It was a lovely treat to be invited to read at the Out and Wild Festival earlier in June. In just its second year, Out and Wild is a wellness festival aimed at LGBTQ+ women which takes place in the beautiful coastal setting of Lawrenny, in south west Wales.

The Spoken Word tent was a cosy oasis of bean bags and benches, with a stunning view over the estuary through the back. I don’t think I’ll ever do a reading with a better view! The space created an intimate, friendly feeling for all the readers, and I particularly enjoyed the performance by storyteller Deb Winter earlier in the afternoon.

I made the most of the rest of the festival too, experiencing Taiko Drumming, Forest Bathing and a Silent Disco for the first time.

Given that the festival focused on LGBTQ+ women, it was a great space for reading some of the poems from Other Women’s Kitchens, and I really appreciated chatting to several women afterwards about how the poems resonated with their experiences. It was also good to try out some new poems on an audience for the first time.

With just 700 people there, the whole festival had a really friendly vibe, and it was good to keep bumping into the same people at different activities. I’m really looking forward to going back!