The Tunbridge Wells Poetry Festival burst forth like water from a chalybeate spring in June 2018. Combining a wide variety of reading events and workshops from local and not-so-local writers, the event proved popular with poets and public alike.
Originally conceived and ministered by Sarah Miles of Paperswans Press the baton was passed to the current committee in 2020, only for their plans to be scuppered by Covid-19 and lockdown.
Forging ahead despite the uncertainties of the “unprecedented times”, the 2021 programme offered a wide mix of online and offline events, including festival headliner Luke Wright. Further staged events included the takeover of Tunbridge Wells Forum for a daytime community Wordplay Fun Day and an evening variety event offering spoken word, music and comedy and the Pam Slam open mic. Full details of the 2021 programme can be found HERE, including the staged reading events “Remember the Earth Whose Skin You Are” and “Selfie: the Lockdown Edition”, along with the numerous workshops, meetups and open mic events that made the festival so memorable.
With a hugely successful festival now under our belts we look forward to an even bigger and better 2022. In the meantime, the slideshow below offers a far from complete record of what you missed in 2021.
The countdown begins: Peppy Scott waving the flag 
Voices open mic “Poets in the Pub: Kevin Scully 
Voices open mic “Poets in the Pub” Graham Mummery 
Voices open mic “Poets in the Pub” John Wheeler 
Ashdown Forest Poetry Bathing: “The Enchanted Place” 
Ashdown Forest Poetry Bathing: The poets at work 
Ashdown Forest Poetry Bathing: Bathed in light 
Festival headliner Luke Wright in full flight 
Still flying 
Great performer, beautiful venue: the science room, Saloman’s House 
A moment of reflection 
Writing for Our Lives: Jess Mookherjee 
Writing for Our Lives: Louisa Campbell 
Writing for Our Lives: Mara Bergman 
Writing for Our Lives: Susan Wicks 
Poetry for Life: Workshop with Charlie Bell 
Poetry for Life: Inspiration from nature 
Wordplay Fun Day: Create Imaginarium (workshop) 
Create Imaginarium: The village map 
Wordplay Fun Day : Alison Sandford MacKenzie’s poetry request booth 
Wordplay Fun Day: Mara Bergman with Tall Man & Small Mouse 
Wordplay Fun Day: Arty Farty workshop with Nell Price 
Wordplay Fun Day: Workshopping with Sarah Miles 
Wordplay Fun Day: The wordy washing line 
Wordplay Fun Day: Postcards from the hedge 
Wordplay Fun Day: Parenting, Poetry and the Pandemic with Natalie Thomas 
Parenting, Poetry and the Pandemic: Natalie Thomas talking to Harry Barden 
Wordplay Fun Day: Word Up! with Dan Culmer 
Word Up! Peppy Scott 
Word Up! Roger West 
Word Up! Tilly and Del 
Wordplay Fun Day: Desert island poems with Sarah Salway… 
… and Victoria Field 
Sarah and Victoria: Poetry is serious business! 
Arts Without Boundaries reading the group poem “Food” 
Glorious Food! 
Steve Walter: Remember the Earth Whose Skin You Are 
Roger West: The Song of the Cicada 
Charlie Bell: Selfie – the lockdown edition
