Reflections on Winchester Poetry Festival 2025

"... a magical experience..."

"Thought provoking, powerful whilst still entertaining and hugely relevant..."

“A wonderful festival so lively and full of variety as well as excellence”

“Off the scale”

Winchester Poetry Festival 2025 (by Michelle Quinton)

Winchester Poetry Festival 2025 took place in Winchester and online from 2nd - 12th October on the theme of "Revisiting The Classics".

The programme this year included 26 poetry events, featuring 80 international, national and local poets and creatives sharing their words to over 800 ticket holders throughout the festival.

Maintaining an inclusive approach, the festival aimed to be genuinely accessible, and to increase enjoyment and engagement with poetry in all its forms. As well as including workshops, performances, activities, music, dance and even a séance(!) – key events were BSL interpreted and live-streamed. With thanks to a small grant from Winchester City Council, 10 events were completely free to attend.

Jane Bryant at Winchester Poetry Festival 2025 (by Michelle Quinton)

Jane Bryant (Winchester Poetry Festival, Chair of Trustees) says:

“What a wonderful Festival we have all experienced. Starting with a range of fringe and online events from 2^nd October onwards  - and culminating in a wondrous weekend of poetry - we have enjoyed local, national, and international poets celebrating and revisiting the classics. 

Thank you, poets all - this has been a beautiful, diverse, thought-provoking, and engaging festival of poets and poetry. all of great quality and with many memorable moments.   We could not have done it however without the amazing support of all our supporters, funders, and volunteers.  We thank you all!”

Internationally renowned poets who featured in the programme included: Pulitzer Prize winner Diane Seuss, triple T.S Eliot Prize shortlisted Fiona Benson, 2025 Jerwood Prize for Best First Collection and 2023 Winchester Poetry Prize winner Isabelle Baafi, Joelle Taylor, Luke Kennard, Roy McFarlane (pictured) Richard Scott, Mona Arshi and many more.

The 2025 festival was curated by Artistic Director, Clare Pollard, who remarks:  

"What an incredible week of celebrating, subverting and summoning poets past, as well as welcoming some of today’s brightest poetic talent to Winchester. It is such a warm, welcoming, creative city, and the audiences always come through for us!"

Clare Pollard with Roy McFarlane and Randolph Matthews (Take Flight) at Winchester Poetry Festival 2025 (by Georgia Penny)

Dzifa Benson's Close Reading at Winchester Poetry Festival 2025 (by Georgia Penny)

"Stimulating, productive, life-enhancing"

“unusual; mind-blowing; fun”

“Bold, dynamic, celebratory"

"Fun, intellectually stimulating and great learning and environment for discussion."

“What I experienced was well up to the festival's outstanding reputation.”

Inspiration was also provided by the annual Winchester Poetry Prize ceremony, judged and hosted by Fiona Benson. The winner was Olivia Tuck, from Wiltshire, with her poem Child With A Lighthouse. The Kathryn Bevis Prize award to the strongest poem entered into the competition by a Hampshire-based poet, was won by Christina Moran for Underwonderland.

The competition attracted 2284 entries this year, with 41 entries paid for by other poets/donors using a Pay it Forward Scheme allowing those on low-incomes to participate. Although the top three winners were UK-based, there were entries from 34 countries including Serbia, Singapore, Sweden and the States.

Winchester Poetry Prize 2025 longlist (by Clayton Burke)

Performances by local poets featured alongside those who work nationally and internationally is a key strength of the Festival. Opening the 2025 Festival with an informal foyer welcoming performance, was prominent Baul singer and musician Papia Ghoshal, which was followed by a showcase of local poetry groups Winchester Muse and Poetry Platform.

Papia Ghoshal performs at Winchester Poetry Festival 2025 (by Michelle Quinton)

'"The diversity of the poets invited, their lived experience inspires me as an immigrant to the UK"

“The array of poets and events was diverse, and of high quality.”

Feedback from festival attendees has been overwhelmingly positive, and Winchester Poetry Day 2026 is set to take place on Sat 10th October at ARC, Winchester - subject to funding.

 “This is the first time I have attended this festival and I have been impressed with the workshops and readings.”

"Thanks for putting on such a varied and inspiring festival of poetry."

Joelle Taylor performing at Dead [Women] Poets Society seance at Winchester Poetry Festival 2025 (by Georgia Penny)

Winchester Poetry Festival 2025 is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England. It is further supported by Hampshire Cultural Trust, University of Winchester, Winchester BID, Winchester City Council, Paris Smith LLP, P&G Wells Bookshop, The Writing School Online, a number of Charitable trusts and foundations, and individual donors.