IN OUR WORDS

An Evening with Poet Laureate Simon Armitage

Date: Monday 14th July 2025 
Time: 19:30

Location: New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth
Cost: Not available yet
Age: 11+

Join the Poet Laureate for this very special evening of readings, audience Q&A and book-signing. A former student in Portsmouth, Simon Armitage’s numerous awards include the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry and an Ivor Novello for song writing…

The Ugly Duckling – Easter Storytelling and egg hunt!

Date: Wednesday 9th April 2025
Time: 1.30-2.30

Location: Milton Village Hall – Portsmouth
Cost: £5 per child
Age: 4 -10 years

The Ugly Duckling is retold by Rachella the Storyteller – using beautiful puppetry, mime and music to tell a traditional tale in a new and exciting way to inspire little ones! Followed by games and an Easter Egg hunt!

Climate Fresk Workshop

Date: Thursday 17th May 2025
Time: 1:30 – 4:30pm

Location: The Greenhouse Victoria Park
Cost: Free
Age: 16+

A playful & collaborative workshop to teach you the fundamental science behind climate change and empower you to take action

Writing Herstories of Portsmouth 2

Dates:
Thursday 15th May
Thursday 22nd May
Thursday 5th June
Thursday 12th June
Thursday 19th June

Time: 18:00-20:00

Location: Online
Cost: Free
Age: 18+

This series of five life writing workshops will encourage stories of women’s activism and agency in Portsmouth and surrounding area. Resulting in publication.

Writing Herstories of Portsmouth 1

Dates:
Tuesday 13th May
Tuesday 20th May
Tuesday 3rd June
Tuesday 10th June
Tuesday 17th June

Time: 14:00-16:00pm

Location: University Of Portsmouth
Cost: Free

This series of five life writing workshops will encourage stories of women’s activism and agency in Portsmouth and surrounding area. Resulting in publication.

The Black Out Poetry Project

Date: Monday 14th April
Time: 13:00 & 19:00

Date: Tuesday 15th April
Time: 14:30
Location: The Greenhouse Victoria Park
Cost: Free
Age: All are welcome but suitable for ages 8+ accompanied by adults

Unleash your creativity and take part in celebrating Portsmouth’s literary Heritage with the Black Out Poetry Project.

Pirates Love Underpants at the New Theatre Royal

Date: Tuesday 8th April
Time: 13:30

Date: Wednesday 9th April
Time: 10:30/13:30

Location: New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth
Cost:
Adult £18.00
U16 £16.00
School/Group 10+ £14.00
Age: Secondary, Adult

Join our swashbuckling party of pirates on their quest to find the fabled Pants of Gold for the Captain’s Treasure chest!

My Favourite Cake

Date: Saturday 29th March
Time: 17:00-21:30
Location: St Simon’s Church, Waverley Rd, Southsea, Portsmouth, Southsea PO5 2PW
Cost:
Concessions £25
Standard £30
Solidarity £40
Age: Any

Join us for an unforgettable evening of film, food, and culture at this Iranian-Themed Cinematic Dining Event. This unique gathering combines a screening of the award-winning Iranian film My Favourite Cake with an authentic Persian feast, live music, and immersive décor inspired by the beauty of Iranian gardens. My Favourite Cake, described by The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw as a “wonderfully sweet and funny film” and a “compelling rebuke to…

Farm Boy at the New Theatre Royal

Date: Saturday 29th March
Time: 14:30/18:30

Date: Sunday 30th March
Time: 14:30

Location: New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth
Cost:
Adult £17
Child £14
Age: Secondary, Adult

Following successful UK tours and a critically acclaimed run in New York, Michael Morpurgo’s compelling sequel to ‘War Horse’ returns to the stage in this delightful, family-friendly show combining drama, storytelling, and original music…

The invaluable support of South Western Railway and Stagecoach South, whose generous contributions ensured that children from across Portsmouth could attend the launch event…

IN OUR WORD is a year-long festival of literature, literacy, and storytelling – launches with over 350 children at Fratton Park with famous author…

Writing retreat with William Sutton

Date and Time: Friday 14 – Saturday 15 March, 10am–1pm
Location: Portsmouth Central Library lower ground floor
Cost: £9 (£4.50 concession)

Welcome to our Writing Retreat, which you can attend for one morning or both, via Zoom link (sent before event) or in person. Buy just one ticket: same link both days. William offers goal-setting targets, encouragement, one-to-one mentoring – and the camaraderie that such a solitary calling often lacks.

“I edited 5,000 words in a weekend” – previous attendee

It Ends With Us at Southsea Cinema

Date: Saturday 9th March

Time: 6pm

Location: Southsea Cinema

Cost: £5
(Children and students £3)

Lily believes she’s found true love with Ryle, but when a painful incident triggers past trauma, she must decide if love alone can carry her marriage through. However, things are complicated when her first love returns to her life

Christine Lawrence – Grace

Date and Time: Sunday 9th March, 4.30pm–6pm
Location: Southsea Library
Cost: Free (booking required)
Christine Lawrence introduces her latest novel which is based on research into life in the Portsmouth Borough Asylum during World War 1. If you enjoyed reading Emily, you will love Grace as she follows her passion to be a nurse during World War 1 and begins her training in Portsmouth Borough Asylum

Crime Bites 4: Simon Mayo

Date and Time: Sunday 9th March 2pm–3.30pm
Location: New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth
Cost: £2

BookFest is thrilled to welcome Simon Mayo to the festival for the first time as part of the launch of his exciting new thriller Black Tag. Bestselling author and legendary broadcaster Simon has created a captivating contemporary thriller, weaving a story ripped from today’s newspapers that will take Famie into a murderous family saga stretching back over centuries.

Where did their money come from? And what will they do to keep it?

Simon Mayo MBE is a writer and broadcaster. His previous books include the Sunday Times bestseller Knife Edge, the Times Thriller of the Year Tick Tock, Mad Blood Stirring, Blame and the Itch trilogy, filmed for TV by the ABC. He hosts Drivetime on Greatest Hits Radio and hosts the ‘The Take’ film-review podcast with Professor Mark Kermode.

Duncan Minshull: Globetrotting – A walk and talk

Date and Time: Saturday 8th March,10.50 for 11am start, till 12.30pm
Location: Meet at Southsea Library to start the walk
Cost: £6

‘There was nowhere to go but everywhere’ – Jack Kerouac

Enjoy a stroll along the Southsea waterfront with Duncan Minshull, editor of Globetrotting: Writers Walk The World.

Take in the views and listen to Duncan read extracts from his latest book and also talk about the joys of ‘footing it’ with his fellow travellers.

Why do you go walking?

Dogs on leads welcome

Crime Bites 3: Blood Spatter, Boats and Bodies with crime author Pauline Rowson

Date and Time: Saturday 8th March, 10.30am-12pm
Location: Portsmouth Central Library
Cost: : £12 (£6 Leisure card holders)

Join best-selling crime author, Pauline Rowson, and hear how she plots, researches and writes her popular crime novels featuring Portsmouth detective, DI Andy Horton in the Solent Murder Mysteries, her 1950s Inspector Ryga mysteries and her Art Marvik mystery thrillers.

Try To Find Me
Friday 7th March, 6:30pm
Southsea Library
A performance by published local poets, and a workshop to help you find your own writing voice.