READING at this year's Ledbury Poetry Festival will be both a familiar and an unfamiliar experience for poet and artist, Nicky Arscott.

Miss Arscott is the daughter of of of the founding members of the festival, Peter Arscott, and she is also a former pupil of Ledbury Primary School.

But her slot at the Festival will be her first experience of reading at one the major poetry festivals of the UK and, indeed, the world.

Miss Arscott, who now lives in Machynlleth, Powys said: "I feel very pleased to be back. I've been writing poetry for a long time and it will be an amazing experience for me to read my work at the festival."

Confessing to being a little nervous, she said: "I hope that people I haven't seen for a while will come along and listen."

Miss Arscott, aged 32, has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Texas and a BA in English from Bristol University.

She has also just published her first collection, a pamphlet from the Rack Press called, Soft Mutation.

She will be reading from this on Saturday, July 4, from 12.15pm–12.35pm in The Panelled Room of The Master’s House.

She will be appearing alongside fellow Rack Press poet, Anna Lewis, and entrance will be free.

Renowned poet, Selima Hill, in a review, has praised Miss Arscott's 'sensuality, paciness, characterisation, sense of

conviction and fun'.

Anna Lewis’s poems explore the lives of a number of early medieval Welsh saints.

Miss Arscott is will also be a guest artist at the Summer Open Studios event, at the Bankside Studios, on the Bankside Industrial Estate, on Saturday July 11 and the following day.

Further details on, 01531 634082.