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THURSDAY 5 NOVEMBER
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 Event 1   15:30–16:30 Suffolk Poetry Society: George Crabbe Competition
The Suffolk Poetry Society’s annual George Crabbe Competition celebrates poets from Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex. Past winners Philip Baker, Elizabeth Cook, Esther Morgan, Lizzi Thistlethwayte, Sally Warrell and Nicola Warwick will read their poems, joined by this year’s competition judge Paul Stephenson and previous judge Tamar Yoseloff.
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 Event 2   17:00–18:00 Wild Pages: Three East Anglian Poets 
Wild Pages is an environmental writers’ residency offered through Suffolk Community Libraries, in collaboration with the National Centre for Writing and Suffolk Wildlife Trust. We feature three poets from the residency: Amy Adshead, Aruna Stannard and Amy Wragg. Introduced by Sally Garwood, Cultural Project Officer of Suffolk Community Libraries.​
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 Event 3   20:00–21:00 Close Reading 1: Into the Infinite 
Keith Jarrett, Fiona Moore and Paul Stephenson from the Poetry in Aldeburgh programming team share favourite poems that speak to this year’s theme. Hosted by Jacqueline Saphra.

 

FRIDAY 6 NOVEMBER

 Workshop 1   09:30–11:00 Cast in Concrete with Tamar Yoseloff

 The Aldeburgh Gallery 

Using festival artist Neil Hanger’s exhibition as a starting point, we will discuss how elements such as typography, arrangement and even colour add to and sometimes alter the meaning of words. We will look at the work of poet / artists such as Ian Hamilton Finlay, Mary Ellen Solt and John Furnival as an invitation to be experimental on the page.
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Workshop 2   09:30–11:00 Building Poetic Worlds I with Kym Deyn
 The Tiffany Room @ The Wentworth 
‘Worldbuilding’ is something that’s usually reserved for the novelist’s toolkit, but a poem is a tiny world all its own, and this workshop will explore – through poems and prose written for places both real and imagined – how we can use worldbuilding in our own poetic work.
 Kym Deyn’s festival appearance is supported by Nine Arches Press 
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 Walk 1   09:30–11:00 Infinite Aldeburgh
Explore the town on a bracing walk with Sue Mobbs and Sue Wallace-Shaddad from the Suffolk Poetry Society. We will read poems about the wonder of our world and its fragility, poems inspired by the land, sea, nature and space. Bring along two poems of your own (each max 40 lines) on these themes. The walk includes some steps. Dress appropriately for weather. Not suitable for children. Starting point provided upon booking.​​​
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 Event 4   09:45–11:00 Close Reading 2: Tony Harrison – His School of Eloquence
Tony Harrison, who died last year, was one of the great and innovative formalists of the age. Three poets who are fans of his work – Blake Morrison, Jacqueline Saphra and Joelle Taylor – will take a deep dive into their favourite Harrison poems. ​​
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 Event 5   11:30–12:30 Laying Out Their Words: Broken Sleep Poets
Broken Sleep is a working-class indie publisher putting access to the arts at the forefront of what they do. Broken Sleep poet Steph Feeney introduces three fellow poets from the press: Héloïse de Satgé, Elontra Hall and Nicholas Hogg.
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 Workshop 3   13:00–14:30 Building Poetic Worlds II with Joelle Taylor
 The Tiffany Room @ The Wentworth 
Join T. S. Eliot Prize-winning poet Joelle Taylor for a session considering world-building in poetry, and how the poem might expand beyond the page into novels, film, theatre and even opera. Prepare to write, talk, and connect.
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 Workshop 4   13:00–14:30 Talk Yourself Into It with Kareem Parkins Brown
 The Avocet Room @ The Brudenell Hotel 
Introducing your poems when bringing them to an audience matters. Introductions shape engagement, challenge assumptions and create context. Join Kareem to work through the intros that might work for some of your own poems.​​​
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 Event 6    13:45–14:45 A Haunting with Kym Deyn, Shivanee Ramlochan and Vik Shirley
Three poets take us beyond the daylight and the rational and into the spirit world. Join Kym, Shivanee and Vik as they explore the folkloric and celebrate the grotesque. Expect to be intrigued, chilled and spooked.
 Kym Deyn’s festival appearance is supported by Nine Arches Press ​​​
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 Event 7    15:15–16:30 Versus Versus: Disability, Identity and Resistance with Rachael Boast and Dean Atta, Anthony Vahni Capildeo and Karl Knights
Celebrating this landmark anthology, which presents 100 poems by deaf, disabled and neurodivergent poets, editor Rachael Boast will be joined by Dean, Anthony and Karl, who will be reading their own work as well as poems from other contributors.
 Supported by the Suffolk Book League ​​​​
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 Event 8    17:00–18:00 Welcome Drinks
Come and meet your fellow poetry lovers and join us all for a complimentary drink at Jubilee Hall. This event is free entry and unticketed.

