THE hunt is on for the next Hampshire Poet.
Led by Hampshire Cultural Trust and Winchester Poetry Festival, the Hampshire Poet programme aims to foster local writing talent, and has been running every two years since 2008.
The programme provides the opportunity for a Hampshire-based poet – either resident and/or working in the county, including Southampton and Portsmouth - to undertake commissions, lead workshops and give readings and talks.
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As well as being a talented poet, the successful candidate will act as a strong advocate for poetry and poets of all ages across the county.
The Hampshire Poet 2024, whose tenure will run from April 2024 to March 2026, will play a significant role in highlighting key cultural events, as well as working with the Winchester Poetry Festival and Hampshire Cultural Trust on a range of varied projects engaging with communities in Hampshire.
They will have the chance to create new work, lead wellbeing and youth engagement workshops and connect to planned activities taking place across the county during their two-year tenure.
“I've been able to develop my own poetic practice, particularly in the area of children's poetry, while developing workshops for families and young people in order to share the magic of poetry more widely - and the poetry of magic!
“I am particularly proud of curating and platforming the rich poetic heritage of the Bengali language, my mother tongue, as part of the Winchester Poetry Festival this year, in an unforgettable event filled with Sylheti, Bengali-language and English poetry by Bengali women poets of both Indian and Bangladeshi origin, music and even Sylheti rap.
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“It's been a joy to work with the incredibly supportive and enabling teams at Hampshire Cultural Trust and Winchester Poetry Festival to realise some of my poetry dreams over these two years.
“I'd encourage anyone in Hampshire who is a passionate writer and lover of poetry, and who is passionate about sharing it with communities across our county, to apply.”
Jane Bryant, chair of Winchester Poetry Festival, said: “This is such an exciting and creative role. The new Hampshire Poet will not only develop their own practice, but also work in diverse ways to strengthen a sense of community and belonging through poetry, and, take poetry into surprising places!”
More details about the role and how to apply are available on the Winchester Poetry Festival website. Applications close on Wednesday, January 31 and interviews for the shortlisted poets will take place in early March.
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