Allie Esiri, Natascha McElhone, Ronni Ancona, Mark Quartley and Diana Quick

Bestselling poetry anthologist Allie Esiri returns to the festival with a highly entertaining event to celebrate her latest anthology, A Poet for Every Day of the Year. Esiri will be joined on stage by friends including Ronni Ancona, Natascha McElhone and Mark Quartley on a journey through the calendar year highlighting key moments and dates with poetry from some of the world’s greatest verse writers, read by these leading performers.

The book is bursting at the seams with familiar favourites and exciting new discoveries. Shakespeare, William Wordsworth, Christina Rossetti and Emily Bronte sit alongside Roger McGough, Wendy Cope, Imtiaz Dharker, Leonard Cohen, Sylvia Plath and Ocean Vuong. There’ll also be insightful introductions and discussion.  A superb introduction to the wonders of poetry for young people.

Described as a ‘poetry powerhouse’, Allie Esiri curates live poetry events and bestselling poetry anthologies that include A Poem for Every Day of the Year, A Poem for Every Night of the Year and Shakespeare for Every Day of the Year. Many well-known actors have joined her at the National Theatre and at major festivals including the Oxford Literary Festival to read poetry from the anthologies.

McElhone established herself as a leading actress when she left drama school to play the lead in her first film, Merchant Ivory’s Surviving Picasso, opposite Anthony Hopkins. She has also starred in The Truman Show, The Devil’s Own with Brad Pitt and Harrison Ford, and Ronin with Robert De Niro. On television, she is probably best known for her role of Karen in seven series of the cult comedy drama Californication .

Ancona won the British Comedy Award for Best Actress and the prestigious Variety Club Award for her work on The Big Impression with Alistair McGowan. She also received a BAFTA for her performance in The Sketch Show. Her film credits include Surviving Christmas; Penelope; A Cock and Bull Story; Stella Street: The Movie;  Stuffed; The Calcium Kid and The Debt Collector; The Trip to Italy; The Devil went down to Islington; and The Marriage of Reason & Squalor.She has appeared on many radio and television shows over the last few years including as a panellist on QI and as a host on Have I Got News for You.

Quartley is currently playing Henry VI at Stratford. His RSC appearances also include The Tempest, Maydays, Measure for Measure, and Written on the Heart. His television credits include the recent The Ipcress File.

Quick is best known for the role of Lady Julia Flyte in the television production of Brideshead Revisited.

For all ages (12+) and families