Jackie Kay is an award winning poet, novelist and writer of short stories. She was born and brought up in Scotland but now lives in Manchester, where she is chancellor of Salford University. She has written all her life. Several of her adult poetry collections have won or been shortlisted for awards. Her first novel Trumpet (Picador) won the Author’s Club First Novel Award and the Guardian Fiction Prize. Her first novel for children, Strawgirl (Macmillan), a lyrical slice of magical realism, was a huge critical success. She was awarded an MBE in 2006 and made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2002. In 2016 she was named the new Makar, National Poet for Scotland.

National Poet of Wales Ifor ap Glyn is a multi-award-winning poet, presenter, director and producer. Ifor has won the Crown at the National Eisteddfod on two occasions, first in 1999 and most recently at the Denbighshire and District National Eisteddfod in 2013. From 2008-2009 Ifor was Bardd Plant Cymru, the Welsh-language Children’s Laureate. Ifor works at Cwmni Da, an independent television and film production company of which he was a founding member. He has won several BAFTA Cymru awards for his work including the Lleisiau’r Rhyfel Mawr and Popeth yn Gymraeg series. Ifor has represented Welsh poetry around the world in both the Welsh and English language.

Followed by a Q & A and book-signing with the poets.

Tickets: £12 (unreserved), £10 (when you also book for Carol Ann Duffy and John Sampson),  £5 (students/schools)