Hello and welcome to Pop-Up Poetry in the Park, the creative writing and performance Pop-Up in Swindon, that welcomes aspiring, especially first-timer, have-a-goers and established, creative wordsmiths and poets across Wiltshire and beyond, regardless of age or ability. Offering an accessible, safe, and supportive live performance stage that reaches the broadest possible audience, where you can share your work or celebrate that of others, outside in one of our many green and glorious parks, gardens or even next door's finely manicured lawn.
Time spent in the park is never wasted.
Bertrand Russell
Pop Up Poetry in the Park is a free-to-attend outdoor event created for the public good. During the spring and summer months, it has the flexibility to make the most of the many wonderful outdoor spaces across Swindon. When the chilly, wet weather arrives, it relocates inside to the Swindon 105.5 radio studio.
Since 2023, the program, funded by Strawberry Green Productions, has benefited from the support of South Swindon PC, utilising the Old Town Garden bandstand, Stratton St Margaret PC, Swindon 105.5 radio and the Swindon Festival of Literature.
Pop Up Poetry in the Park is scalable and the ideal low-key vehicle to champion localisation and diversification. Celebrating local culture, identity, traditions and the way of life, the invisible glue that differs in so many ways, yet binds us all together
Pop Up Poetry in the Park supports the development of grassroots voices, those that are so often unheard and unseen, encouraging all involved to use their voice, share their words, and in doing so, enrich the lives of us all. Pop Up Poetry in the Park offers local governments, councils, and major brands a route to remain culturally relevant in diverse markets.
Pop-Up Poetry in the Park is a free-to-attend event. Helping to remove the financial barrier of nonattendance. Support from parish councils and others with ‘green space’ can help reduce or remove various accessibility hurdles.
Pop-Up Poetry in the Park is flexible and mobile. Our ambition is to bring the poetic program to locations across all parish councils during the warmer months, when outdoor performances are most conducive.
Pop-Up Poetry in the Park can grow beyond Swindon and incorporate a music component. (Start -middle - finish) which again will help broaden its appeal.
Pop-Up Poetry in the Park provides multiple opportunities to connect with and develop new local community relationships, as well as foster national engagement.
Maximising our reach at every opportunity, we believe physically being in present, in situ, doing our thing, will naturally pique public interest.
For those who can’t make it to the Pop Up or want to relive the experience, we capture the moment on film, recording each performance for social media and radio.
Our current go-to social media platforms for making a noise and showcasing our work and experience are Facebook/Instagram. The ad hoc newsletter will be moving to the Substack platform and will incorporate a video blog.