and ethnic divisions worldwide.
Attendees are invited to bring a copy of their favourite Rumi poem to read out and share.
Doors 2.30pm, performance 3pm-4pm, followed by social to 5.30pm.
As this is a free event, please let us know if after booking you find you are unable to attend, so that we can offer your ticket(s) elsewhere.
Access and Covid safety measures: if you have specific access needs or queries and/or prefer to be seated away from other audience members as a Covid safety measure, please contact our Admin at: [email protected] with your request.
DATE: Saturday 13 April
TIME: 3pm-4pm
LOCATION: Attic, Lawrence Batley Theatre, Queen Street, Huddersfield HD2 2SP
TICKETS: Free (donations welcomed)
AGE GUIDANCE: 12+ (under 16s should be accompanied by an adult)
An unmissable evening of poetry and music featuring Poet Laureate Simon Armitage and the band LYR. A poetry performance by Simon will be followed by a live performance by the band, comprising Simon, singer-songwriter Richard Walters and multi-instrumentalist and producer Patrick Pearson.
Simon’s new collection of lyrics, Never Good with Horses, demonstrates the rich range of his repertoire and celebrates his ear for the music of language. LYR’s blend of soaring vocal melodies and ambient instrumentation creates an evocative and enchanting soundscape for the poetic spoken passages.
Note: there will be a short interval between the poetry and musical performances.
About LYR: formed in 2018, LYR are now a firmly established in the contemporary music scene following the release of two critically acclaimed albums Call in the Crash Team (2020) and latest release The Ultraviolet Age (2023). They have appeared at many major festivals, including Green Man and Blu Dot, and have sold-out venues across the UK. https://www.lyrband.com/
About Simon Armitage: Poet Laureate Simon Armitage was born and grew up in West Yorkshire. He is the recipient of numerous prizes and awards, including the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry and the PEN Prize for Translation. He has published over a dozen poetry collections, including Magnetic Field: the Marsden Poemsand acclaimed medieval translations of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and The Owl and the Nightingale. He also writes, records and performs with the band LYR and has received an Ivor Novello Award for his song writing. His recent collection Never Good with Horsesfeatures his song lyrics. He is also the author of two novels and three non-fiction bestsellers: All Points North, Walking Homeand Walking Away. A regular broadcaster, Armitage presents the popular BBC Radio 4 series The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed. An award-winning dramatist, his play Hansel and Gretel: A Nightmare in Eight Scenesis in performance at Shakespeare’s Globe this winter. Armitage is Professor of Poetry at the University of Leeds. www.simonarmitage.com
Access and Covid safety measures: if you have specific access needs or queries and/or prefer to be seated away from other audience members as a Covid safety measure, please contact our Admin at: [email protected] with your request.
