We are very excited to welcome Poet Laureate Simon Armitage for our year on Land – how more perfect could an author be for this theme? The evening will celebrate two of his recent illustrated collections, Blossomise and Dwell, as well as his latest collection, New Cemetery.
Blossomise celebrates spring through haikus inspired by the Japanese blossom festival, and longer lyrical pieces, while Dwell could be seen as a plea for humans to slow down and reflect. New Cemetery starts with the conversion of a local beauty spot into a municipal graveyard, as Simon takes a series of walks round his West Yorkshire home, drawing the reader into a parallel neighbourhood of remembrance and celebration.
Simon will be joined for a conversation by poet, Kim Moore, the author of two prize-winning collections of poetry.
Simon Armitage is Poet Laureate of the UK and Professor of Poetry at the University of Leeds. His collections have received numerous prizes and awards and he writes extensively for television, radio and theatre, and is the author of novels and non-fiction best-sellers.
‘As a poet, he manages to have it both ways – he is the man in the street (or man on the moor) and the possessor of sometimes rarefied language he makes his own'
Kate Kellaway, Observer
Image Credit: Photograph of Simon Armitage taken at, and kindly provided by, the Lost Gardens of Heligan (referenced in Dwell)
