Poetry / Bristol Young City Poet
Lyra Festival launches inaugural Bristol Young City Poet scheme
The Young City Poet project has been launched by Lyra – Bristol Poetry Festival, with funding from Bristol City Council’s Originators Fund, and Bristol Ideas, who coordinate the ongoing Bristol City Poet project.
The project is connected to the upcoming Bristol 650 celebrations in 2023, marking the 650th anniversary of Bristol’s independence, both as a county and as a city.
Aimed at young people aged 14-17 (school years 10-12), the scheme will involve workshops with secondary schools and community groups planned across Bristol.
Caleb Parkin, Bristol City Poet 2020-2022 – photo: Sam Cavender
The workshops will be delivered by professional poets Deanna Rodger and Caleb Parkin (Bristol City Poet 2020-2022), who will invite participants to think and write about what Bristol means to them.
Their goal is to “engage young people with self-expression, public speaking and self-empowerment through the medium of spoken word and poetry”.
Eight of the workshops will be funded by Lyra, with 50 per cent of the free workshop places reserved for community groups and state schools in underrepresented and council priority areas of Bristol.
The project will culminate in the appointment of Bristol’s first ever Young City Poet, who will go on to write poems that give voice to the preoccupations of young local people, and to perform them at public events.
Photo: Lyra Fest
The application deadline is October 21. For more information about the scheme, and details of how to apply, follow @lyrafest on Insta.
The Bristol City Poet Handover, from Caleb Parkin to Kat Lyons, will be held at City Hall on October 7, from 3-4.30pm. Tickets are free, bookable in advance from www.bristolideas.co.uk.
Main photo: courtesy of Lyra Fest (Deanna Rodger)
Read more: Bristol’s new City Poet announced
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