UoG lecturer Angela France appointed as Cheltenham Poet in Residence

  30th October 2015

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Congratulations to poetry star Angela France who on National Poetry Day was announced as Cheltenham’s new Poet in Residence. It’s the first time Cheltenham has appointed a bard, and they couldn’t have chosen anyone better. Angela is Cheltenham born and bred, much of her previous work draws on her relationship with the town, and at present she’s working on a sequence of poems that explores the Leckhampton riots and Cheltenham’s radical past. Angela studied her MA and PhD at the University of Gloucestershire, and is now a popular member of our teaching team. She’s the author of three poetry collections and has won many prizes including the Lightship International Poetry Prize. She’s a major figure in the local poetry scene and runs the popular Buzzwords poetry evening.

Speaking to the Gloucestershire Echo, Anna Saunders, the director of Cheltenham Poetry Festival, said:

“Angela has very strong links to Cheltenham and is a major figure on the local poetry scene but is also an internationally acclaimed poet with a strong record of publishing.

“Her work isn’t comic verse or performance poetry, but it’s very accessible and it often deals with real people at its subjects; her current work celebrates the rebellious nature of Cheltenham people in a very interesting way.”

And as Angela puts it:

“Poetry still has a place. People turn to it at moments of crisis or emotion – a wedding or a funeral, so it’s still important to people.”

Angela’s formal inauguration will take place at the the Civic Mayoralty event at the Town Hall in May.