A few weeks ago, I managed to find a gap in Matt Panesh’s busy schedule to catch a quick chat with him about his plans for Morecambe poetry festival 2026 – taking place from 18-20 September - and to reflect on what has gone before. He promised this year’s poetry festival will be “bigger, better, brighter, faster, stronger”. Matt went on: “The journey so far has been marvellous; in fact, it’s been fabulous! I didn't realise when we started that it would capture the public’s imagination in the that way that it has.

“I used to programme the Edinburgh Fringe, so poetry for me has always had that ‘rock ’n roll’ edge of live performance. We have two stages, we start in the morning and we go on until 2am the next morning. There’s an exciting vibrancy about it which has built and built. It occurred to me that there was a gap in the market, which was a performers’ festival: a performance poetry festival. Lots of the Edinburgh folk came to the first event in Morecambe and that's what has helped give it its feel.

“Last year, we probably got as much page poetry as we have ever seen. We had some Bloodaxe poets in. Instead of taking away from the performance element, it added to it, strengthened it and gave us some literary strong points, offering the accessibility of performance poetry.

“This year we are bringing in music in a way we haven't done before. Kate Fox is bringing her Sycamore Gap piece, which has two musicians performing with her. Attila the Stockbroker is bringing his punk band and doing a poetry set and a punk set. Patience Agbabi has written a new verse novel about Northern Soul and has partnered up for the event with Nick Helm who is currently famous more for his music and comedy but also has his first collection of poems coming out. They make a wonderful pair.

“We’ve also brought back people like the legendary, evergreen Dr John Cooper Clarke and Henry Normal, who is the only poet, apart from myself, who has performed at all five festivals. We’ve got Geordie Takeover who were at the first festival. We've got the Midlands Takeover and Brian Bilston is coming back, who is now selling out proper tours of his own (we had him on his first tour at our first festival.) Also, there will be Salena Godden, who is appearing for the first time, and so many more.”

Matt said that the 2026 has been one of the hardest to schedule, “with so many good people I'd like to perform requesting a slot. Poets are wanting to be part of it because they are seeing lights going off across the board, with poets saying what a fabulous time they have had. It's been a remarkable journey so far: our fifth one here. It just feels great.”

Morecambe is also extending its work with young people. “We had a great experience last year doing the school workshops for the first time with Louise Fazackerley and we had the pedal-powered poetry and performances. It all culminated for me on the Monday morning at Castle View school in Lancaster, seeing Michael Rosen doing a performance which was broadcast to four or five other schools.

“We will be back at Morecambe library this year for the Kids’ Festival. It is going to be a proper little poetry festival: a poetry party … I want to make it as bright and bubbly and exciting and wonderful as we can.”

Matt said he hoped the event might take away any “negative” aspect of poetry for youngsters. “This is what was missing when I was growing up. I have always written poetry and as a kid you go through spates of it. When I was a moody, angst-ridden teenager poetry came out of me like water from a tap.

“But [back then] I always hated the idea of being a poet and calling it poetry, rather [than] emotions on paper. For many there is often a stigma attached to poetry. It's our duty to take that stigma away for the next generation coming through and to teach the kids to get up and speak their minds. There’s a freedom that comes with that. What poetry is for me is the ultimate encapsulation of free speech. You can say, ‘this is what I think about that’, in as few words as you possibly can."

 

There’s still time to submit one original poem for inclusion in this year’s Morecambe Poetry Festival anthology. It’s the centenary of Eric Morecambe’s birth, so this year’s ‘loose’ theme is Entertainers and Anniversaries. Submissions close on 1 May. More details