About Us

 

Winchester Poetry Festival. 

We’re here to be a round table for poetry where everyone is welcome.

We are a poetry organisation that does all sorts of things - from hosting our much-acclaimed biennial festival in Winchester, to our popular Winchester Poetry Prize competition, to our wider work with schools and community organisations.

 

We are here to share, showcase, celebrate and champion great poetry - because we believe in its power to bring us all together and make a positive, enriching difference to our lives and the society we live in.

 

We are a hub for poetry locally, nationally and internationally - from Winchester to the world.

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Winchester Poetry Festival was established in 2013 with the first festival taking place in September 2014. We also promote one-off events and work in partnership with Hampshire Cultural Trust to run the Hampshire Poet programme and the Hampshire Young Poet Competition. 

 

Winchester Poetry Festival 2025 took place in October - a celebration of poetry performances, readings, workshops and activities for all. Curated by Clare Pollard on the theme "Revisiting The Classics"
Featured poets included Diane Seuss, Mona Arshi, Richard Scott, Roy McFarlane, Joelle Taylor, Fiona Benson, Luke Kennard and Mary Jean Chan. They will be exploring the work of Marvell, Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Edward Thomas, Keats, Dante, Al-Busiri, Bing Xin, Adrienne Rich and more.

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Winchester Poetry Festival 2027 will take place in October 2027, subject to funding. A shorter Winchester Poetry Day is planned for Sat 10 Oct 2026.

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​Winchester Poetry Festival is a charity run by a board of Trustees with support from a creative team.

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For information on all our activities sign up for our newsletter here.

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Information about WPF policies can be read here.