Winchester Poetry Festival 2025
Winchester's Poets
Winchester has a vibrant poetry community, with groups meeting up across the city to celebrate and practise their craft. At this event, we’re handing the mic to Winchester’s Poets. Join Winchester Muse and Poetry Platform as they host us for an evening showcasing their talented poets and welcoming us into their own unique space. Featuring the inaugural Kathryn Bevis Prize-winner Jenny McRobert.
Winchester Muse meets on the second Monday of the month at 7pm at Winchester School of Art. Each session offers a pre-arranged guest poet performance from some of the U.K.’s leading poets, and a warm and welcoming open mic opportunity. WM began gathering for poetry readings in 2015 under its former name ‘Loose Muse,’ founded by the late Sue Wrinch, originally to promote women’s writing, although it has always welcomed all ages, genders and levels of experience to read in the open mic. In recent years WM has developed a strong local and international online following, presenting ‘hybrid’ events live at the WSA and simultaneously on zoom.
Poetry Platform is a monthly celebration of spoken word; a linguistic open mic that welcomes writers of any background and experience. Taking place on the first Tuesday of every month at The Railway Inn, Poetry Platform aims to provide you with the stage to share your words and the place to build a community. From newcomers to Poet extraordinaires there is always a warmth waiting for you at this fabulous poetry night, so grab those notebooks, warm up those vocal chords and let's get poetical!
Jenny McRobert’s poems have appeared in many publications. In 2024 she won The Kathryn Bevis Prize (best poem entered into Winchester Poetry Prize by a Hampshire poet) and the International Welsh Poetry Competition in 2023. She was shortlisted for both The Bridport Prize and The Rialto. Her debut collection, Silver Samovar, was published by The High Window Press in 2021 and was shortlisted for the Poetry Book Awards.
Suitable for: all
Duration: 1.5 hours
Format: in person event, poetry readings
Access: relaxed performance