 Supported by James White Drinks ​​​
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 Event 9    19:30–20:30  Beauty in the Teeth of Extinction
Acclaimed poets Anthony Vahni Capildeo, David Morley and Clare Shaw read poems and discuss how the natural world shapes their thinking and poetics. Chaired by David Morley.
 Supported by Clare Best 
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 Event 10    21:00–22:00 Into the Groove with Georgie Jones and Kareem Parkins Brown
Bring your Friday night to a rousing and entertaining close by joining the performing poetry powerhouses that are Georgie and Kareem.
 Georgie Jones's festival appearance is sponsored by Lawson’s Delicatessen ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​



SATURDAY 7 NOVEMBER​

 Workshop 5   09:30–11:00 Writing the Body with Dean Atta
 The Avocet Room @ The Brudenell Hotel 
In this immersive workshop led by the award-winning poet Dean Atta, you’ll take a journey of self-discovery and expression, using the body as poetic inspiration. What stories does your body ache to tell? Which part of your body would you love to write an ode to? Through prompts and exercises, you’ll harness the power of language to articulate what dwells within your flesh and bones. 
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 Workshop 6    09:30–11:00 Be Like the Magpie: Collage Poems with Helen Ivory 

 The Tiffany Room @ The Wentworth 
Collage creates order out of chaos; it’s a method of divination and a playful way into the unconscious. When you cut words from their original source and juxtapose them with other found texts and images, they create new spells. Materials will be provided, but please bring anything of your own you’d like to include in your collage, or any of your own poems you wish to incorporate.
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​ Event 11    09:45–11:00  Words for All: Reading & Mass Workshop with Kim Moore and Clare Shaw
Kim and Clare will start the morning by reading a selection of their own work, and then lead the audience in a mass workshop in the spirit of their popular Daily Writing Hour series. Whether you’ve never written a poem or published 10 collections, either way you’ll get something from this immersive and fun session.
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 Event 12    11:30–12:45 World to World: Translatings
Three renowned writers – Flemish poet Charlotte Van den Broeck, Naush Sabah, a British poet of South Asian heritage, and poet and translator Don Mee Choi from South Korea – will range across language(s), place and cultures. Each poet will read their work, followed by a discussion chaired by Fiona Moore.
 Charlotte Van den Broeck's festival appearance is supported by Flanders Literature as part of their   Flip Through Flanders programme 
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 Workshop 7    13:30–15:00 Break, Break, Break with Rachael Boast
 The Avocet Room @ The Brudenell Hotel 
Do we shy away from using the same word more than once within a short space? Is there really such a thing as repetition in poetry? This generative workshop will put a range of poetic devices into practice – exploring the effects of refrain, rotatio, anaphora, epistrophe, epizeuxis, diacope and parallelism – to see what happens when we break out of finite comfort zones. 
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 Workshop 8    13:30–15:00 Writing Motherhood with Kim Moore
 The Tiffany Room @ The Wentworth 
Join Kim Moore for a combined craft talk and generative workshop exploring the art of writing motherhood. Drawing on a wide range of poetry and hybrid writing, Moore reflects on how writers navigate the maternal body, the shifting self, and the politics of care. The session will begin with a focused craft talk, followed by a practical workshop.​​​
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 Event 13    14:00–15:00 The Poetry Pharmacy’s Infinite Prescription
To celebrate The Poetry Pharmacy and its success in bringing the power of poetry to the high street, founder Deb Alma will be talking about the Pharmacy’s philosophy, and reading from some of its joyful anthologies, alongside Dean Atta and Michael Laskey. Chaired by Jacqueline Saphra.
 Supported by Hilary Lowe ​
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 Event 14    15:30–16:30 Close Reading 3: Charlotte Van den Broeck and Camille Ralphs
In the third of our close reading events, Camille and Charlotte choose favourite poems which are infinite in their scope and power.
 Charlotte Van den Broeck’s festival appearance is supported by Flanders Literature as part of their   Flip Through Flanders programme ​
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 Event 15    17:00–18:00 Nature Persists with Zena Edwards
One of our finest interdisciplinary artists, Zena Edwards brings together poetry and live music for an hour of illumination and entertainment, with voice and percussion.​
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 Event 16    19:30–20:30 Let Worlds Shake: Gala Reading with Malika Booker and Joelle Taylor
Two stars of poetry, the Forward Prize-winning Malika Booker and the T. S. Eliot Prize-winning Joelle Taylor, bring their mesmerising work to the Jubilee Hall stage.
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 Event 17    21:00–22:00 Open Mic with host Héloïse de Satgé
Our headliners of the evening? You! Sign up on the door 30 minutes before the event to share your poems with the Aldeburgh audience. Ellie de Satgé, creator of the renowned Everything poetry night, hosts. Places are limited.
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 Walk 2   21:00–22:00 Whispers by the Sea: A Ghost Walk with Vik Shirley 

