The BBC has announced the full line up for Contains Strong Language, a brand new national poetry and spoken word festival, taking place in Hull, UK City of Culture, from National Poetry Day, Thursday 28 September – Sunday 1 October.
Contains Strong Language celebrates the power of poetry in all its forms; fusing old and new, page and performance, digital, music, documentary and drama.
It is the UK’s biggest poetry festival devoted to new work and is committed to representing the diversity of poetry performance in the UK, featuring 17 new commissions spanning page poetry, spoken word and grime. There will be something for everyone (nearly 70 events) with an exuberant mix of premieres, gala readings, live radio broadcasts, TV and film screenings, music gigs and open mic nights, first edition readings, outreach activity and workshops, discussion sessions, and cultural tours, amongst other events taking place during the four days.
In addition to performances from previously announced Kate Tempest, Dr John Cooper Clarke, The Unthanks, and the BBC Philharmonic, some of the UK’s most-renowned actors, including Oscar-winning Jeremy Irons and northern actress Julie Hesmondhalgh, will perform Hull’s famous poems in a star-studded gala reading.
Ben Watt and Tracey Thorn will return to their Hull roots for an event “In Conversation with Simon Armitage”, discussing their songs and books, and their years in the city where they formed best-selling band Everything But The Girl.
Surrounding the festival is an extensive collection of TV and radio commissions, including new documentaries, dramas and live performances on BBC Two and BBC Four. All the network radio stations are broadcasting from the festival and hosting events, including BBC Radio 1Xtra who bring their Words First poets to Hull to celebrate the musical lyricism at the heart of the station’s identity.
Further details here
Abegail Morley 