Edge Hill University’s Dr Mari Hughes-Edwards has received funding from the British Academy to hold a major conference on the legacy and impact of outgoing UK Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy.
The conference will evaluate 45 years of Duffy’s literary work in the light of her 10 years as the UK’s first female Poet Laureate.
Bringing together speakers from across the literary, publishing and education world, the conference will discuss topics such as Duffy’s feminist and queer legacy, the impact of her political poetry and her concern for the environmental crises facing the planet.
Dr Hughes-Edwards, a Reader in English Literature at Edge Hill University and a leading expert on the work of Duffy, said: “I’m delighted to be convening this conference at the end of Duffy’s historic literary appointment.
“Having a female Poet Laureate, a feminist Poet Laureate and a Celtic Poet Laureate is long overdue and something worth celebrating.
“It seemed the perfect time for this country – and the world – to interrogate the impact of her literary legacy, her political legacy and the legacy of her life and work for women and queer identities.
“We also need to safeguard the future of British poetry – and the conference therefore ends with a panel discussion about this featuring experts from across the television, publishing and poetry industries.”
It will also be part of the conference’s own legacy to see the launch of a new arts resilience network called ‘art does not get you a job’, launched at the Poetry Society Café on 5th September.
To book onto the conference go to: https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/events/carol-ann-duffy-legacy-laureateship