Ted Hughes statue unveiled by famous faces in Mexborough
The third annual Ted Hughes Poetry Festival in Mexborough (the place where Hughes grew up and was formed as a poet) opened on Friday 23 June when local MP and festival supporter Ed Miliband unveiled Jane Robbins' sculpture of the 18 year-old Edward James Hughes at Mexborough Business Centre - formerly Mexborough Grammar School, Hughes's alma mater.
Audiences at the main festival weekend were thrilled by stellar performances from a range of poets and performers - including Simon Armitage, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Vahni Capildeo, Kim Moore and Melissa Lee-Houghton. Heather Clark, International Visiting Professor at the Ted Hughes Network at the University of Huddersfield, gave a talk on Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes in Yorkshire, and Andy Armitage led a workshop and chaired a discussion panel (with Heather, Kim, Melissa and Charlotte Wetton) based on the work of Sylvia Plath and music was provided by folk band Peg Powler and festival favourites Mick Jenkinson and Ian Parks.
Dominic Somers led a team of volunteers and poets (including Michele Beck, Vahni Capildeo, Matt Clegg, Brian Lewis and Dan Ryder) in poetry-related High Street activities; artists Peter Olding and Paul Dyson created live Hughesian paintings of foxes and pike. Copies of 'Zero at the Bone' - an anthology of poetry and fiction written by members of the Write on Mexborough! creative writing group - were distributed free at the event. Steve Ely and Dominic Somers concluded the festival with the ever popular 'Ted Hughes's Paper Round' performance trail from Mexborough to Old Denaby, which, at Ferryboat crossing from Mexborough to Old Denaby, encountered a second sculpture commissioned by the festival - Shane Green's chainsaw sculpture of a range of Hughesian totems arising from his poetry and short stories set on Old Denaby.
Before and after the main festival weekend a range of satellite events - readings, performance trails, poetry walks and talks - were led by a range of poets and writers, including A Firm of Poets, John Whale, Steve Ely, Chris Jones, Ann Walton, Helen Mort, Karl Hirst, Fay Musselwhite Matthew Clegg and Brian Lewis.
The Ted Hughes Poetry Festival is organised by the Ted Hughes Project (South Yorkshire) which is chaired by Dr. Steve Ely. Steve is also Director of the Ted Hughes Network at the University of Huddersfield.
Poetic hijinx in Mexborough Town Centre - Photos: Graeme Oxby and Dominic Somers
Terminus of the ‘Ted Hughes’s Paper Round’ walk at Peas Hills, Old Denaby
Back: B Griffiths, S Ely, D Somers, D Ryder, K Robbins, P Newman. Front: Ted Hughes, Ed Miliband, V Capildeo
Ted, Andy Armitage & Simon Armitage. Photos: Graeme Oxby and Dominic Somers
Artists Peter Olding and Paul Dyson – ‘live art’ in Mexborough High Street.