National Poetry Centre

14/02/2026

What a fabulous day we had getting creative at Likkle Lit fest with Out of Many People! Our resident poets Beverley Ward and Natalie Anastasia Davies spent the day in the Art Library on the 1st Floor of Leeds Central Library, helping visitors of all ages to stick, type, draw and write beautiful collage poems.

14/02/2026

🎭 LAST CALL – Performers Wanted!

Do you have an interest in performing at the Child Friendly Leeds Awards but not yet sent your demo?

This is your final reminder!

We’re looking for engaging, youth-led performances (approx. 3–7 minutes, flexible depending on the act) to be part of this special event — with winners decided by the young persons planning group.

To be considered, please send:

• A demo or showreel
• A link to your performance style
• Or a downloadable video - whatever media type works for you!

📅 Deadline: 23 February

Send your materials to [email protected].

We can’t wait to see your talent!

11/02/2026

✨THE NATIONAL POETRY CENTRE at LIKKLE LIT✨

National Poetry Centre invites you to unleash your creativity at our Likkle Lit Fest pop-up poetry event with a difference! ✍🏾✨

A fun, family-friendly, drop in event, Rubbish Words invites you to find poetry and meaning from the things we leave behind. ♻️📰

Using cut out words from fliers, magazines and posters, we will help you create beautiful word collages to express yourself and get in touch with your inner poet. ✂️🖍️

Open to all, with all ages and abilities welcome. 💛

Helpers, poets and wordsmiths will be on hand to help with your creations, or you can just grab a glue stick and get creating. 🧑🏾‍🎨📖

Open from 10:00am to 3:30pm drop in anytime and get creative! You’ll find Rubbish Words in the Create & Make Zone on the first floor Art Library. 🏛️✨

🆓 FREE & NO NEED TO BOOK

Click the 🔗 in our bio for more on the full Likkle Lit Fest FREE NO-NEED-TO-BOOK programme

✨ LIKKLE LIT FEST ✨

🗓 Saturday 14th February (what’s not to love?) ❣️

⏰ 10:30am – 4:00pm (Doors open 10:00am)

📍 Leeds Central Library LS1 3AB

A partnership with Leeds Libraries launching Leeds Story Festival

10/02/2026

Join us as we play with words @ Likkle Lit festival this Saturday!

We're joining in the fun with and their star studded cast of writers, poets and wordsmiths at the Likkle Lit festival this Saturday.

Join poets and for a fun, free, drop in workshop, 10.30 - 4.00pm, to create beautiful word collages to express yourself and get in touch with your inner poet. A fun, family friendly, drop in event, Rubbish Words invites you to find poetry and meaning from the things we leave behind.

Open to all, with all ages and abilities welcome.

Open from 10.30 to 4.00pm – drop in anytime and get creative!

12/01/2026

✨ Could YOU be a Young Poet Laureate? ✨

Apply by 30 January 2026 to be a Young Poet Laureate in your area

If you’re aged 8 – 14, live in England, and love poetry, we want to hear from you!

The search is on for young people who love poetry and writing.

We’re looking for 12 young poets who want to find out more about being a writer, develop their creative skills, and be a champion and a cheerleader for poetry in your area.

🙋 How do I apply?

All you have to do is send us a poem you have written (maximum 40 lines) and a short statement (up to 200 words) telling us why you would love to be a poetry champion in your local area. Save this to a word document and ask your teacher to submit your application to us.

Applications must be submitted by a member of school staff on behalf of their students, using the form on the page in the comments
📍 What will happen next?

📖 120 young people will have their poem published in a national anthology
🎓 120 young people will have the chance to take part in a special masterclass event, alongside other young people, to develop your poetry skills
🎤📝 12 young poets (two per region, one aged 7 to 11, and one aged 11 to 14) will be appointed as a Young Poet Laureate for their region (North, Midlands, London, South-East and South-West of England, as well as West Yorkshire).

❓ What will the young laureates do?

The appointed laureates will receive mentoring from professional poets and a range of opportunities to write for commission and perform at events to promote poetry, joining the national Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage, as champions for the role that poetry can play in public life.

If you have already written a great poem, or want to try writing one, this could be your opportunity to get your voice heard.

We can’t wait to hear from you!

24/11/2025

✨ National Poetry Centre's co-curated programme with the FLUP festival in Rio Do Janeiro, Brazil, is in full swing! ✨

We're partnering with the celebrated Rio based literary festival, FLUP, as part of the British Council’s UK/Brazil season of culture 2025/26.

Following the remarkable event as part of Out Of Many People’s Rooted festival, in Leeds in October 2025, which saw iconic Brazilian poet Conceição Evaristo share a stage with Linton Kwesi Johnson, Roger Robinson and Malika Booker, we're delighted that the Rio-based programme is now well underway.

With appearances from Steve McQueen, Patricia Kingori, Khadijah Ibrahiim, not to mention performances from our incredible cohort of poets Kadish Morris, Jamila Pereira and Omari Swanston-Jeffers, we couldn’t be more excited about this incredible opportunity to forge new creative links between Brazil and the UK!

