Words & Wordsmiths

Join us at Ironbridge for a fun fortnight of brilliant, eccentric and moving poetry and literature from the West Midlands.

Contemporary comic voices will delight with their sharply-observed takes on modern life, we will walk back to olden times in the Black Country, and head off for the real and magical world of the Punjab.

Enjoy a cup of tea on the lawns of Dale End Park while listening to traditional English poetry or be thrilled by the competitive edge of the Slam stand-up competition. Laugh your head off at the antics of comic poets or be deeply moved by the testaments of Punjabi Women. Walk the lanes of the Gorge and learn something of its spirit, the river Severn and its history.

From Haiku to historic novels, from Poetry Slam to Young People’s Writing workshops there is something for everyone here so dip your toe in the stream and embrace the diversity and wit of modern life in this place of world heritage. All it takes is a little imagination.