BBC Radio 4 Start the Week

Tom Sutcliffe

We explored the history of Bradford and Britain through its poetry

BBC Writers: who we are and what we do

Calling all aspiring writers!

BBC Radio Club

A showcase of inspirational poetry performances by BBC Radio Club students from Keighley secondary schools.

CSL Poetry Shorts: Mind & Body

Can poetry be a tool for healing both mind and body?

Language is a Queer Thing: Workshop

Parth Rahatekar

The emotional engine of writing explored

CSL Poetry Shorts: Poetic Justice

What is poetry’s role in social action movements, both historically and present day?

CSL Poetry Shorts: Music & Lyrics

The blurred lines between lyrics and spoken word, musicality and metre were explored.

Laurel Prize Announcement

The announcement of the winner of the 2025 Laurel Prize.

BBC Radio 4 The Adverb

Testament presented the very best in poetry and performance from across the country.

Sisterverse Poetry Night

A nurturing environment where words wove connection, confidence, and community.

Antony Szmierek

Critically acclaimed spoken-word artist and musician Antony Szmierek held an evening of infectious lyrics.

Make Yourself at Home: Family Poetry

A new exhibition shared an archive of family photographs which celebrate the people who call Bradford home.

National Literacy Trust Stories Bus

Once an American school bus, the Bradford Stories Bus has been transformed into an inspiring space for storytelling, reading, writing, and relaxing for children and families in Bradford.

Public Art on City Park

Creativity hit the pavement in Bradford - we put our mark on City Park.

Laurel Prize workshop: Reading the Finalists

You explore the diverse ways the finalists wrote about nature, the more-than-human and the climate crisis.

CSL Poetry Shorts: The Power of the Women of Bradford

The voices of Bradford’s women, now and through history, are distinctive, strong and effective.

CSL Poetry Gala: Part I

This was a very special line up with our Core CSL Poets on the same bill for the first time.

Sustainability Panel: The Present

We looked into what a poem can do that’s special, and how it can connect us with the natural world day to day.

The Book of Bradford launch

We joined Comma Press for the launch of The Book of Bradford, specially commissioned by Bradford 2025 to celebrate the City of Culture year.

PLOT17 Performance

A hip-hop eco block party for audiences aged 7+.

Laurel Prize workshop: Ecopoetry’s Cutting Edge

Daljit Nagra, poet and 2025 Laurel Prize Judge, walked us through the current landscape of ecopoetry.

CSL Poetry Shorts: Migration and Belonging

The story of Bradford, like so much of the UK, is the story of migration.

BBC Radio 4 The Verb

Ian McMillan’s cabaret of the word welcomed guests Imtiaz Dharker, Keiron Higgins and Nabeela Ahmed.

CSL Poetry Shorts: Words in the Wild

Three writers explored the powerful connection between nature-connectedness, poems and wellbeing.

BBC Introducing Panel

At this panel event in 2025, we shared advice for artists on how to submit their music to BBC Introducing, BBC's platform for emerging talent.

Word Out Sharing Event

We celebrated creativity, individuality, and pride.

BBC Radio 4 Loose Ends

With Edith Bowman

There was comedy, music and a lively conversation with Radio 4’s Loose Ends programme.

An Evening with the Beehive Poets: Poetry Playground

An evening of playful poetry readings with Bradford's renowned poetry collective, the Beehive Poets.

Listen In: Jeremy Dyson & Mark Gatiss

Jeremy Dyson & Mark Gatiss

You heard a new "mini road movie" for Radio 4 by Jeremy Dyson, followed by a Q&A.

National Literacy Trust Stories Bus

Once an American school bus, the Bradford Stories Bus has been transformed into an inspiring space for storytelling, reading, writing, and relaxing for children and families in Bradford.

Public Art on City Park

Creativity hit the pavement in Bradford - we put our mark on City Park.

Bards of Bradford Installation (Doodlewall)

We discovered the people's poetry of Bradford and added our own Doodles!

Peregrinations: Urban Nature Poetry Walk

Antony Dunn

We explored the heart of Bradford from an unusual new perspective, meandering along an urban nature walk with poet Antony Dunn.

Yoga & Poetry Workshop

Emma Conally-Barklem

Poet and yoga teacher Emma Conally-Barklem hosted a Sunday morning stretch.

BBC Radio 4 Beyond Belief

Giles Fraser

You explored the place and shape of faith in today's world.

Sustainability Panel: Shadows and Light

We live in a time in a time of great loss and great possibility. This event looked into how poetry could help us balance the two.

CSL Poetry Gala: Part II

10 of the Core Poets

The second part of our very special events with the Core CSL Poets on the same bill for the first time.

Sustainability Panel: Future

How do we want to live with nature in the future - and can a poem help us to get there?

Language is a Queer Thing Showcase

Six queer poets from India and the UK took to the stage and explored how language can be reclaimed, refashioned, and made bigger, to hold queer lives and longings.

Forward Prize Launch

We celebrated the 2025 Forward Book of Poetry with readings from Rommi Smith, J. R. Carpenter, Griot Gabriel and Isabelle Baafi.

CSL Poetry Shorts: Mills & Hills

Emma Conally-Barklem, Testament, Saju Ahmed, Emily Zobel Marshall and Antony Dunn read work shaped by the North’s bricks and becks.

Listen In: Nick Ahad

You exclusively heard the Radio 4 comedy drama Blue Envelopes by Nick Ahad, presenter for BBC Radio Leeds and Radio 4’s Front Row followed by a Q&A.

CSL Poetry Shorts: Love in the 21st Century

How do I love thee, let me 'swipe right' the ways?

Words First Showcase

We celebrated the most talented emerging poets and spoken word artists from across the UK.

Alfred Bradley Bursary Award (ABBA)

We heard extracts from the scripts shortlisted for the 2025 Alfred Bradley Bursary Award for radio drama and discovered who had won the coveted prize.