An Evening with Simon Armitage

Simon Armitage, the English poet laureate, will be at Rhosygilwen on 22 November.

Once a probation officer, he gave up his full-time job to become a poet. Since then he has campaigned vigorously for a variety of social causes which has earned him the nickname of the ‘radical poet’. His northern roots and ear for streetwise language gave his work a young, urban appeal and, combined with a comedian’s sense of timing, have made Armitage a genuinely popular poet whose work features regularly on the National Curriculum.

His most celebrated poems often take the form of monologue, allowing him to don a variety of guises to probe serious issues of identity, class and masculinity.

As a lover of poetry, Simon found school in Huddersfield a brutal environment. His comprehensive was huge and impersonal, and he felt pressured by fellow students not to work. “If you were caught doing any homework or revision, the students would gather around you and sing Hey Jude because you were a Judas.”

Simon Armitage will read from his poetry, answer questions and sign books. There will be a short piano recital beforehand by Martin Morris of Phillip Glass and Max Richter compositions. Pre-performance suppers can be booked.

Menter Rhosygilwen