IN OUR WORDS

I Am Born

Date: 29th January – 8th February
Time: Open Daily 10.00-16.30
Location: Portsmouth Historic Quarter
Cost: Free

I Am Born is a visual arts project with seniors at Braemar Care Home and young people from Motiv8 and the Brook Club. Artists Ally Ashworth and Rachel Johnston have used archival imagery from the Portsmouth History Centre, The News Portsmouth and The D-Day Story to inspire conversation and create visual stories.

National Story Telling Week 2026

Date: 2nd February – 9th February
Time: Multiple 
Location: Online
Cost: Free

National Storytelling Week 2026 is a celebration of oral storytelling, reading and writing for pleasure. At a time when young people’s writing and reading enjoyment levels are at their lowest, National Storytelling Week has never been more important.

The Dress of Great Expectations

Date: 7th February – 15th March
Time: Open Daily 10.00-17.00
Location: Portsmouth National History Museum
Cost: Free

Opening on Charles Dickens’ birthday, 7 February, an interactive project by local artist Roo Abrook invites visitors into the beautiful Portsmouth Natural History Museum, nestled beside Canoe Lake.

Portsmouth BookFest: Adult’s Programme

Date: 15th February – 8th March
Time: Multiple
Location: Multiple
Cost: Mixed

Join Portsmouth BookFest as they return for another exciting year of programming with their Adult’s Progreamme.

Portsmouth BookFest: Children’s Week

Date: 16th February – 21st February
Time: Multiple
Location: Multiple
Cost: Mixed

Join Portsmouth BookFest as they return for another exciting year of programming with their Children’s Week programme.

Portsmouth BookFest: Film Programme

Date: 17th February – 1st March
Time: Multiple
Location: Multiple
Cost: Mixed

Join Portsmouth BookFest as they return for another exciting year of programming, celebrating the literary greats of the city.

Be Part of a Guinness World Record Attempt: In Our Words – World Book Day 2026. Please register your interest by 16 January 2026….

Poet laureate Simon Armitage inspires Portsmouth pupils in free live literature event!

Poet Laureate – and Portsmouth University alumnus – Simon Armitage has brought his trademark blend of honesty, humour and insight to the New Theatre Royal stage, as part of Portsmouth Creates’ Year of Literacy, “In Our Words”.

PORTSMOUTH “YEAR OF STORYTELLING” SPARKS RECORD-BREAKING SUMMER READING CHALLENGE

School children across Portsmouth are being encouraged to take part in one of the city’s biggest-ever summer reading challenges, thanks to a new initiative from Portsmouth Creates…

Hundreds of Year 5 pupils from across Portsmouth came together at the Kings Theatre on Wednesday 25 June to celebrate a shared love of reading at the annual Year 5 Book Awards…

As we approach Refugee Week 2025, we invite you to be part of a city-wide celebration of resilience, community, and the transformative power of storytelling…

MEET PORTSMOUTH’S WRITERS, POETS & WORDSMITHS 
As part of In Our Words our city-wide celebration of literature, language and storytelling and through the Portsmouth Creative Directory, we’re proud to shine a light on the brilliant writers, poets and wordsmiths shaping Portsmouth’s creative voice. 

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…

We invite artists, writers, performers, and community groups to take part in a year-long celebration of Portsmouth’s rich literary heritage and future – IN OUR WORDS…