Happy National Poetry Day!

Did you know that the 5th of October is National Poetry Day? Let’s take a look back at some of the highlights from the poetry programme at this year’s festival.

Simon Armitage

With a career spanning over three decades and over twenty published poetry collections, we were honoured to be joined by literary royalty at the Listening Post. Shortly after the release of his latest collection, Never Good with Horses, Armitage read from the collection and discussed his astonishing career and oeuvre with a crowd that packed the tent to the rafters.

Luke Wright

Luke Wright

Luke Wright has a long and storied history with Latitude, having curated our Poetry Arena between 2006 and 2015. Described as a “rock star poet” by Eastern Daily Press, Wright is a master of spoken word, bringing his new collection Silver Jubilee to life with his masterful live delivery.

Listening Post

Isaac Nartey

Nartey’s poetry spectacle Tongues of Fire proved to be a hit on our literary and arts programme. The event, curated by the BAFTA-winning spoken word artist, saw some of the sharpest new voices in the poetry world take to the stage for a rabble-rousing, iconoclastic hour of spoken word.

The Listening Post

John Osborne

Latitude prides itself as a bastion of local talent, showcasing the skills of numerous artists from East Anglia. Norwich: A Love Story is John Osborne’s poignant love letter to his hometown and the day-to-day lives of its residents, as well as a celebration of the counties surrounding Latitude.

Our 2023 poetry programme was truly exceptional, and our 2024 line-up is sure to be bigger and better than ever before. Keep an eye out for further announcements – and grab your Latitude 2024 tickets now!