Poetry & Performance
at Chester Literature Festival
From energetic gigs up in the Garret Theatre, to iconic names taking to the main stage, poetry and performance brings the Literature Festival to life with every word, verse and line.
Whether you’re a poetry buff or just looking for a great night of culture, explore our lineup of artists and events below and take your pick from our incredible poets and performers.
Explore the full lineup here
Henry Normal & Nigel Planer
Friday 10 November
From £15.75
Henry Normal has worked on some of television’s biggest hits – Gavin and Stacey, The Royle Family and The Mighty Boosh amongst them. He founded the Manchester Poetry (now Literature) Festival, has written eleven poetry books and in 2017 was honoured with a special BAFTA for his services to television.
Henry is joined by very special guest Nigel Planer, a prolific poet and author, best known as Neil in The Young Ones plus many other performances including acclaimed Filthy Rich & Catflap.
An Afternoon with Simon Armitage
Sunday 12 November
From £13.50
Join the nation’s Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage, as he discusses his first-ever collection of lyrics, Never Good with Horses.
Despite being known for his incredible poetry and writing, Simon Armitage is often equally inspired and influenced by music and sound. His latest book shares a collection of his lyrical musings for his very own post-rock outfit Land Yacht Regatta, the indie band The Scaremongers, as well as for the stage and screen.
Sophia Thakur
Friday 17 November
From £15
You’ve never seen poetry done this way.
Award-winning, best-selling author and performance poet, Sophia Thakur blends soulful music with performance poetry in an enchanting, breathtaking marriage. Expect heartfelt, honest storytelling, dreamy soundscapes and an entirely uplifting, love filled experience.
Reece Williams – This Kind of Black
Tuesday 21 November
From £13.50
A powerful new stage show from poet and musician Reece Williams, based on the new poetry collection of the same name.
A coming-of-age tale set in 1990s Moss Side, a stone’s throw from conflict and violence, This Kind of Black celebrates a community held together by prayers, warmth and humour, whilst also mourning the tragic loss of young life.
Luke Wright's Silver Jubilee
Friday 24 November
From £13.50
Crack out the bunting! It’s Luke Wright’s Silver Jubilee.
Over twenty-five years, Luke Wright has built up a reputation for being one of Britain’s most popular live poets.
This show is an excavation of lives lived and not lived. Wright navigates his audience through a warm and honest hour of poems and stand-up, with some wild experiments in form, a nervous kitten called Sir John Betjeman and a healthy smattering of drum n bass.
Poetry Pub Crawl
Friday 24 & Saturday 25 November
From £22.50
The iconic poetry pub crawl is back!
Join us on a rowdy, fun and joyful journey round the pubs of Chester starting in Storyhouse, hearing poems and songs in each venue – with award-winning writer and Lit Fest fave Molly Naylor returns as your guide, joined by Gavin Osborn who has spent fifteen years entertaining audiences across the UK, Europe and Australia with his evocative, heartwarming story songs.
Joanne Harris #Storytime
Sunday 26 November
From £14.85
There is a story the bees used to tell, which makes it hard to disbelieve….
Joanne Harris is the internationally acclaimed author of Chocolat (the award-winning novel and Hollywood film), and many other best-selling novels, including The Gospel of Loki, Runemark and Runelight. This show is intimate, engaging, quirky and darkly magical, appealing to lovers of folklore, fantasy and fairytale.
Poetry Open Mic Night:
Freedom of Identity
Saturday 25 November
FREE
An event for poetry enthusiasts or anyone seeking an atmospheric evening of local performers, offering the joy of reading and listening to poetry with a theme of Freedom of Identity.
Hosted by local queer poet Jeremy Dixon, a performer, workshop leader and book-artist whose poetry has appeared both online and in print. His first collection A Voice Coming From Then won the Wales Book of the Year Poetry Award 2022.