Writers from the Leeds Arts University creative writing course will be sharing their work across poetry, prose and script. Hear from the next generation of Leeds writers. Our writers are already award-winning, have work published in literary magazines and national press, such as The Guardian. A wealth of new ideas and voices.

This performance also marks the start of Leeds Arts University's End of Year Show, which runs 16th - 21st June.

We’re kicking off the summer with poetry at everyone’s favourite brunch spot in Hyde Park. Join LPF at Leeds Lit Fest for ‘Bards do Brunch’ for a chance to share your poetry over breakfast, coffee or pastry in the Snug at Hyde Park Book Club.

This is a ticketed event with a sign-up for anyone who wants to read some of their latest work in the comfort of fellow poets. Bring a notebook for the breaks, get advice from others, and share your thoughts on the poems you hear.

Brunch is not included in the ticket price.

Live in the Assembly Bar + Kitchen!

Readings by a different local published poet each month and this month we delighted to welcome JANE SHARP

Jane Sharp is a poet from Barnsley. She’s been published in The Dalesman, Dream Catcher, Voices for Change, and the online zines Fig Tree, 60 Odd Poets and The Starbeck Orion, has had work in various anthologies and broadcast on BBC Radio. She won the Nine Lives Slam in Sheffield and has headlined at several poetry events.

An evening of discussions and readings with acclaimed poets Michael Nardone (Montréal) and Steven Zultanski (Copenhagen) alongside writers from the postgraduate Kerning workshop group.

Join us at the Workshop Theatre for a special evening of conversations about contemporary poetry, cross-arts collaboration and editorial practice with two special guests: Montréal-based poet and editor Michael Nardone, and Copenhagen-based poet and essayist Steven Zultanski.

Celebrating Pride Month, we have a fabulous Poetry workshop where you can contribute your work to the Zine Library. Find out about the history of queer poetry and be inspired to create your own! 

Natalie will support a relaxed and informative workshop to learn about work from greats such as Sappho, Audre Lorde, and Oscar Wilde, and take us through writing exercises and prompts to reflect on the place of poetry in the expression of LGBTQ+ identity.
@natisapoet

Join us for a celebration of a city and its people. 

With a Pan-African outlook, this anthology includes narratives from people born in Kenya, Nigeria, Angola, and Zimbabwe, as well as those born, raised or living in Yorkshire of African diasporic descent.

Our City, Our Lives, Our Stories is the first anthology of writing about life in Leeds written entirely by writers of African descent

Written & Directed by JB | Presented by 2Chic Events

Step into the powerful world of Merlina Pearl, a bold new musical theatre production that tells the story of a young Jamaican woman who arrives in Britain with high hopes aboard the HMT Empire Windrush in 1948. But the reality she faces — of racism, rejection, and resilience — is one that shaped generations.

A Bizarre True Tale of Tabloid England.

A raunchy, true-crime folk-horror comedy of 1980s England, The Great Satanic Swindle is a story about two friends who challenged what it means to believe in something - and someone - no matter how irrational. 

Once, a mysterious stranger arrived in a small Sussex village and told a tale of witchcraft, trapped souls and a life-or-death struggle with Satan himself. A group of church-goers, millionaires and aristocrats stepped into save him, and things got very weird.

Blur the Lines featuring Jamettone will be an innovative showcase of improvised live music and inspiring performances from Leeds based poets, rappers, singers and musicians.