University of Chichester celebrates World Poetry Day with a line-up of literary events
The University of Chichester will mark World Poetry Day on 21 March with a programme of literary and creative events showcasing the work of staff, students, alumni, and partners across the region.
As part of the celebrations, Dr Naomi Foyle, the University’s Reader in Critical Imaginative Writing, will participate in the Arundel Literary Festival. During the evening event on Saturday 21 March, Dr Foyle will read from the poetry and prose of Romantic poet and critic Samuel Taylor Coleridge, accompanied by live piano and violin performances of music by British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. The Festival poetry and flash fiction competition winners and judges will also read work as part of the programme
In addition, Prof Hugh Dunkerley, Professor of Literature and the Environment, has published two new translations of contemporary Greek poetry in the latest issue of Modern Poetry in Translation.
Another highlight comes from Dr Foyle, whose collaborative filmpoem Ways of Seeing Trees: in memory John Berger—created with Wendy Pye and Razia Aziz with support from the University of Chichester and Arts Council England—has recently been published on the John Berger Home website. Dr Foyle also plans to share the film this year at John Berger centenary events, including The Shape of a Pocket, for John Berger, an annual London gathering curated by Jan Woolf, and a collective tribute to the influential British writer, poet and art critic here at the university. Dates will be confirmed shortly.
The University will also welcome poet and alumna Dr Zoe Mitchell back to campus for a special event. On Wednesday 25 March, 4–5pm, Mitchell will give a poetry reading in Cloisters, sharing work from her second collection, Untold Fortunes (Animalheart Press, 2025).
Zoe Mitchell is an alumna of the University of Chichester and has an MA and a PhD in Creative Writing. Her first collection, Hag, includes poems written while studying for the MA. Her latest collection, Untold Fortunes, was developed as part of her PhD. She has been published in a range of magazines including The Rialto and The London Magazine, and recently appeared on the Spoken Label poetry podcast.
The reading will be followed by a Q&A with Dr Naomi Foyle, in which Mitchell will discuss her journey from PhD student at the University of Chichester to becoming the author of two prize-winning collections.
Speaking ahead of World Poetry Day, Dr Foyle said: “We have a vibrant community of poets here at the University of Chichester, always making bright connections with local, national and international networks. We are looking forward to celebrating recent publications and World Poetry Day with a variety of fascinating events.”
