In the last twenty years, we’ve enjoyed incredible new talent, and seen established artists taking their poetry into new genres. Here, we will celebrate our most important poets.
OUR SHORTLIST:
Poetry has been at the heart of Latitude since our very first edition.
Hollie McNish
When Hollie McNish performed at Latitude in 2014, her performance of Megatron served as our core memory of the ninth edition. Hollie’s poetry captures life as it’s lived: honest, messy, and unapologetically human. Since she first joined us, she’s gone on to win the Ted Hughes Award and become a Sunday Times bestseller, cementing her as one of the UK’s most beloved contemporary voices. With works like Slug and Nobody Told Me, she continues to show that poetry belongs everywhere… in conversations, in clubs, and in moments that make us stop, laugh, and listen.
Carol Ann Duffy
A defining voice of modern British poetry, Carol Ann Duffy’s work speaks to the heart as much as it does to history. Appearing at Latitude in 2008, her readings felt both intimate and universal – the mark of a poet whose words belong to everyone. Performing with us before she became the UK’s first female Poet Laureate, Duffy’s appearance remains a proud moment in Latitude’s story. Since then, Duffy has transformed the landscape of contemporary poetry, inviting us to see love, power, and language in new light through collections like The World’s Wife and Rapture.
George the Poet
George the Poet is a storyteller of the here and now – merging spoken word, hip-hop, and social reflection into something entirely his own. Through Have You Heard George’s Podcast?, he’s brought poetry into living rooms, headphones, and classrooms, blending rhythm and reason to reimagine how we experience language. His words are as much about hope as they are about honesty – a reminder that poetry evolves just as the world does.
Inua Ellams
When Inua Ellams first stepped onto a Latitude stage in 2006, he was a young poet with a single collection and an unmistakable voice. His work has always danced between the mythic and the everyday – poems about migration, masculinity, and belonging that speak directly to the human heart. From his first poetry collection Thirteen Fairy Negro Tales to international theatre hit, Barber Shop Chronicles, Inua’s work has travelled far beyond the page and stage.
Brian Bilston
Brian Bilston – described as the “Banksy of poetry” – has a rare gift: making people fall in love with poetry without even realising it. His delightfully observant and heartfelt poems have a knack of escaping various humdrum feeds and illuminating their way into people’s lives (including with us this summer), proving that humour and humanity belong together. With bestselling collections including Alexa, What Is There to Know About Love? and Days Like These, and his 2025 album with The Catenary Wires, Bilston continues to remind us that poetry doesn’t live in ivory towers – it lives among us.
Luke Wright
From the very first edition of Latitude, Luke Wright has been the heart of our poetry programme. His work is electric – funny, fierce, and deeply human. Luke has performed at every single Latitude, becoming a living thread that connects each chapter of our festival’s story. Luke’s presence feels like part of the landscape now, a voice that has grown alongside the festival itself.
A poet of the people and for the moment, Luke Wright’s writing dances between satire and sincerity, politics and poignancy, and you can’t help but to lean in when he performs. Luke’s performances remind us why poetry still matters; to challenge, to comfort, and to connect us.
Twenty years on, poetry’s tendrils show no signs of letting up at Latitude. Now, we’re inviting you to help us celebrate the voices that have shaped a generation of tender reflections and ignited a spark of change, wonder, and imagination.
Cast your vote for the poet who, in your eyes, has defined the last 20 years. We will endeavour to reveal the winner on Wednesday 10th December.
We look forward to receiving your vote and hearing your conversation on Most Important Poet over the last 20 years.
With love,
The Latitude Festival Team