Unique celebration of Chichester’s poets

A cast of poets, authors and musicians will gather, overlooking the Roman ruins, to share words and music and raise a glass of prosecco to toast the city’s heritage of creativity and imagination. Doors open at 7pm when audience members will be able to tour the exhibition before the show.

Heading the bill is Bloodaxe poet, playwright and creative writing tutor Stephanie Norgate, poet, novelist and playwright Naomi Foyle, eco-aware poet and lecturer Hugh Dunkerley, poet and guitarist with the band Little Machine Chris Hardy, Jerwood/Arvon Award winner James Simpson, alongside South Downs Poetry Festival director Barry Smith and classical guitarist Linda Kelsall-Barnett. There will also be an open mic for poets to share their own poems and a complimentary glass of wine to toast the flights of imagination.

Barry Smith said: “The Novium’s exhibition highlights the many brilliant ways all forms of art and culture have flourished in our city, from the founding of the Festival Theatre and Pallant House Gallery to more recent developments like Oxmarket Contemporary and the Novium itself. Our special focus will be on the many authors linked to the city, the university and the district. For a relatively small place, it’s amazing how many distinguished writers have flourished here – so it is absolutely perfect that the city’s very own national and international best-selling novelist and playwright, Kate Mosse, will introduce our guests.

"The event marks the rich history of Chichester poetry with its notable forebears of Romanticism, William Collins and novelist and poet Charlotte Smith, who attended school in the city and lived at Bignor, and the more recent TV writer and poet Ted Walker and critic, editor and poet Robert Gittings.”

Barry added: “I’m absolutely delighted to be able to present this inspirational focus on the poetry of today with my fellow South Downs poets. Stephanie Norgate was, until recently, the MA in creative writing course leader at Chichester University. She has published three highly praised collections, the latest being The Conversation, as well writing drama for BBC R4. Naomi Foyle has published several admired collections of poetry and is assistant editor at Waterloo Press. Her cutting edge, eco-aware drama, Astra, was recently presented at both Brighton and Chichester arts festivals. Hugh Dunkerley currently leads the University creative writing programme while James Simpson heads Unicorn Writers and Acteon Press as well publishing his own poems with the artwork of Carolyn Trant.”

The Art of Chichester – the City’s Poets, The Novium, Tower Street, Chichester, PO19 1QH, 7.30pm (doors 7pm), Wednesday, November 9. Tickets £7.50 (includes a glass of wine) from The Novium, 01243 816525, www.thenovium.org/boxoffice https://chichesterboxoffice.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/873630360