A festival of spoken word, storytelling and live performance takes place at the Roundhouse in London, starting Saturday 16 May, until 31 May. Included on the bill are Polarbear, Mark Grist, John Hegley, Luke Wright, Rob Auton, Deanna Rodger, Inua Ellams, and Tongue Fu, and a highlight is the celebration of the upcoming 50th anniversary of the First International Poetry Incarnation, which saw over 7,000 people pack the Royal Albert Hall. The evening of celebration on 30 May will be hosted by Dan Cockrill, with Michael Horovitz - pictured 50 years ago with Allen Ginsberg, Pete Brown, John Cooper Clarke, Patience Agbabi, Francesca Beard, Steven Berkoff, Malika Booker, Salena Godden, John Hegley, Adam Horovitz, Libby Houston, Cecilia Knapp, Elvis McGonagall, and Kei Miller, plus Eleanor Bron, poets from Jack White’s Third Man Books, Vanessa Vie and Gwyneth Herbert, the William Blake Klezmatricians, Pete Lemer and Annie Whitehead. The festival winds up with a final slam on 31 May. More details 

 

PHOTOGRAPH: MICHAEL HOROVITZ / PETER WHITEHEAD

 

MAY 

Live from Worktown, Bolton's festival of words, until 30 May 

Bradford literature festival, 15-24 May 

South Yorkshire poetry festival, 18-24 May

The Last Word festival, Roundhouse, London, 19-31 May 

Bodmin Moor poetry festival, Liskeard, Cornwall, 29-31 May

Festival of Suffolk Poetry, Stowmarket, 30 May 

 

JUNE

Eclectic Iron, festival of words, music & oddities, Cullercoats, 4-7 June

Charles Causley festival, Launceston, Cornwall, 12-14 June 

Bridlington poetry festival, 19-21 June 

Poetry & Words, Glastonbury festival 24-28 June 

Wirral Festival of Firsts, 27 June-12 July

 

JULY

Wirral Festival of Firsts, until 12 July 

Ledbury poetry festival, 3-12 July

Latitude festival, Southwold, 16-19 July