Margate Festival Poet-in-Residence Scheme

Margate Festival is a celebration of Margate, and this year sees the first ever Margate Festival Poet-in-Residence scheme. For each of the seventeen days of the festival, a poet will set up for the day as Poet-in-Residence in a location in Margate, armed with a vintage typewriter.

The scheme has been organised by Connor Sansby, Poetry Editor for Thanet Writers and Editor-in-Chief of poetry publisher Whisky & Beards.

“I think poetry and poets should come to people, instead of waiting to be discovered. Getting to spend time in these amazing places, writing poetry, is an incredible opportunity for each and every poet, and I’m grateful for the enthusiasm that both the poets and businesses have shown in supporting this. I’m proud to have put it together and cannot wait for Margate Festival to begin!”

Connor Sansby, Thanet Writers Poetry Editor

The residencies are part of Margate Festival, in association with Whisky & Beards, Thanet Writers, Margate Bookie, Dreamland, Turner Contemporary, and Kent County Council.

Seventeen Poets, Seventeen Days, One Typewriter

Every day of Margate Festival will see a different Poet-in-Residence take up their residency, with locations being spread throughout Margate and culminating in a series of three days at the Margate Bookie literary festival.

The poets will report on and document their environments—and their reactions to them—as they are inspired by the sights and sounds of various locations that have taken part in Margate’s evolution. Their thoughts and musings will be captured using a Blue Bird 1950s typewriter which will travel throughout Margate to each of the residencies.

The following are the poets and venues taking part in the Margate Festival Poet-in-Residence scheme.

14th September

Derek Sellen at Urchin Wines

15th September

Seb Reilly at Cliffs

16th September

Mary Anne Smith at The Lifeboat

17th September

Joshua Cialis at The BottleShop

18th September

Barry Fentiman-Hall at Cinque Ports

19th September

Penny Tigerlily Lane at Elsewhere

20th September

Louise O’Connell at Clayspace

21st September

Maggie Harris at Sands Hotel

22nd September

Kirsty Louise Farley at Gordon House

23rd September

Setareh Ebrahimi at Roundabout Theatre

24th September

Gary Studley at Dreamland

25th September

Simon Medhurst at Shell Grotto

26th September

Sam Fentiman-Hall at Turner Contemporary

27th September

David Dykes at The Old Post Office

28th September

Angela Dye at Margate Bookie

29th September

Alex Vellis at Margate Bookie

30th September

Matthew Munson at Margate Bookie