📚✨ Join Us for a Special 100Book Club: Celebrating World Poetry Day 2026! ✨📚

📅 Date: Monday 23rd March 2026

📍 Venue: Chapters Café, Union Square, Keele University

⏰ Time: 6.00–7.30pm

Step into an evening of creativity, connection, and poetic brilliance as the 100Book Club marks World Poetry Day 2026 with a celebration of voices, stories, and the power of language. Whether you’re a seasoned poetry lover or simply curious, this is an event designed to inspire and uplift.

🌍 Why World Poetry Day?

Established by UNESCO in 1999, World Poetry Day champions the reading, writing, and teaching of poetry across the globe. It celebrates linguistic diversity, encourages the preservation of oral traditions, and brings people together through the shared experience of verse.

Every year, poets and enthusiasts worldwide honour the day with performances, workshops, and creative gatherings—and this year, Keele joins the celebration in style.

🎤 Featuring Live Performances From Two Outstanding Local Poets;

⭐ Scarlett Ward – Staffordshire Poet Laureate & Keele Alumna

We are thrilled to welcome back Scarlett Ward, Staffordshire’s current Poet Laureate and a proud Keele graduate.

Scarlett is the founder of Fawn Press and the author of the acclaimed debut collection Ache (Verve Poetry Press, 2018). Her work has been recognised nationally, including a shortlist for the Rebecca Swift Foundation’s Women’s Poetry Prize (2022).

Her recent poetry has appeared with Nine Arches Press, Broken Sleep, and 14Poems, and she has delivered workshops for the BBC, Birmingham University, and Newman University.

Expect an evening of lyrical depth, emotional honesty, and captivating performance.

 

⭐ Nick Degg – Stoke-on-Trent Poet Laureate 2024

Joining Scarlett is the dynamic and much-loved local poet Nick Degg, born and bred in Porthill and named the city’s Poet Laureate in 2024.

Nick’s work is infused with humour, heart, and a deep affection for Stoke-on-Trent. His poem “I Come From a Town”—performed at the city’s Centenary Launch at Gladstone Pottery Museum—captures the spirit of the region with warmth and wit.

A multi-award-winning Poetry Slam finalist (and possibly the only poet with a whistled poem in his repertoire), Nick brings an unforgettable energy to the stage.

☕ A Warm, Welcoming Evening at Chapters Café

Chapters Café provides the perfect backdrop for this celebration—cosy, relaxed, and buzzing with creative energy. Grab a drink, settle in, and enjoy an evening of poetry that spans the heartfelt, the humorous, and the thought-provoking. Also take the chance to view the current exhibition on display there; ‘A New Chapter’ by Paige Sutton, in its final week.

✨ Everyone Is Welcome

You don’t need to be a poetry expert or a regular Book Club attendee. Just bring your curiosity, your love of stories, and maybe a friend or two.

This is a chance to discover new voices, meet fellow readers, and celebrate the beauty of language together.

 

📖 Save the Date & Join the Celebration

Monday 23rd March 2026

6.00–7.30pm

Chapters Café, Union Square, Keele University

Let poetry move you, surprise you, and connect you.

We can’t wait to see you there.

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