LEDBURY will be transformed into a lyrical haven as the world’s biggest poetry festival throws open the gateway to the literary genre.

Poets and performers from the four corners of the globe will descend on the idyllic market town for the 17th Ledbury Poetry Festival, which looks set to revolutionise poetry through music, theatre, spoken word, immersive performance, crafts and comedy.

This year’s poet in residence, Naomi Shihab Nye, leads an impressive line-up at the event, which runs from July 5 to 14.

Other guests include former MP and president of the Stop the War Coalition, Tony Benn, choosing his Desert Island Poems.

Actress Juliet Stevenson, who recently starred in BBC One drama The Village, will give an emotive reading of Sylvia Plath’s Ariel and British Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman will give a unique insight into the fashion and magazine world.

Performance poet Benjamin Zephaniah, BBC 6 Music presenter Cerys Matthews and the youngest winner of the Ted Hughes Award, Kate Tempest, also appear, alongside a rare UK appearance from one of the foremost voices in Irish literature, Eavan Boland.

Feral Productions bring a sense of drama with their version of The Mabinogion and a new play from Mick Wood and Théâtre Volière, Poilu and Tommy.

People of all ages will be given the chance to experience a poetic encounter, from a poetry bike ride to the Ledbury Food Market and the Wet Sounds installation that encourages ticket holders to submerge themselves in water while poems are played.

A plethora of children’s activities will keep families happy, with “The King, The Bling, The Kerching! Or, how to write a fairy tale rap...”challenging young writers to get creative and the Roald Dahl Storytellers sharing some of the author’s poems.

Those in need of a wind-down can drop into the Poetry Massage, where a restful zone of world-class poetry will soothe revellers.

For more information, tickets and the full programme, go to poetry-festival.co.uk.