Joe Carrick-Varty and harpist Olivia Jageurs perform a unique piece originally commissioned for Ledbury Poetry Festival: More Sky combines a sequence of short prose poems with Jageurs’ haunting composition. The text is excerpted from Carrick-Varty's collection of the same name and addresses themes of absent parents and growing up in the shadow of domestic abuse. The result, with the ancient beauty of the harp, is something like a modern psalm sequence: lingering, powerful, profound.
The piece is followed by a reading from Raymond Antrobus, from his ambitious new collection Signs, Music. This third collection form the prize-winning poet plots the journey into parenthood, with honest trepidation, humility, and a quiet joy. Dedicated in part to ‘all the fathers healing their hurts’, with the closing instruction, ‘keep going’, this is a moving collection from a poet hitting his stride on new ground.
BSL interpretation for both pieces will be provided by Pettra St Hilaire.
Presented by Stephanie Sy-Quia in association with Stratford East
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Joe Carrick-Varty is a British-Irish poet, writer and founding editor of bath magg. His debut collection, More Sky (Carcanet Press, 2023), was shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize.
Raymond Antrobus FRSL MBE is the author of three poetry titles: The Perseverance (Penned in the Margins), All The Names Given (Picador) and Signs, Music (Picador). Antrobus’ poems have been added to GCSE syllabi, and his poetry has won the Ted Hughes Award, the Somerset Maugham Award and the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award.
Pettra St Hilaire is a Yorkshire-born, mixed-race British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter with a passion for poetry, queer culture, and social justice. Specialising in interpreting within the BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and arts communities, they use their skills to amplify voices and bridge communication gaps in spaces where inclusivity and accessibility are paramount.
Olivia Jageurs freelances with the UK’s major orchestras including the London Philharmonic Orchestra, The Glyndebourne Sinfonia, BBC Symphony Orchestra, and others.
Age guidance: 16+ (Click here for Content Advisory Notes)
Running time: Approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes including an interval. (Act 1: 45 minutes, Interval: 20 minutes, Act 2: 25 minutes)
Access information: This performance is BSL interpreted.
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