How to BOOK – L to M Libraries Tour 2025

Poet Laureate Simon Armitage embarks on the next leg of his ten-year tour of UK libraries

Bydd y Bardd Llawryfog, Simon Armitage, yn cychwyn ar gymal newydd o’i daith deng mlynedd o gwmpas llyfrgelloedd y DU.

‘I want to celebrate the physical space of libraries and take my work back into places that have given me so much.’

Each spring this decade, Simon Armitage will give readings across the UK, from the flagship libraries of the big cities to smaller libraries serving rural and remote communities. Using the alphabet as a compass, his journey will celebrate the library as one of the great and necessary institutions.

‘Rydw i eisiau dathlu mannau ffisegol llyfrgelloedd a mynd â’m gwaith yn ôl i’r lleoedd sydd wedi cynnig cymaint i mi.’

Bob gwanwyn yn ystod y degawd nesaf, bydd Simon Armitage yn cynnal darlleniadau ar hyd a lled y DU, o brif lyfrgelloedd y dinasoedd mawr i lyfrgelloedd llai sy’n gwasanaethu cymunedau gwledig ac anghysbell. Drwy ddefnyddio’r wyddor fel cwmpawd, bydd ei daith yn dathlu’r llyfrgell fel sefydliadau gwych ac angenrheidiol.

Join Simon in the next stage of his 10-year adventure for a series of free poetry readings live in libraries.

Ymunwch â Simon yng ngham nesaf ei antur 10 mlynedd ar gyfer cyfres o ddarlleniadau barddoniaeth byw yn rhad ac am ddim mewn llyfrgelloedd.

‘My experience of reading and writing began in the village library where I grew up, then in the nearby town library, then in libraries at various places of study and teaching. For many people they are an invaluable aspect of everyday life, giving access not just to books but to services, learning, conversation and creative thinking. I want to pay my respects to these unique institutions. By planning readings up to a decade in advance I’m being optimistic about the future of our libraries, and challenging those authorities who would consider closing them down.’

Dywed Armitage: ‘Dechreuodd fy mhrofiad o ddarllen ac ysgrifennu yn llyfrgell y pentref lle cefais fy magu, yna llyfrgell mewn tref gerllaw ac yna llyfrgelloedd mannau astudio ac addysg amrywiol. I lawer o bobl, maen nhw’n agwedd amhrisiadwy o fywyd beunyddiol, yn rhoi mynediad at nid yn unig llyfrau, ond hefyd gwasanaethau, dysg, sgwrs a meddwl creadigol. Rydw i eisiau dangos parch tuag at y sefydliadau unigryw hyn. Drwy gynllunio darlleniadau hyd at ddegawd ymlaen llaw, rydw i’n obeithiol ynglŷn â dyfodol ein llyfrgelloedd, ac rydw i’n herio’r awdurdodau hynny sydd o bosib yn ystyried eu cau.’

L to M Libraries Tour : March 3 – 11

Taith Llyfrgelloedd L i M : Marwth 3 – 11

Free but booking is essential*
Live in-library events only

Rhad ac am ddim, ond rhaid archebu lle*
Digwyddiadau byw yn y llyfrgell yn unig

* Laureate’s Library Tour events celebrate libraries and their relationship with the local community. Often the libraries are small and the occasion may involve specific local groups doing projects around the visit. Libraries welcome your understanding if tickets are not widely available in the circumstances. For other opportunities to hear Simon Armitage, please see here.

* Mae digwyddiadau ‘Laureate’s Library Tour’ yn dathlu llyfrgelloedd a’u perthynas gyda’r gymuned leol. Yn aml iawn, mae’r llyfrgelloedd hyn yn fychan ac mae grwpiau lleol yn cynnal prosiectau yn sgil yr ymweliad. Mae’r llyfrgelloedd yn diolch i chi am ddeall bod tocynnau’n brin dan yr amgylchiadau. I gael gwybod am ragor o gyfleoedd i glywed Simon Armitage, edrychwch yma.

