Poetic pleasures by the seaside

IT’S only in its second year but already the Bridlington Poetry Festival is proving a big hit with audiences and poets alike.

The Yorkshire seaside town might not be an obvious poetry calling point, it doesn’t have the literary heritage of say Hull, or Whitby even, but that may be starting to change. Last year’s inaugural festival attracted the likes of Simon Armitage and Paul Durcan and this year’s line-up is no less impressive.

Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy headlines the latest festival, at Sewerby Hall from June 10-12, with two special events – one for children and one for adults. As well as performing her long children’s poem, The Princess’ Blankets, she will also be reading some of her latest, unpublished work, along with poems from some of her most popular collections, including Rapture and The World’s Wife.

Other highlights include readings by Ian McMillan and his son, Andrew McMillan, as well as appearances by Sean O’Brien, three-times winner of the Forward prize for poetry, and Scottish poet Douglas Dunn.

Christopher Reid is another award-winning poet taking part, and for him, the Bridlington festival is proof that poetry is alive and well.

“There seems to me to be two kinds of literary festivals in this country. On the one hand you have the big commercial festivals like Cheltenham and Hay on Wye, which are really book fairs, and I don’t enjoy them to be honest. The antidote to these are the local festivals, like Bridlington, which have a unique flavour.

“They’re much more intimate, which is better for both the performer and the audience.

“No one is too lofty that they can’t be approached and you don’t feel as though you’re being sold as some kind of commodity.”

One of the more unusual appearances at this year’s festival will be by the world’s largest knitted poem. The hand-knitted version of Dylan Thomas’s In my Craft or Sullen Art, which measures 13 by 9 metres, is the work of more than a thousand knitters and crocheters worldwide, who turned the individual letters of Thomas’s famous poem into colourful 12-inch squares.

John Wedgwood Clarke, the festival’s director, believes the event offers a rich tapestry of verse. “If you love poetry you’re in for a treat and if you’re uncertain about poetry, join us to find out just how much you can love this most ancient and accessible of art forms.”

The Bridlington festival runs from June 10 to 12. Call 01482 392 699 or visit www.bridlington-poetry-festival.com

POETRY FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS

* Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy headlines this year’s festival with two events, including readings from her best known work.

* Ian McMillan is joined by his son, Andrew McMillan, a rising star of the poetry scene.

* Christopher Reid whose collection A Scattering (2009) won the Costa Book of the Year award.