Linton Kwesi Johnson, John Hegley, and Kate Fox are three big poetry names that will be at Wakefield Lit Fest  - otherwise known this year as Talking Loud and Saying Summat!

There is a much greater emphasis on poetry and spoken word at this year’s festival, which runs from Saturday 23 September to Sunday 1 October. It kicks off on Saturday with Poetry for the People, a day of events featuring, among others, Genevieve Walsh, Matt Abbott, John Hegley, Henry Raby plus teenage poets, Hull poets Robert Eunson and Vicky Foster, and a Big Night Out headed by Linton Kwesi Johnson, with special guests John Hegley and Kate Fox.  

The festival of live performances, talks, workshops and readings also includes Beautiful Minds, a day of events on mental health. Saturday 30 September features We Need to Talk About Music, a day of discussions about music, literature, and life, featuring Grace Maxwell and Edwyn Collins. This is kicked off in the morning by Ralph Dartford and the Bleeding Obvious, billed as “a magical mix of spoken word and music to start the day”.  The final day of the festival, Sunday 1 October, is named Wakefield Rising, giving a showcase to emerging local writers and performers.

Ralph Dartford, co-founder of A Firm of Poets, and creative programmer for the festival, said the aim was to celebrate “the spirit of Wakefield through words, music and debate”.  More details