Following the success of the inaugural Much Wenlock Poetry Festival in 2010 organisers have gone all out to make this year’s event bigger and better – and have succeeded.

The event will take place on the streets and in the stores of Much Wenlock from April 29 to May 1.

Anna Dreda, owner of Wenlock Books and founder of the festival, said: “We have a great festival in store, including poetry readings, performance poetry, poetry choir, poetry take-away, knitted poetry, poetry in art, poetry workshops,) poetry for kids, street poetry and even a poetry café!

“We are confident that we have lived up to our aim of providing the very best of contemporary poetry in exciting and varied ways.

“Our streets will be buzzing and humming all weekend. We’ll nod to the Royal Wedding with all of our High Street shops displaying their favourite love poems, and there may well be a sense of love in the air in this spring-time festival, but more than anything, there will be love of poetry in all its forms and guises.”

The 2011 festival will include The Ian McMillan Orchestra, Spoz and Dreadlockalien, Andrew Motion, John Hegley, Jo Shapcott, Carol Ann Duffy, Jackie Kay, Mario Petrucci, Paul Evans, Simon Armitage and many, many more.

Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy is the festival’s founding patron and national Poet of Wales Gillian Clarke and former Poet Laureate Andrew Motion are also patrons of the event.

For more information contact Liz Roberts, chair of the Wenlock Poetry Festival board on (01588) 660558, 0777 444 8932 or email lizroberts@live.com. You can also follow the festival on twitter @WenlockPoetry.