Mon, March 3

13.30 – 14.30 — Library@theGrange, 2a Bathurst Ave, Blackpool FY3 7RW

Blackpool’s smallest library, Library@theGrange, shows its big heart by launching this year Laureate’s Library Tour. Simon Armitage is joined by spoken word artist and punk poet Toria Garbutt, who has been a regular tour support for Dr John Cooper Clarke, most recently on his ‘Luckiest Guy Alive’ tour across the UK and Europe. Toria’s debut album with Nymphs and Thugs and poetry collections with Wrecking Ball Press have been widely acclaimed. Passionate about using poetry for self-expression and connection, Toria also delivers workshops to a variety of community groups, schools and prisons. Hosted by Blackpool Libraries.

Ticket guidance: Library@theGrange is small with a very limited number of seats so the free tickets will be offered to the community of Grange Park by staff who work with a variety of local organisations and communty groups. Thank you for understanding that seats will not be widely available for the general public in the circumstances.
Age 11+ (poetry can contain strong language)

Tues, March 4

14.00 – 15.00 – Letchworth Library, Broadway, Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire SG6 3PF

Simon Armitage visits Letchworth Library in the UK’s first Garden City as part of Hertfordshire Libraries’ Centenary, a year-long celebration of reading and creativity across the county. Letchworth was once home to the historic Temple Press and local students will be writing poems and taking part in printmaking workshops for the centenary celebrations funded by Arts Council England.

Armitage adds his mark to the celebrations by reading with Cia Mangat, previously a Top 15 winner of Foyle Young Poets, Barbican Young Poet and now a Poetry Business New Poet 2025. She also established & edited Zindabad Zine online for people in diasporas worldwide. This occasion will display a letterpress print of Simon’s poem, Profusion, printed by local artist, Kim Raymont, alongside poems submitted by Year 10 students from local Fearnhill School. Hosted by Hertfordshire Libraries.

Booking is essential: free tickets available in person at Letchworth Library from Friday, January 24 at 10.00am. Please note tickets will be limited to 2 tickets per booking. Fully booked now.
Age 11+ (poetry can contain strong language)

Wed, March 5 – Dydd Mercher, Mawrth 5

17.30-19.30 — Morriston Hospital Library / Llyfrgell Ysbyty Treforys, Swansea / Abertawe SA6 6NL

Simon Armitage visits Morriston Hospital Library which library staff describe as a ‘space within which the care of all our people can be imagined’. To celebrate NHS libraries with hospital staff, Simon Armitage reads with award-winning poet, novelist and playwright Menna Elfyn, one of the foremost Welsh-language writers. Menna’s poetry features in some of the hospital’s art installations including a bi-lingual stained glass memorial dedicated to organ donors. She is Professor Emerita, University of Wales, Trinity Saint David. The poetry readings start at 18.30 but refreshments will be available from 17.30 accompanied by music.

Bydd Simon Armitage yn ymweld â Llyfrgell Ysbyty Treforys, llyfrgell sy’n cael ei disgrifio gan y staff fel ‘‘gofod lle gallwn ni ddychmygu sut i ofalu am bob un’. Bydd Simon Armitage yn dathlu cyfraniad llyfrgelloedd y GIG yng nghwmni staff yr ysbyty, drwy ddarllen gyda Menna Elfyn, bardd, awdur, dramodydd, ac un o’r llenorion mwyaf blaenllaw sy’n ysgrifennu’n Gymraeg. Mae barddoniaeth Menna i’w weld yn rhai o weithiau celf yr ysbyty, un o’r rheiny yw’r gwydr lliw dwyieithog sydd wedi ei greu er cof am roddwyr organau. Mae hi’n Athro Emerita ym Mhrifysgol Cymru, y Drindod Dewi Sant. Bydd y darlleniadau yn dechrau am 18.30, ond bydd y digwyddiad ei hun yn dechrau am 17.30 a bydd cerddoriaeth a lluniaeth ysgafn ar gael.

Booking is essential: for free tickets on a first-come first-served basis, staff should visit the library during staffed opening hours. The number of seats is limited given the size of the library, so if the first 50% go quickly, then a lottery will be introduced for the remaining tickets. There will be a waiting list. Fully booked
Rhaid archebu lle: dylai’r staff fynd i’r llyfrgell yn ystod ei horiau agor er mwyn cael gafael ar docynnau am ddim. Oherwydd maint y llyfrgell, mae nifer y seddi yn gyfyngedig. Bydd hanner cyntaf y tocynnau’n cael eu gwerthu ar sail y cyntaf i’r felin, os bydd y rhain yn cael eu gwerthu’n gyflym byddwn ni’n cyflwyno system loteri. Bydd rhestr aros. Wedi’i archebu’n llawn

