THERE is a sense in which the poetry world can seem quite small, says Ledbury Poetry Festival's new director, Chloe Garner, whose mission is to broaden the horizons of that world.

The programme for Chloe's first festival as director has just been published and it is immediately clear that she's well on track, with appearances from some big names who are not widely known for their association with poetry.

Among those Chloe has booked for this year's festival, which runs from June 29 to July 8, are Jilly Cooper, bestselling author of Riders, Rivals, Appassionata, and most recently, Wicked, who will be choosing her desert island poems' on Sunday, July 1.

Five days later Jerry Hall, probably better known for her looks and her ex-husband than her love of poetry, will be talking to Peter Florence, actor and director of Hay Literary Festival, about her passion for reading and writing poetry.

Names that are just as recognisable, but principally as poets, include Simon Armitage, James Fenton and Tom Paulin.

"The programme is broader this year," says Chloe. "There is loads of pure poetry, but lots of other stuff, with different musical events, a lot more performance poetry and more children's events. I hope as well that there are more things that will appeal to people of varying ages."

Chloe has come to Ledbury from Charleston, the country home of the Bloomsbury group, having successfully managed the Charleston Festival for three years and created a dynamic new festival called Small Wonder: The Short Story Festival. She says: "It's quite nerve-wracking doing something new."

A self-confessed enthusiast rather than a practitioner, Chloe's brief to herself is "to try to bring in people who can read their own poems, people who are good to listen to".

Chloe will be bringing another significant aspect of her experience at Charleston to Ledbury."With Small Wonder, I learnt how you present your events. You need to think about the theatre of the venue."

So how does she set about identifying and selecting such a wide and diverse range of poets and events? "I read loads of poetry - bits of everything, I trawl newspapers and I also get tips from other people and, whenever I can, I go and hear people read."

Looking beyond this year's festival, Chloe says: "I have big hopes of the poets-in-residence and how that role could become a bigger part of the festival, and I love the idea of dramatising poems."

This year's poets-in-residence, Paula Meehan and Theo Dorgan, will be conducting workshops, judging the poetry competion and presenting their own work.

The 2007 Ledbury Poetry Festival will be Chloe's first in more ways than one. "I lived in Sussex and though I knew about the festival I had never ventured this far. This year is going to be about finding out how it works."

To view the full programme, visit www.poetry-festival.com, where you will also find an entry form for the annual poetry competition. To request a programme or to book tickets, call the box office on 0845 458 1743.