Hosted by the City of Wolverhampton Council, Wolverhampton Literature Festival returns in February 2022 for its sixth year.

The festival aims to champion the creative voices of Wolverhampton and the West Midlands, to provide a platform to showcase the talents of our creative community.

As part of the new programme organisers are announcing a new Poet Laureate.

The city’s Poet Laureate will write poems during their tenure, as well as work on poetry events during the festival. The post will be honorary, lasting two years, and it will continue the work of outgoing Poet Laureate, Emma Purshouse, to encourage and raise the profile of poetry and the city.

The new Poet Laureate for the City of Wolverhampton is Kuli Kohli.

Council Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for City Economy, Councillor Stephen Simkins, said: “The festival is a huge success for the city and brings big acts, plus promotes local talent.

“Kuli is a fantastic advocate for the city, and I am delighted, and so proud, that she has been announced as the next Poet Laureate.

“I wish her all the best and urge everyone to get involved in the festival.”

Kuli Kohli, Author and Poet, said: “My eyes were filled with tears of joy when I found out that I would be the next poet laureate.

“I have always praised and admired Emma Purshouse for being the first poet laureate of Wolverhampton. I had no idea that I would be the next one.

“I am so proud and excited to be able to serve Wolverhampton with the aim to bring poetry as an accessible art form and all its beauty to all corners of the city.

“Poetry is a universal language that speaks to every one of us.”

There will also be events taking place this year in the run up to the festival. The first event taking place is a Creative Writing Workshop - Imperfect, Perfect Woman. This is a creative writing workshop exploring incredible women artists & writers throughout history.  Tickets are £5 (plus booking fee) and can be booked via https://t.co/sFqMIN0ixZ?amp=1.

For more information and to keep up to date on Wolverhampton Literature Festival, please visit www.wolveslitfest.co.uk.

Image captions: Kuli Kohli at the Lady Wulfrun statute in Wolverhampton city centre