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 takes place this October.

The in-person weekend will be held at The ARC, Winchester 10-12 Oct. There are fringe events around the city and online workshops from 2nd Oct.

Winchester Poetry Festival 2025 is a celebration of poetry performances, readings, workshops and activities for all. Curated by Clare Pollard on the theme "Revisiting The Classics"
Featured poets include 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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We will be hosting and collaborating on poetry events, projects and activities throughout the year. Details to be added to the website when they open for booking.

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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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More information about WPF policies can be read here.