Some of the leading poets in the country will be appearing at this year’s Gloucester Poetry Festival, which gets underway on Tuesday 9th October.

Event organiser Zack Dicks has been working hard to build on the success of last year’s festival and says the line-up for the 2018 event will give visitors a real insight into the world of poetry.

He said: “Obviously Cheltenham is very well-known for all the great festivals and cultural events, so I wanted to do something similar here in Gloucester. There was a gap in the market and that’s what gave me the inspiration to launch the Gloucester Poetry Festival.
“I quickly discovered that there were a lot of people in Gloucester that were really interested in the festival, from fans of the written word to talented poets. The feedback we received from last year’s event was so positive so we’re hopeful that the 2018 festival will be a real success for the city of Gloucester.”

Zack has lived in Gloucester all his life but credits his travels beyond as a point that encouraged maturity which dramatically altered his poetry as a result. He first started performing in public in 2016 but has subsequently gone on to establish extensive links internationally.

He founded the Gloucester Poetry Society as well as the Gloucester Poetry Festival. He continued: “Poetry is for everyone, I’m really keen to get that message across. The great thing about the Gloucester Poetry Festival is it gives people a voice, people who may have never had the confidence to get up and read their poetry before. As well as keen amateur poets we’ll also be hosting some of the most well-known and talented poets in the country.

“The festival is all about creating a fun and relaxed atmosphere, a place that’s open for all. There’s only one event that charges an entry fee and that’s a very small amount. Every other event is completely free of charge, I want to make the festival as accessible as possible to everyone.

“Last year we had a lot of first time performers, it was so pleasing to see so many people get up and give it a go. The emphasis is on bringing people together and sharing our love of the written word.

“I want to build the festival year on year. We’ve had a lot of interest so far, both locally and nationally so it’s important we’re ambitious and look to the future.”