Welcome to Poetry Club – a space for poetry lovers, poetry amateurs and the poetry curious. Each month we’ll welcome a different Poetry Club Curator who will introduce you to the work of their favourite poet or collection.

Our Curators could be poets themselves, or perhaps they’ll be writers, musicians, artists, scientists or personalities. Join us for a journey of discovery as we explore the work of poets old and new.

We’re thrilled to welcome Nikita Gill as our host for June, discussing her chosen collection, Everyone Knows I Am a Haunting by Shivanee Ramlochan.

Click here to join the club on Facebook.

Take part across Twitter and Instagram by following us @BradfordLitFest and using the hashtag #PoetryClub

About The Poet

Nikita Gill

Nikita Gill is a British-Indian writer and poet living in the south of England. Her works include Fierce Fairytales: & Other Stories to Stir Your Soul (2019), Great Goddesses: Life Lessons from Myths and Monsters (2019), The Girl and The Goddess (2020). Her most recent book Where Hope Comes From: Poems of Resilience, Healing and Light was published in 2021. With over 500,000 followers, Nikita is one of the most popular poets on Instagram.

About The Host

Syima Aslam

Syima Aslam is the founder and Director of Bradford Literature Festival, which she established in 2014. In just five years the festival has grown to a 10 day literary and cultural celebration, welcoming 70,000 visitors to Bradford annually.

Under Syima’s directorship, BLF has made a significant impact on the country’s literary landscape, hailed as ‘one of the most innovative and inspirational festivals in the UK’, bringing together literature from all genres, promoting intercultural fluency, providing a platform for marginalised voices, and reflecting the changing face of contemporary Britain through a programme which celebrates diversity, empathy and artistic excellence.