There can’t be many poetry gigs where you might be interrupted by a passing seagull but at the open air event held daily (11-18 May) as part of the St Ives May Litfest in Norway Square in the beautiful Cornish seaside town of St Ives, it is a likely occurrence. There’s just no way to describe the mixture of laid-back, Cornish “dreckly” charm with the “who’s coming on next (is it me?)" excitement of this vital and integral part of the festival. And it’s all held together by the wonderful (OK! I’m a fan!) Bob Devereux, poet, painter, compere and instigator of this annual celebration of performance and the spoken word.

Bob is not a Cornishman, arriving in the land of Kernow in 1965 after feeling (as so many of us do) that he had found his real home and that here was an energy that he wanted to be a part of. Though only a comparatively recent west countryman, Bob has been a poet for most of his life, having had poems broadcast on Children’s Hour when he was only 13. He is an also a painter, and feels that poetry and painting combine in him because he is a natural “space organiser”.

The St Ives May literature festival is the sister of the St Ives September festival which was founded in 1978. Bob and Patrick Hughes were jointly responsible for the literature side of this event which ran until 1984, beginning again in 1993 with the arrival of Tate and busier times for St Ives.

The festival flourished, but Bob felt that the spoken word had lost out. Meanwhile, he had leased the Salthouse Gallery in Norway Square. As well as being filled with wonderful art, the gallery was stacked high with poetry books and if you visited you were likely to be descended upon by Bob declaiming reams of his own poetry – he knows all of it by heart. He had the brilliant idea of turning the outside space, a most attractive square, into an outdoor venue for the festival.

The St Ives May litfest is now in its sixth year. Like the September festival, which is more music-based, it gives the town something to attract visitors out of season. It is full of variety – check Write Out Loud’s gig guide for more details -  and if you are in the area I’d recommend a visit. Like Bob – it’s unique – and it's fab!

PHOTOGRAPH: PHIL GEE

 

 

MAY

Liverpool Writing on the wall festival, 1-31 May 

Sheffield Lyric festival, 2-5 May

Strokestown international poetry festival, Co Roscommon, Ireland, 3-5 May 

Swindon festival of literature, 6-18 May 

Poetry-next-the-sea, Wells-next-the-sea, Norfolk, 10-12 May 

St Iives literature festival, Cornwall, 11-18 May 

London literature festival, 20 May - 8 September 

Hay festival, 23 May - 2 June

London Keats festival, 24 May - 2 June 

Glastonwick festival of beer, music and poetry, Coombes, West Sussex, 31 May - 2 June  

Wychwood festival, 31 May - 2 June 

 

JUNE

Scribble festival, Manchester, 11-12 June 

Bridlington poetry festival, 14-16 June 

Ludlow Fringe festival, 21-30 June

Glastonbury festival, 26-30 June 

 

JULY

Ledbury poetry festival, Herefordshire, 5-14 July 

Wirral Festival of Firsts, 6-14 July

Latitude festival, Southwold, Suffolk, 18-21 July 

 

AUGUST

Edinburgh festival fringe, 2-26 August

Arran, McLellan arts festival, 30 August – 8 September 

 

SEPTEMBER

Wigan Diggers’ festival, 7 September 

King’s Lynn poetry festival, 21-23 September 

Wigtown book festival, Dumfries and Galloway, 27 September - 6 October 

 

OCTOBER

Ilkley literature festival, 4-20 October, 

Morley literature festival, Leeds, 5-13 October

North Wales international poetry festival, Clywd theatre, 7 October ,

Manchester literature festival, 7-20 October 

Marsden poetry jam, jazz festival, Huddersfield, 11-13 October

Sheffield Off the Shelf festival of words, 12 October- 2 November 

Torbay festival of poetry, 24-28 October

 

NOVEMBER

Aldeburgh poetry festival, 8-10 November 

 

Organisers, send us links to your festivals at news@writeoutloud.net, and we will endeavour to list them here, if they include poetry events. You can also upload individual festival events yourselves on our renowned Gig Guide.