Festival of Hope 2
/ 24 February 2021
Speaking Out
A Kendal Poetry Festival main reading by poets Jay Bernard and Fiona Benson
Festival of Hope 2
Kendal Poetry Festival proudly presents Fiona Benson and Jay Barnard; performing live for festival goers at the KPF Festival online 2021.
Fiona Benson’s latest collection Vertigo and Ghost (Jonathan Cape, 2019) won the Forward Prize for Best Collection and the Roehampton Poetry Prize and was shortlisted for the TS Eliot Prize. Her latest work draws on Greek mythology to explore sexual violence, as well as exploring intimate domestic life.
Jay Bernard’s first full-length collection Surge (Chatto & Windus, 2019) is a ground-breaking exploration of the New Cross Fire of 1981 and the more recent tragedy of Grenfell Tower. Bernard’s work is described as ‘breathtakingly brave’ by Jackie Kay and this will be an unmissable reading.
National Youth Slam Champion 2018 Matt Sowerby will also perform at this event.
Author
Kendal Poetry Festival
With its trademark emphasis on a friendly and inclusive welcome, Kendal Poetry Festival brings audiences from across the UK together with some of the brightest stars of the British contemporary poetry scene, here in the Lakeland market town of Kendal. With our move online in 2021, our three day festival has expanded to a nine day immersive poetry experience, co-directed by Kim Moore and Clare Shaw.
