Poet Laureate Simon Armitage will visit Orkney later this spring as part of his nationwide Laureate’s Library Tour, with Orkney Library & Archive selected as the final stop of the 2026 programme.
The visit will take place on Tuesday 19 May 2026 when Simon Armitage will deliver a free public poetry reading at the library in Kirkwall.
The tour sees the Poet Laureate visiting libraries across the UK using the alphabet as a guide, with this year’s route covering locations beginning with the letters N to P.
Orkney joins a small group of libraries selected for the 2026 programme alongside locations including Portsmouth and Newcastle in County Down.
Simon Armitage said:
“My experience of reading and writing began in the village library where I grew up, then in the nearby town library, then in libraries at various places of study and teaching.
“For many people, they are an invaluable aspect of everyday life, giving access not just to books but to services, learning, conversation and creative thinking.
“I want to pay my respects to these unique institutions.
“By planning readings up to a decade in advance, I’m being optimistic about the future of our libraries.”
The Laureate’s Library Tour is designed as a long term project celebrating libraries as cultural and community spaces while encouraging wider public engagement with poetry and reading.
Orkney Library & Archive was chosen as the final stop of the 2026 schedule in recognition of its importance within the islands’ cultural life and its role as a shared community space.
The event will also feature contributions from local poets and singers from the Orkney Voices group alongside celebrations linked to the library forecourt’s Interactive Orkney Flora Trail.
Vikki Kerr, Team Leader of Orkney Libraries and Archive, said:
“We’re delighted to welcome Simon Armitage to Orkney Library as the finale of his 2026 Laureate’s Library Tour.
“Orkney library is a place where people come together, so it’s a real honour to host Simon and celebrate the role libraries play in community life.”
Simon Armitage was appointed Poet Laureate in 2019 and is widely regarded as one of the UK’s most recognisable contemporary poets.
Alongside his own writing, his work as Poet Laureate has focused heavily on widening access to poetry and supporting the cultural spaces that encourage reading, creativity and learning across communities.
More about Simon and his tour can be found here: simonarmitage.com/biography/
