Carol Ann Duffy: the legacy of the Laureateship

This conference takes place at the close of the first, historic, UK Poet Laureateship held by a woman, the contemporary British poet, Carol Ann Duffy.  It evaluates forty-five years of her literary work in the light of ten years of her public engagement with the people of the United Kingdom and the world as the country’s literary figurehead.  Three aspects of Duffy’s creative identity are emphasised: her literary, specifically her poetic legacy, her political legacy (relating to local, national and international activism) and the legacy of her life and work for women and the development of queer identities. In addition to its specific focus on this Poet Laureate’s life and work, the conference culminates in a panel discussion featuring experts from the media, publishing and poetry industries. It will debate the purpose and value of the Laureateship itself, and the future of British poetry, for example in the context of Brexit.   

Convenor:
Dr Mari Hughes-Edwards, Edge Hill University

Speakers include:
Kathryn Ailes, University of Strathclyde
Dr David Alderson, University of Manchester
Anthony Anaxagorou, Outspoken Press
Dr Aidan Byrne, University of Wolverhampton
Dr Emma Deeks, Birkdale High School (Sefton LEA)
Dr Niamh Downing, Sheffield Hallam University
Professor Alice Entwistle, University of South Wales
Dr Angelica Michelis, Manchester Metropolitan University
Dr Ozlem Aydin Öztürk, Bulent Ecevit University, Turkey
Judith Palmer, The Poetry Society
Professor Deryn Rees Jones, University of Liverpool
Peter Straus, Rogers, Coleridge and White 
Michael Woods, Poet

A programme is available.

Registration
A registration fee is payable at the time of booking. For further information and details of how to book please click 'Book Event'. 

Standard Admission: £75 both days, £40 one day. Includes lunch and refreshments. 
Concessions: £35 both days, £20 one day. Includes lunch and refreshments. 
The concession rate applies to: unwaged / retired / early career academics (within three years of completing PhD) / students / disabled. 

Free entrance is offered to companions or carers of disabled visitors.

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