A festival
honouring
creativity,
resilience,
& connection
to place.
15-17 Oct 26
Featuring Poets & Publishers of the West / South West
Over 20 events in Stroud, Gloucestershire
Stroud’s first dedicated poetry festival, creating a cultural home for writers, readers, and audiences of all ages, was a huge success!
The Dobunni Poetry Festival will help cultivate a culture in which creativity is valued locally, where young people can see a future for their work, and where older writers can find recognition and community. It has given Stroud a festival that reflects its identity: rooted in place, artist‑led, and fiercely imaginative.
Thank you to everyone who came to our first festival to celebrate the power of poetry and community.
Our inaugural festival featured
PASCALE PETIT
ALISON BRACKENBURY
CASSIE YUKAWA MCBURNEY & SIMON MCBURNEY
PHILIP RUSH - AMBIENT RECEIVER - ZOE BROOKS - CLAIRE CARROLL
ERIN ROBINSONG - CHAKA - EMILY WILLS - JASON CONWAY - CHLOË JACQUET
KATE DENT - HANNAH COPLEY - ROSE LENNARD - GINNY DARKE - KAREN DOWNS BARTON
SUYIN DU BOIS - RHIAN ELIZABETH - ANGELA FRANCE - RACHEL GOODMAN
JACQUI STEARN - REBECCA GOSS - NICK DEGG - LUCY HOLME - ADAM HOROVITZ
RONNIE MCGRATH - ALUN HUGHES - ANDREW HYKEL MEARS - LENZO
LIVING MATTER - JLM MORTON - JOSHUA O'CATHASAIG - PEY OH - ALYCIA PIRMOHAMED
KATE POTTS - ELEANOR REES - ELVIRE ROBERTS - JOSEPHINE LAY - PETER LAY - ALEX PERRY
MARTHA SPRACKLAND - SOLLE - ELLORA SUTTON - EMMA SMITH (NÉE DAVIDSON
TSANTANA - LYDIA UNSWORTH - MERCE WHITE - JAKE WILD HALL
ALICE WILLITTS - JONNY FLUFFYPUNK & UTA BALDAUF X WORD LAB
SLIGHT AFTERPARTY WITH LOST MYTHOS + GOD OF SPORTS
2026 Venues
LANSDOWN HALL - MUSEUM IN THE PARK - TRINITY ROOMS - CHAPELS OF REST - BORDERLESS BOOKS
HOLY TRINITY CHURCH - ROUGH HANDS - YARD GALLERY
A grassroots festival with heart
SPEAK UP
SPEAK OUT
SPEAK TOGETHER
From 15-17th October 2026, we brought internationally acclaimed writers to the inaugural Dobunni Poetry Festival in Stroud, Gloucestershire.
Known for its independent spirit, radical thought and artistic communities, our town has long been a haven for those who live and think against the grain. From a long tradition of nonconformists and the Stroudwater riots to England’s only anti-slavery memorial, birthplace of Extinction Rebellion and Stop Ecocide, and Britain’s first fully organic café, Stroud has always been a place that’s proud to forge a path outside of the mainstream.
In that same spirit of dissent and creativity, the inaugural Dobunni Poetry Festival took place: a new gathering shaped by the town’s history of speaking up, speaking out, and speaking together.
