East Riding Poetry Festival Invites Poets to Embrace Local History and the Bayeaux Tapestry

Aspiring poets are invited to take part in this year’s High Wolds Poetry Festival, to be held at Bishop Burton in September.

The popular annual event, now in its eighth year, will be held on and will take inspiration from the Bayeaux Tapestry’s arrival in the UK and its association with Stamford Bridge in East Yorkshire.

Organisers have chosen the theme ‘Weaving Words, Harnessing History’ to reflect the importance of the 900-year-old tapestry and its 10-month installation at London’s British Museum.

Poets can get involved in the festival by attending workshops, submitting to the festival poetry book and reading their poetry on the day.

Councillor Nick Coultish, said: “It’s great to see this Wolds festival continue to bring poetry and creativity to the heart of our rural communities. We encourage aspiring poets to get involved, participate in the workshops and attend the event.”

Festival director Sarah Mills said: “Everyone is welcome to have a go. The idea is to encourage entries from across the East Yorkshire Wolds and beyond. Whether people are regular writers or have never tried before, it doesn’t matter. The High Wolds Poetry Festival isn’t about exclusivity or catering to the literati: we’re accessible, we’re local and we’re proud of our rural roots”.

The festival is expanding its workshop offering this year, aiming to involve school children and older members of society to ensure a fully representative celebration of poetry. 

The festival, supported by East Riding of Yorkshire Council and the Arts Council England, will be held at Bishop Burton Village Hall on Saturday 26 September, from 10am to 5pm. The event is free to attend and all ages and abilities are welcome.

For more information, contact Sarah Mills at highwoldspoetry@gmail.com

Author: tracey