New poster launched 5th May 2023
Here’s our recent press release. You may have seen an article in our local Pioneer magazine too.
In October 2021, Andrew Clayton had an idea to run a festival in Walsall, one that would celebrate local writing talent, and so the Walsall Festival of Words was born. With the help of Phil Buckley of the Karma Times and Alison Reed of Walsall Writers’ Circle, the Festival was organised and took place on two days in June in 2022. The events included workshops in the New Art Gallery, The Table and Shimla Peppers, a train of poets walking through the town, interviews with notable local writers and it had a climatic finish on the Arboretum bandstand when The Martian Social Club took to the stage with their very own brand of psychedelic prog-funk!
Building on this success, and conscious of how much walking there was between venues, the second Festival of Words is being held in the Walsall Arboretum. Emma Purshouse (former Poet Laureate of the City of Wolverhampton) and Dave Pitt (playwright and performance poet) who together comprise two-thirds of the Poets, Prattlers and Pandemonialists, will be hosting six hours of spoken and sung performances on the bandstand. It you’re interested in sharing your writing or performing a song or two then do contact Emma emmaasif@hotmail.com for more details. There will also be a chance to see Ian Henery, Walsall’s very own Poet Laureate, as he shares some of his work with the audience. The afternoon will culminate with the appearance of local group Not Quite Dead Yet who are a punk ukulele band, and as both Emma and Dave will be performing as well, you can be assured of hearing some of the best writing and performing talent to be found in the West Midlands.
And if that isn’t enough, Walsall Writers’ Circle will cordially welcome visitors into the Seedhouse (accessed from the Visitor Centre cafe) where they hope you will Catch the Words Bug with their visitor friendly events. Why not make yourself a printers hat out of newspaper, or pick up one of their worksheets to fill in as you wander round the arboretum? Drop in to share your thoughts about the arboretum, or write a short poem, guided by one of the Circle’s members. There will be a host of activities suitable for all ages and abilities (children will need to be accompanied by an adult.) As part of the Festival, one of the Circle’s members, Rebecca Tonks, children’s author and illustrator, will be running school workshops in the New Art Gallery on Friday 9th June. They proved so popular last year that spaces have already been snapped up!
So much going on, and all for free! Come along and Catch the Words Bug in Walsall Arboretum Seedhouse on Saturday 10th June 12noon till 5pm or visit the bandstand from 11am-5pm for a lively day of words and music.
13th March 2022