Highlights of our joint programme include

✨Chaos Opera - a unique, multi-lingual festival of poetry featuring our Poetry Exchange collective poets Khadijah Ibrahiim, Omari Swanston-Jeffers, Jamila Gomes Pereira and Kadish Morris – alongside Denis Pourawa, Ryane Leão, Fabienne Kanor and Ghayath Almadhoun.

✨ Raising With Courage: May Our Children Dream. A conversation with Brazilian poetry icon Conceição Evaristo and Patricia Kingori, chaired by Luciany Aparecida. In this profound dialogue, the strength of Conceição Evaristo‘s Escritavência meets Patricia Kingori’s research on power and inequality.

✨ Screening of Steve McQueen's Small Axe anthology in full, alongside an In Conversation event with the acclaimed Director with Janaína Oliveira.

✨Fashion, sustainability and narrative masterclass with Khadijah Ibrahiim, Ariane Santos and Daniel Nicolaesvsky. A presentation of of the global and sustainable peripheral fashion collection inspired by Bate Bola, from Central Única das Favelas, Casa Geração/Casa 93, Badu Design and Cool Hunter Favela.

✨The Film as a Seed of Community. Steve McQueen meets Gabriel Martins, Safira Moreira, Dione Carlos, Grace Passô, Juliana Vicente, Patricia Kingori and Khadijah Ibrahiim, chaired by Janaína Oliveira. This event will bring together voices from the worlds of poetry, filmmaking and sociology to explore the collective force of the moving image

https://nationalpoetrycentre.org.uk/national-poetry-centre-x-flup-rio-de-janeiro-brazil/

21/11/2025

Next week is Young Poets Week!

Join us for a celebration of poetry in primary and secondary schools across England

We're so excited to be working with our partners The National Literacy Trust to launch this weeklong festival of poets and poetry, championed by the national Poet Laureate Simon Armitage

Highlights include

✨120 workshops in schools, led by our amazing cohort of poet mentors
✨ Live masterclasses led by the brilliant poetry ambassadors that are
✨FREE poetry toolkits and resources to help you deliver poetry activities in your classroom
✨ the opportunity for young people to apply to be a poet laureate for their area, and champion poetry in their school, family and community

📍 see comments for details of how to get involved

Thanks to the support of Arts Council England, Faber, West Yorkshire Combined Authority & Charlotte Aitken Trust

22/10/2025

Max and Ayeshah, the West Yorkshire Young Laureates, and poet , created this beautiful collaborative poem, recorded and set to music by

The poem was inspired by Trinity St David's, the beautiful heritage building at the gateway to the University of Leeds - the future HQ of the National.Poetry Centre. Proud to be part of Light Night Leeds and to share this beautiful artwork with the world. Come and experience it, from 6 - 10pm 22 and 23 October.

Follow the link in our bio/profile to find out more about the artwork - and discover how your school or young person can get involved in the Young Poet Laureate programme.

In partnership with

Funded by Charlotte Aitken Trust

16/10/2025

✨ Discover light, music, sound, poetry and art at Light Night Leeds

🌆 We're taking part in the magical Light Night Leeds programme on the University of Leeds campus once again - and we couldn't be more excited!

🤩 West Yorkshire Young Laureates Max and Ayeshah have been working with acclaimed poet with expert guidance from Studio 12 to create a new sound poetry piece inspired by the iconic Trinity St David's building that is to be the National Poetry Centre's long term home.

📆 Come along on Wednesday 22nd and Thursday 23rd October, 6pm - 10pm, to experience this brand new commission - broadcast from an illuminated Trinity St David's building, at the gateway to the University of Leeds Campus Light Night programme https://openup.leeds.ac.uk/event-groupings/light-night-leeds/

🎤 REMINDER! The Young Poet Laureate programme can help you to champion poetry in your school. The scheme is open NOW for registrations from primary, secondary and SEND schools across England: https://nationalpoetrycentre.org.uk/projects/young-poet-laureate/

National Literacy Trust
Mayor of West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire Combined Authority
University of Leeds
Arts Council England

07/10/2025

27/09/2025

Young Poet Laureate Programme

Schools across England are invited to signup for this groundbreaking opportunity to inspire young writers, led by National Poetry Centre in partnership with National Literacy Trust.

With 60 talented poet mentors across the country ready to inspire a new generation of young poets, the programme is available to primary and secondary schools. It will feature live poetry workshops as well as online masterclasses and teacher resources to put poetry at the heart of school life.

Find out more about the programme, including how schools can get involved, and how the programme will support a new cohort of young laureates to champion poetry in their communities, here:

https://literacytrust.org.uk/programmes/young-writers/young-poet-laureate/

The Young Poet Laureate programme is supported by Arts Council England, Charlotte Aitken Trust and West Yorkshire Combined Authority.