Erica Hesketh appointed as new Artistic Director

Erica Hesketh - Winchester Poetry Festival Artistic Director (photo by Christy Ku)

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Erica Hesketh as new Artistic Director. In this role, Erica will shape and develop the programme for the flagship festival events due to take place in 2027, maintaining Winchester’s place on the UK’s poetry map. 

Erica takes over from acclaimed writer Clare Pollard who was in position at Winchester Poetry Festival from 2022 and created the visualisation for the successful festivals in 2023 and 2025.

Erica Hesketh says: “I am thrilled to be taking up the role of Artistic Director for Winchester Poetry Festival, a festival I have always admired for its thoughtful curation, internationalism and friendly atmosphere. The first time I ever read a poem in front of an audience was at the Winchester Poetry Prize event in 2022; it was a full-circle moment for me to return to the festival in 2025 as a performer. I look forward to making many more happy memories in Winchester, working with Amy Brown (Winchester Poetry Festival manager) and the fantastic team. The 2027 festival will emphasise participation, inspiration, new beginnings and shared futures. Everyone is invited - watch this space!”

Erica Hesketh reading at Winchester Poetry Festival 2025 (photo by Georgia Penny)

Erica Hesketh is an established poet and editor originally from Japan and Denmark. From 2016 to 2024 she was Director of the Poetry Translation Centre, and has held roles at English PEN, Southbank Centre and Bloomsbury Publishing. Her debut collection In the Lily Room was published by Nine Arches Press in 2025, and her pamphlet To an Unknown Receiver: Sonnets & Cascades will be published by Guillemot Press in 2026. She is the editor of the essay collection Living in Language: International reflections for the practising poet (Poetry Translation Centre, 2024).

Jane Bryant, Winchester Poetry Festival Chair of Trustees, says: “ Winchester Poetry Festival is absolutely delighted to have appointed Erica Hesketh as our new Artistic Director.  Erica is a well-respected and well-connected published poet, and I feel sure poets, poetry audiences, and poetry participants will all benefit from the fresh creative approach that she will bring to the artistic direction of the Festival.”

Winchester Poetry Festival is a registered charity, established in 2013, that runs a year-round programme of poetry activities with a flagship biennial festival. It attracts local, national, and international audiences and poets through performances, readings, workshops and activities. The role of Artistic Director includes curating the festival programme and ensuring Winchester Poetry Festival remains one of the south coast’s standout cultural charities.