THE worlds of fashion, theatre and politics are all represented under the umbrella of poetry as the editor of Vogue magazine, Alexandra Shulman, actor Sam West and veteran politician Tony Benn all feature in events at Ledbury Poetry Festival.

And that’s in addition to some of the best poets from across the globe, including for the first time from Japan, music, film, family events and opportunities to write, learn and perform.

The festival opens on Friday, July 5 with three Celtic laureates – Ireland’s Professor of Poetry, Harry Clifton, Wales’s national poet Gillian Clarke and Scots Makar Liz Lochead – reading from their work.

They’re followed by the winner of the Ted Hughes Award, Kate Tempest, a performance poet who, said The Guardian, “plays not just with thoughts and verse, but the conventions of performance itself”.

On Sunday, July 7, Juliet Stevenson returns to Ledbury Poetry Festival for a celebration of the life and poetry of Sylvia Plath and on Friday, July 12, Alexandra Shulman talks to Peter Florence about the poems that have inspired, entranced and travelled with her through her life. Also sharing his Desert Island poems is Tony Benn, who can be heard in conversation with Mark Fisher about his political and personal life and the poems that have inspired him.

The festival ends in style at Hellens Manor House in Much Marcle, where singer Ruthie Culver and the Utter:Jazz Quartet present their vibrant re-imaginings of Benjamin Britten’sWH Auden songs, interspersed with readings by actor and director Sam West.

Elsewhere on a packed lineup are a sing-along with Cerys Matthews, readings from the local Homend Poets, an exploration of the wit and words of Philip Larkin with two of The Archers’ favourite actors, Sunny Ormonde and John Telfer, workshops and the ever-popular Benjamin Zephaniah.

Find the full programme at poetry-festival.co.uk. Book online or call the box office on 0845 4581743.