A new Poet Laureate is about to be chosen for a Lincolnshire market town, with 10 contenders in the mix for a duel by verse next week.
The finalists will take part in a free public event to choose a new honorary Laureate to serve Stamford with sonnets and rhyme for the year ahead.
The poetry scene is thriving in the town, where the council-run Arts Centre supports the spoken word, bringing some of the biggest names to perform all year round. Stamford is also home to the famous Poetry Stone at St Michael’s churchyard, similar to a speakers’ corner, where the public can step up to recite.
The 10 finalists from all over the region will offer their odes at a special reading as part of the regular monthly Pint of Poetry evening, taking place in the Gallery Bar, Stamford Arts Centre, from 7.30pm on Wednesday 30th April.
The judging panel includes outgoing Stamford Laureate Caroline Avnit (pictured below) and Arts Programme Officer Karen Burrows, from the organisers South Kesteven District Council.
Karen said: “This will be a live reading from all 10 finalists, who were chosen from a much wider field.
“It will be nerve-wracking for them but the reward will be the honour of taking on this highly-regarded post, which involves attending civic events, taking on formal commissions and of course performing at local and regional events.
“Our outgoing Laureate, Caroline Avnit, has had a busy and rewarding year – a culmination of her love of poetry since childhood – and we are all looking forward to choosing and welcoming her successor.”
Visitors can get test their performance skills at the regular Pint of Poetry evenings where everyone can perform. It usually takes place on the last Wednesday of every month at 7.30pm, The Gallery, Stamford Arts Centre.
Upcoming poetry nights include Lemn Sissay, the BAFTA-nominated, award-winning writer and broadcaster, on Thursday 19th June, and a walking tour of Stamford, with 90 minutes of history and verse for Roads, Rhymes and Past Times on Saturday 5th July.
Future poetry events – and all shows, workshops and screenings at the Stamford Arts Centre – can be found online http://www.stamfordartscentre.com/whats-on/stamford-poetry-events