insideKENT Magazine Issue 30 - September 2014 | Page 20

ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT

CANTERBURY’S WISE WORDS FESTIVAL SECURES
SUPPORT FROM ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND
The Kentish award-winning festival, Wise Words, has secured £15,000 in support from
the Arts Council England, ensuring that it is now well on its way to raising the funds
needed to hit the cobbled streets once again this September.
This year’s festival promises to be
bigger and better than ever,
expanding to take place across nine
days and playing host to celebrated
artists such as the current UK Poet
Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy; recent
Folio Prize nominee and festival
patron, Jane Gardam; and poet,
battle rapper and YouTube
phenomenon, Mark Grist.
Duffy’s culturally aware and
accessible poetry has made her a
favourite of both the school
curriculum and critics. Wise Words
Festival is therefore delighted that
she will be offering both an event
for children and An Evening with
Carol Ann Duffy, during which she
will perform and talk about poetry
as a catalyst for social change.
Musician and creative catalyst,
Jamie Catto, will once again return
to Wise Words with his Insanely
Gifted Workshop, which was
launched at Glastonbury this year.
Jamie's creative venture around the
globe allowed him to collect wisdom

from the likes of Bob Geldof,
Stephen Fry and Susan Sarandon,
from whom he has gleaned
inspiration for his own wise words.

You can help the festival be the best it has ever been
Whilst the festival is fortunate to receive support from Arts Council England,
Wise Words is still some way off of the amount needed to make this year’s
event the best yet. This is where you come in: you can play a part in making
Canterbury's most innovative festival come to life by donating to the Wise
Words Kickstarter campaign launched this summer.

The critically acclaimed author and
poet, John Siddique, will not only
perform, but will invite you to join
him for his morning coffee and
journal writing sessions. Budding
writers will have the chance to write
alongside him and learn from his
thinking, process and way of being.

In case you haven't come across Kickstarter before, the Wise Words
campaign involves an online donation scheme with a target of £1,500 to
start the fundraising ball rolling. What's more, with Kickstarter, it’s an allor-nothing situation; if the target isn’t reached, the festival doesn't receive
anything. There is a tiered system of donating, from £5-£500, each of which
brings its own very special ‘thank you’ from the Wise Words team.

This year, the event is also offering
an expanded programme of
workshops that will include one
facilitated by writer and journalist,
Neil Baker. Neil will explore how
different writing constraints can help
to generate new ideas and provide
a new perspective on life.

For example, if you can part with £10, a beautifully designed Wise Words
poetry postcard will be dropped through your letterbox. If you decide to
give £100, in return, you might just get a cosy picnic for two, while taking
a boat trip along Canterbury's scenic River Stour If you can dig even deeper
.
into your pockets and spare £500, as a thank you, you will be in with the
chance of having your own personal poem commissioned by Canterbury's
poet-in-residence, John Siddique.

And those are just a few of the
names and events you can look
forward to!

To view more of the rewards and to donate, visit www.kickstarter.com.
Tickets for the Wise Words festival are on sale now.
www.wisewordsfestival.co.uk

20