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Batley Poets

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  1. We hold poetry sessions to give an opportunity for sharing and listening to poetry from local poets, as well as putting together poetry displays and performing at various events.

    Our aim has always been to share the poetry of and give voice to poets that might otherwise have gone unnoticed.

    We've always said 'Everyone's a Batley Poet', so whether it's your first time or fifty-first time you're more than welcome to join us. We don't charge for any of our sessions.

    If you want to share your poetry, head to our website and 'Submit your poem'

Contacts

Organisation last updated

  1. 25 October 2023

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Batley Poets image

Venue

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  1. Batley Library, Market Place, Batley, WF17 5DA
    1. All key services are accessible. Wheelchair access
    2. Either, there are specially marked parking spaces for disabled people, or disabled people can park within 50 metres of an accessible entrance. Disabled parking
    3. There is a toilet which can be accessed by people with disabilities including wheelchair users. This means that it complies with the standards set out in Part M of the Building Regulations,'Access to and use of buildings. Fully accessible toilet
    DDA approved with side access door for wheelchair users, disabled toilet facilities and a lift to access other floors.

History

  2. Our story starts in 2012. It was the year of the inaugural Batley Festival where Mark Griffin decided to put on a Batley Poetry Reading. It was to fill the empty Reference Room in Batley Library for a couple of hours. The audience consisted of The Yorkshire Dialect Group, the Gujarati Writers Forum and a few local poets.

    Eventually, the group of people who gathered there on Festival Day became known as the Batley Poets and it grew to become a place for local poets to share the words and sentences that would otherwise have gone unnoticed.

    After just five poetry sessions and a poetry display in Alfred’s Way we launched this website on Saturday 1st April 2017. We wanted to give the poets of Batley and further, the opportunity to share their poetry and allow it to be heard and read long after the Batley Poets events.

    Since then, we’ve published over 150 pieces of original poetry from over 50 poets, had three times as many poetry sessions, including ones for International Women’s Day and Interfaith Week. We’ve performed at the Mayor’s Civic Ceremony, Poets in Parliament, at Huddersfield Literature Festival with the Talking Zebras, at the Batley Open Air Service, the launch of Wellsprings Together and a handful of lucky benches across Kirklees, to name just a few.

    We’ve visited four Batley High Schools to create a display of students poetry and published a book called Bards of Batley to celebrate 150 years since Batley became a borough.

    Our aim throughout the years has remained that same. We want to share, listen and appreciate the different dialects, styles and languages of this millennia old form of literature. We want to highlight the words, sentences and verses that may otherwise have gone unnoticed and be left to gather dust on a forgotten shelf in the corner of a forgotten room. We want to promote our love of poetry and the poets that might never be heard but who have something to say.

Further information

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Information not correct?

If any of this information is incorrect please email community.directory@kirklees.gov.uk with details including amendments if you have them. *Please note: you can't contact the above organisation on this e-mail address.*