Love the Words

Highlights from October's Playing The Poem in which poets & musicians improvise freely with each other, featuring musicians from La Compagnie Tire Laine in our twin city of Lille, France.

Leeds City of Languages is a festival celebrating the languages, cultures and communities that make Leeds such a diverse city. Young people talk to organisers Bettina and Sophia about growing up multilingual and preview the festival.

Poet Nick Allen talks about Burn Back, his new book with artist Paula Dunn. about the peat bogs of West and North Yorkshire. Plus news from the unveiling of a blue plaque to Tony Harrison, Leeds poet, at his childhood home in Beeston, South Leeds.

Stephen Deazley is a composer and community musician in Edinburgh. As a poet he has just won the very first Tramlines Poetry Competition (poetry on trams). He talks about his poetry-to-music journey and reads his stunning poem Requiem For Fox.

Peter Okwonko is a Leeds-based Nigerian poet. He talks about his award-winning book Kwame Come Home. Plus exciting news from our sister city in Germany, Dortmund, from Geoff Tranter.

In 2025 Deborah Fox was diagnosed with breast cancer. So she began writing, documenting her journey in the hope that someone walking this path in the future might find comfort and strength. She talks about the book and the process.

Emeritus Professor of Radio Sean Street and Chapel FM's Tony Macaluso discuss what makes radio unique as a medium. What's the difference between a radio feature and a radio documentary? What is 'the ether'? A passionate advocacy for the power of art/dream radio.

Born in Guinea-Bissau and now based in Leeds, Jamila Pereira is a poet, journalist and writer whose work explores migration, identity and belonging. Through the Music and Poetry of the Black Atlantic project, she has collaborated with poets from Rio de Janeiro, culminating in performances with The National Poetry Centre at BBC Contains Strong Language in Salford.

Four storytellers. One ancient tale. A thousand interpretations. Live theatre performance of this thrilling, darkly comic retelling from Treadlight Theatre. A highlight of WOA26.

Sean Street, poet and the UK's first Professor of Radio, reads from and talks about his new pamphlet Candlelight, 'a journey from loss... to understanding and acceptance'. Plus dynamic women's poetry collective That's What She Said on what they do and what they're doing.