Tag: Faversham Literary Festival Poetry Hub

Events coming up soon – Faversham Lit Fest, Canterbury & Greenwich, London

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January’s heading out of the door already and some poetry events are coming up fast for me. First is the annual feast-smorgasbord-cornucopia of books and writing in Faversham. The FAVERSHAM LITERARY FESTIVAL #FavLit runs for 10 days between 20 February and 1 March, 2026 and Faversham, Kent will be flooded again with marvellous authors, more exciting than ever. I host the free POETRY HUB on Saturday 21 February, in the medieval GUILDHALL again, between 3 and 8.30pm. Headliners are Richard Skinner and Jean Atkin at 6pm, and I read alongside Maria McCarthy from 5pm. (I’ll also be behind the bar in St Mary’s church for most of the main week.) From 7 to 8.30pm on Saturday, local poet and all-round star Angela Dye hosts the OPEN MIC. And on Sunday 22 February, between 3 and 4pm, I have the fun again of hosting the Local Author Showcase in the Guildhall. Also free. Everybody’s welcome. 

On Saturday 7 March, 2026, 7.30 – 10pm, Sarah Briault is bringing POETRY & PROSECCO to north Kent again for another  ‘fun, bubbly evening’ and I’m really excited to be among the featured poets. Your ticket price includes a glass of Prosecco or non-alcoholic drink, and the chance to read your own words in the open mic. More details tbc.

On Tuesday 24 March, 2026 from 6.30pm, I’m joining ALEX JOSEPHY and N J HYNES as a featured poet in south east London. IRENA HILL (a dear friend) of In-Words will host this marvellous event at WEST GREENWICH Library and I look forward to seeing you there if you can come. Our poems will be about home, wherever we find it.

Faversham Literary Festival 2025

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For several years now, I’ve had the great fun of hosting poets at the Faversham Literary Festival and generally helping out. It’s in February, just when we need a lift after a long winter, and every year we say afterwards that it was the best yet. Somehow it always is. Congratulations to Amanda and Mark who run it with Will and the tech team and Megan, our marvellous woman with the clipboard. Here are a handful of photos of what we got up to:

Below is our outstanding showcase of local authors, with a picture below of me and my shepherd’s crook, in case anyone went on too long…

Maggie Harris, Mike Bartholomew-Biggs and me after our Hub reading in Faversham’s medieval Guildhall. Below are happy bar staff (with Mark) after a long day, Mark and Amanda with Linton Kwesi Johnson in St Mary’s, Faversham, and Christopher Horton wowing the Guildhall at the Hub

Events between now and March

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Poetry events are springing up like bulbs at the moment. Details of three (three!) events of mine are on my events page here:

Thursday, 21 March 2024, 6.30pm at Ashford Library;

5 March, 2024 at 7pm: In-Words’ Shakespeare event in West Greenwich Library, London SE10;

and at the FAVERSHAM LITERARY FESTIVAL Poetry Hub, I will read on Saturday 24 February, 2024 at 11am and co-host throughout the day.

For all these events I will be in the best of company and would love you to join us.