where the light begins festival 2026

Where the Light Begins is a community poetry festival celebrating hope, creativity, imagination and the quiet moments that connect us.

Now in its second year, the festival is delighted to welcome acclaimed poet Lemn Sissay as our headline artist, alongside a programme of performances, workshops and community events that bring poetry into the heart of everyday life.

We are seeking a poet with a connection to the Dartford area to become our Poet in Residence for the festival.

This residency is less about performing and more about paying attention.

Throughout the afternoon, the Poet in Residence will weave gently through the life of the festival, observing the people, conversations and moments unfolding around them.

Perhaps it is two friends meeting after time apart. A child discovering something for the first time. A moment of laughter between strangers. Someone sitting quietly and listening. A family gathering together. An unexpected act of kindness. A shared story, a celebration or a fleeting moment of joy and connection.

We are looking for a poet who notices these moments and transforms them into small acts of beauty.

As Poet in Residence, you will write short poems inspired by the people, encounters and atmosphere of the festival. Some poems may respond to particular individuals, families or groups and be gifted directly to the people who inspired them. Others may capture the wider mood and spirit of the afternoon.

Your poems might take the form of haiku, short lyric poems, brief observations or another form suited to writing spontaneously within the festival.

Alongside writing about the people and moments you encounter, we invite you, where appropriate and with sensitivity, to create personalised poems for festival visitors. Beautifully handwritten and gifted, these poems will offer people the rare experience of feeling truly noticed and celebrated. A few carefully chosen words, written especially for them, may become something they treasure long after the festival has ended.

We would also like our Poet in Residence to be a distinctive and recognisable presence within the festival: someone who stands out from the crowd, captures people’s imaginations and brings a sense of curiosity and wonder to the afternoon.

This might be expressed through an unusual item of clothing, a distinctive hat, a beautifully crafted garment or costume, a carefully chosen prop, a portable writing desk, a suitcase filled with poems or another imaginative element that becomes part of the character you inhabit.

It need not be loud, extravagant or overtly theatrical, and you do not need to identify as a performance poet. You may be someone who works quietly, offering handwritten poems one person at a time. What matters is that visitors can recognise the Poet in Residence, feel intrigued by your presence and be drawn into an unexpected encounter with poetry.

There may also be opportunities to share poems aloud. You might choose to read a short poem directly to the person or people who inspired it, creating an intimate and memorable encounter. You may also be invited, should you wish, to step onto the festival stage occasionally and share a poem inspired by the unfolding afternoon with the wider audience.

These opportunities are optional. The residency remains equally open to poets whose way of working is quieter, more reflective or conversational.

The residency includes:

* Being present throughout the afternoon, from 12 noon until 6pm.

* Weaving gently through the life of the festival, observing, listening and writing in response to its people, atmosphere and unfolding moments.

* Creating short observational poems inspired by the festival.

* Writing personalised poems for individual visitors or groups, where appropriate.

* Handwriting and gifting poems to the people who inspired them.

* Offering spontaneous moments of poetry through conversation, handwritten gifts or short readings.

* The opportunity to share poems directly with individual visitors.

* The possibility of occasionally sharing a poem inspired by the festival from the stage, should you wish.

* Becoming a distinctive and imaginative presence within the festival.

* Helping to create moments of curiosity, connection, delight and wonder.

The Poet in Residence will be present throughout the afternoon, moving through the festival with openness and curiosity. There will naturally be quieter moments for reflection, writing and short breaks, allowing the poems to emerge from genuine encounters rather than feeling hurried or overly performative.

Fee

A fee of £300 is offered for the residency.

This covers your presence at the festival from 12 noon until 6pm, together with the preparation involved in developing your approach and poetic presence for the afternoon.

We hope this opportunity will appeal to a poet who is excited by writing from observation, connecting with people and exploring how poetry can respond spontaneously to the life of a festival.

We welcome applications from poets at any stage of their journey, whether emerging or established, who are interested in developing new work and bringing poetry into unexpected moments of community life.

How to apply

Please send:

* A short introduction about yourself.

* Up to five examples of your work.

* A brief paragraph explaining why this residency interests you.

* A few sentences describing how you might embody the role of Poet in Residence and create a distinctive and imaginative presence within the festival.

* Details of any relevant experience of writing in community, public or festival settings. This is welcomed but not essential.

We look forward to discovering a poet who can help people pause, notice one another and find light in the ordinary.