Pen poems with Bard of Barnsley at festival

The Hear My Voice Literary Festival runs from February 26 to March 31 and is part of a three-year programme, designed to encourage the people of Barnsley to express themselves through poetry and the written and spoken word.

It was launched in June 2016 by Barnsley Museums and saw Mr McMillan, a Yorkshire Post columnist, named as the town’s Poet Laureate.

He is supporting the festival alongside fellow Yorkshire writers Winston Plowes and Helen Mort, and will host a ‘Sculpt a Poem’ workshop on March 26 where he will explore writing techniques.

He said: “If you’ve always wanted to write your own poem but aren’t sure where to start, I’ll teach you all the tricks of the trade with a few special techniques thrown in during my workshop.”

Other events as part of the festival will include a workshop with Mr Plowes at Penistone Town Hall and a family day at RSPB Old Moor.

Jemma Conway, learning manager at Barnsley Museums, said: “After the success of last year’s festival, we are aiming to engage with even more people in the community through a range of fun, creative and thought-provoking sessions.”

Visit www.barnsley-museums.com for full information.