Thurs, March 6

19.00-20.30 — Liskeard Library, Barras St, Liskeard, Cornwall PL14 6AB

To help celebrate the stunning refurbishment and re-imagining of Liskeard Library’s magnificent Grade II-listed building by Real Ideas after a five-year closure, Simon Armitage reads with Pascale Petit, an award-winning poet of French, Welsh and Indian heritage who lives in Cornwall, and three winners of the library’s local poetry competition. The competition is organised by Real Ideas as part of their commitment to supporting the local Poetry and Arts community. They host a monthly open mic poetry night with the help of local poets group Valley Verse.

Pascale Petit’s new collection, Beast, is published by Bloodaxe in April and her debut novel, My Hummingbird Father, was published by Salt in 2024. She has published eight earlier poetry collections, four of which were shortlisted for the TS Eliot Prize. Her seventh, Mama Amazonica (Bloodaxe, 2017), won the RSL Ondaatje Prize and the inaugural Laurel Prize. Her eighth, Tiger Girl (Bloodaxe, 2020), was shortlisted for the Forward Prize and for Wales Book of the Year.

Booking is essential: due to anticipated demand, the first round of free tickets will be available to book from 11am on Saturday, January 25. Update: A second round of free tickets will be available to book from 8pm on Thurs, Feb 6. Please click here for more information. The first round went within 4 mins! 7/2/25, Fully booked now.
Age 11+ (poetry can contain strong language)

Sun, March 9

14.00-15.00 or 18.30-19.30 – Marsden Library, Mechanics Hall, 16 Peel St, Marsden, Huddersfield HD7 6BW

For a truly unique set of celebrations, Simon Armitage returns to the Yorkshire village where he grew up. To mark this special home-coming, Simon will give two separate solo poetry readings in Marsden Library, including work from Magnetic Field: the Marsden Poems. Hosted by the Friends of Marsden Library.

Booking is essential for either show (same performance for both). Tickets are free but will be allocated by public ballot to be as fair as possible given limited seating in a village library. In early February, details of when the ballot will be open and how to enter either online or in person will be announced on the Friends of Marsden Library (FoML) website , via the FoML mailing list and their Facebook page. All routes onto the ballot while it is open will give an equal chance of success. There will be a waiting list, but tickets will not be available on the door. Update: The ballot opens on Sat, Feb 8 until 5pm, Fri, Feb 21, please click here for full information.
Age 11+ (poetry can contain strong language)

Tues, March 11

12.30-14.00 – The Linen Hall, 17 Donegall Square North, Belfast BT1 5GB

For the Tour’s grand finale, Simon Armitage reads with award-winning poet Leontia Flynn in a celebration with local student and community groups and members of the public at The Linen Hall, the oldest library in Belfast and last subscription library in Ireland. Accessible to all and renowned for its Irish and local studies collections, the library, as part of the event, will reflect the alphabet theme of the tour by displaying its unique Robert McAdam Comparative Lexicon (c.1885), handwritten volumes of Irish words and their equivalents in 28 other languages, from Scottish to Manx Gaelic to Sanskrit.

Leontia Flynn has published five collections of poetry. She has been described as ‘a poet who is not only one of the best writers of her generation but who seems, more and more, to be the voice of that generation’ (John McAuliffe, Irish Times), and her work as ‘a triumph of poetic innovation’ (Dawn Miranda Sherratt-Bado, Dublin Review of Books). Flynn has won the Forward Prize for Best First Collection, the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature, the Irish Times Poetry Prize and a Cholomondeley award, and has twice been nominated for the T S Eliot Prize. Her most recent collection, Taking Liberties, was published by Jonathan Cape in 2023. She was made a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2022 and is Professor at the Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen’s University.

Booking is essential: Tickets are by invitation, with priority given to school and community groups and to library members. Limited tickets for the public will be released online at 12 pm (noon) on Wednesday, February 19 and will be limited to 2 tickets per booking – please book here online when available. Fully booked.

Age 11+ (poetry can contain strong language)

This year’s Laureate’s Library Tour takes place with kind support from the T. S. Eliot Foundation, Mark Pigott KBE and Faber & Faber.

Gyda chefnogaeth garedig gan y T.S. Eliot Foundation, Mark Pigott KBE a Faber & Faber.