This year’s Manx Litfest is going to be momentous in more ways than one. The evening of Wednesday 23 September will see the eagerly anticipated unveiling of the Manx Bard at an invitation-only ceremony at Noa Bakehouse. This will be the first ever living Manx Bard, T.E. Brown having been awarded the title of First Manx Bard posthumously last year.

Funded by the Isle of Man Arts Council and supported by Manx Litfest, the Manx Bard is an iconic new cultural post to which the Island’s most worthy poet will be appointed each year. The first Manx Bard competition was launched earlier this year, and auditions took place at The Hub in Port Erin on 8 August. Potential candidates were judged on their poetry, their performance ability and their proposal to engage the public with poetry and Manx culture over the coming year – working in the community and attending cultural events both on and off the island.

Bridget Carter, who heads up the Manx Bard Committee, said, “We are very much looking forward to the great unveiling at Manx Litfest 2015. This project has been nearly three years in the making and we are so grateful for the generous support of Isle of Man Arts Council and also to Tynwald, for giving us a home for our bardic chair in the Legislative Buildings.”

The Bard will be inaugurated in the specially commissioned ceremonial chair, wearing special robes and bearing the bardic staff. The chair was created by celebrated wood artist Graham Hall, the robes by Linda Davies and the staff by Simon Capelan, another acclaimed local artist.

Litfest Director John Quirk, who was one of the five-strong judging panel, said, “Judging was a challenging task. We had a number of very strong candidates, but in the end we were unanimous in our choice of the first living Manx Bard. I am delighted that the unveiling of the Bard, a historic occasion for our Island, will be taking place at Litfest.”

Hot on the heels of the Bard unveiling will be the annual Manx Litfest Poetry Slam, a free public event which promises to deliver an electric atmosphere as poets from across the island and beyond battle it out to take the crown from reigning champion Georgia Zapparoli.

Anyone interested in performing at the slam should get in touch with Bridget Carter on 07624 451697 or bridgetcarterpoetry@mcb.net, or register via the Manx Litfest Poetry Slam Facebook event page.

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