The acclaimed poet and artist is our guide on a spooky amble around the dark November streets of Aldeburgh. Expect spirits, shivers and inspiration for poems, too. The walk includes some steps. Dress appropriately for weather. Please be aware due to the time of this event, it will be dark and probably cold, and Aldeburgh is an old village with some uneven paths. Please take care whilst on the walk and bring whatever you need for your comfort and safety, including a torch. Not suitable for children. Starting point provided upon booking.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​



SUNDAY 8 NOVEMBER

 Workshop 9    09:30–11:00 Oulipoetry with Philip Terry
 The Tiffany Room @ The Wentworth 
This session will explore new poetic forms created by the Oulipo (the Workshop of Potential Literature), founded in Paris in 1960. Their techniques and forms – including N+7, reinventions of haiku and sestina, and new poems such as the riddling chicago – have been used by groundbreaking poets across the globe from John Ashbery and Anthony Vahni Capildeo to Lee Ann Brown and Bernadette Mayer.
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 Workshop 10    09:30–11:00 Fracture: The Possibility of the Infinite in Brokenness with Elontra Hall
 The Avocet Room @ The Brudenell Hotel 
In this workshop participants will look at and discuss poems and poets who use imperfection as a way to explore and express. There will be an opportunity to generate drafts from a range of stimuli building upon this idea.
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 Event 18    10:00–11:00 The Robin Boyd Memorial Lecture: Songs of Wonder with Malika Booker
As a Black Caribbean, female-identifying poet, Malika Booker has an ambivalent relationship with the King James Version of the Bible. In this exclusive lecture, Malika will use the sonnet form as a starting point to explore how this text can become a site of rebellion, spiritual resistance, and a platform through which to liberate women’s voices to occupy centre stage. Introduced by Keith Jarrett. Free breakfast pastries from Silva Bakery.​
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 Event 19    11:30–12:30 Fire Burn: The Poetry of Witchcraft with Helen Ivory, Camille Ralphs and Rebecca Tamás
Jump into the cauldron with three of our foremost poetic explorers and interpreters of witches and witchcraft for what promises to be a set of spellbinding readings. Hosted by Alison Brackenbury.​
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 Workshop 11    13:00–14:30 Dark Matter: the Grotesque-Surreal with Vik Shirley
 The Tiffany Room @ The Wentworth 
Boo! Come explore the dark and spooky, the unnerving and frightful, the surreal and strange – and write some brand new poems! We will look at the distorted mock fables of American prose poet Russell Edson, the horrific and scientific hallucinatory poems of Swedish poet Aase Berg and the unsettling, somatic poems of Korean poet Kim Hyesoon, with much more poetry lurking in the shadows…​
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 Workshop 12    13:00–14:30  Fragility of the Gods with Zena Edwards
 The Avocet Room @ The Brudenell Hotel 
Prepare for an out-of-this-world experience in this exploration of Greco-Roman deities through the lens of mythology, astrology and character study. The workshop will cover a blend of discussion and structured critique, and planet-hopping from Mercury to Uranus.​
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 Event 20    13:30–14:30 The Infinite Comedy: Reinterpreting Dante
Join Anthony Vahni Capildeo and Philip Terry as they explore the hold that Dante has on their poetic imaginations as well as read extracts from their work inspired by the Florentine genius. Chaired by Robert Stein.
 Supported by Carcanet Press ​
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 Event 21    15:00–16:00  Infinite Worlds Collide: David Morley and Yomi Ṣode
Bringing the festival to a close, we unite two unique poetic voices. Come and be inspired as David and Yomi poetically range across the city, the countryside, the communities within both, and much more.
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 Event 22    16:00–17:00 Closing Tea Party
Please join us for a cup of tea, courtesy of the festival, with cakes available to purchase from the Silva Bakery. This event is free entry and unticketed.​
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 Workshop 13    17:00–18:30 Innovate, Interact: Read, Play, Rehearse and Perform! with Don Mee Choi

 The Tiffany Room @ The Wentworth 

We will explore the work of Yi Sang, one of South Korea’s most innovative poets during the 1930s Japanese occupation of Korea. We’ll use translation, dramatization and performance to embody his poetry and generate new writing. Please bring props to the workshop, such as leaves, shingle, discarded objects, plates, yarn, mirror. Come prepared to read, play, rehearse and perform!