Words will be bouncing off the walls, streets and gardens of a Kent city this week when a popular literature festival returns.

The fourth annual Wise Words event starts on Friday, September 12 across Canterbury and this time around it’s gearing up for its best year yet.

More than 70 performances will be put on over the 10-day festival and organisers have attracted a host of artists and famous names to inspire wonder and encourage curiosity.

Visitors can enjoy thought-provoking talks, music, story-telling, poetry readings and other performances, with poets performing everywhere from coffee shops to punts gliding along the River Stour.

They will also take to the streets to battle for the audience’s vote to be crowned the king or queen of the poetry Street Slam, while storytellers will also perform on the river and authors will fill the beautiful tents in Canterbury’s gardens.

The majority of activity is set to take place within the city’s Greyfriars Franciscan Garden but many performers will spill out onto other parts of Canterbury to fulfil their creative urges.

UK Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy – the first-ever female laureate – will headline this year’s festival and invites guests to her Evening with Carol Ann Duffy event at the Gulbenkian Theatre on Friday, September 12. Tickets for her performance are priced at £10 and she will bring music and poetry together with the help of virtuosi multi-instrumentalist and actor John Sampson.

The UK’s finest spoken word rapper, Kate Tempest, will also be in Canterbury and will treat audiences to an exclusive early performance of her latest collection on the festival’s final day on Sunday, September 21.

For the full programme of performances and to book tickets, visit www.wisewordsfestival.co.uk