In association with Nottingham Poetry Festival.

Nottingham Poetry Festival invites you to a wander, starting in Nottingham’s Old Market Square and ending at Victoria Park, St. Ann’s.

Write, scribble, meet new friends, and explore the world around you.

The Nottingham Poetry Festival team will be in Old Market Square from 10am with clipboards, paper, and pens available, inviting you to respond to the environment creatively while walking around the space.

We welcome everyone to a fun day for beginners and laureates alike. With poetry prompts and helpful advice from GOBS Collective, you will be given a kickstart to writing in the heart of our city for half an hour. Enjoy the morning stroll as, at 10.45am, we move through Hockley to arrive at Victoria Park, where we will spend time writing, doodling and chatting, inspired by what’s around us.

Word Walk will end in Victoria Park at 12pm, when you will be asked to hand in a page or two of your work. The Nottingham Poetry Festival team and GOBS Collective will then turn the morning’s scribbles into a zine (small publication).

Word Walk Zine will be available at the Nottingham Poetry Festival Get-Together at Antenna on Sunday 27 June, 12pm-8pm or you can opt to have a copy posted to you when you sign up.

If you want to come along to Word Walk on Saturday 29 May, 10am-12pm, book for free via Eventbrite. Places are limited!

Nottingham Poetry Festival

Nottingham Poetry Festival was launched in April 2015 by Nottingham-born poet, TV & Film Producer Henry Normal and Craig Chettle MBE, Founder and Chief Executive of the Confetti Media Group and is now an integral part of Nottingham’s cultural offer, attracting audiences from all over the country.

Festival line-ups have included Lemn Sissay MBE, Carol Ann Duffy, Luke Wright, John Cooper Clarke, John Hegley & Roger McGough together with many local poets Tony Kirk, Georgina Wilding, Panya Banjoko & Gregory Woods. The festival is grateful to supporters and funders past and present. These include Arts Council England, Nottinghamshire County and Nottingham City Councils, UNESCO City of Literature, Confetti Media Group, Nottingham Trent University, Castle Rock Brewery and Inspire. And to Nottinghamshire’s thriving literary community who all work together to champion the power of poetry.

GOBS Collective

Poetry, performances and workshops. GOBS Collective are on a mission to build community with words, and raise the voices within it through workshop programmes, mentoring opportunities and events.

GOBS was founded in Nottingham in 2020 by Bridie Squires, who is a Lead Writer for the organisation together with Ioney Smallhorne. GOBS Collective runs in partnership with Curated & Created by Nottingham Trent University, and Apples and Snakes

Nottingham Poetry Festival: Word Walk with GOBS Collective

Saturday 29 May, 10am-12pm

Market Square – Victoria Park

Nottingham Poetry Festival Get-together

Sunday 27 June, 12pm – 8pm

Antenna, Beck Street

Word Walk writers must abide by the Government’s current public health restrictions and social distancing guidelines must be adhered to – writers are asked to limit the transmission risk wherever possible by acting responsibly, avoiding contact and maintaining a 1m distance from people outside your household or bubble. There will be hand sanitiser available and all equipment is sanitised before use.

Please do not attend the Word Walk if you are experiencing any coronavirus symptoms:

• A high temperature

• A new, continuous cough

• A loss of, or change to, your sense of smell or taste

For any enquiries, please contact [email protected]