Hannah appointed as sixth poet laureate for Fenland

Hannah Teasdale has only had a few weeks to get comfy in her new role as Fenland’s sixth poet laureate.

However, it is fair to say that the talented wordsmith is eager to dive in at the deep end and make the most of her year as Fenland’s premier poet.

“I’ve been keen to do stuff. I have a number of commissions already.”

One of Hannah’s first goals will be to use her talent to help raise awareness of a Wisbech outreach initiative which aims to tackle rural homelessness across the region.

The 48-year-old believes the only way to take on such a task is to interact with the people who are directly affected by the issue.

“I don’t think it’s on for me to write about what I think about rural homelessness [so] I want to get as many participants involved so that they can get their opportunity to have their voice heard.”

This ‘hands-on’ attitude to creating impactful verse has characterised Hannah’s approach to poetry since her work was first published in 2013.

Over the years, she has deliberately shunned a distant, observational-type approach in order to work directly with a diverse range of outreach projects in order to generate poetry that feels truly visceral and personal. Indeed, the Birmingham native has won plaudits and

nationwide approval for the often challenging work she has done to highlight sensitive

issues like immigration, racism and domestic abuse.

“I don’t shy away from difficult

subjects,” she admits.

Hannah’s approach and output has seen her garner ever-increasing acclaim from critics and fans alike, with many describing her poetry as “raw,” “brave” and “hardhitting.”

One of Hannah’s favourite descriptions of her poetry style is: “If Joanie Mitchell was at home putting a pizza in the oven then this is what she would write.”

While Hannah has spent much of her life in Birmingham and Bristol, she is now happily settled in Fenland.

The PGCE-trained poet is keen that, along with using verse to highlight the region’s social issues and celebrate local success, her role will enable her to embolden people here to become more creative and develop a greater love for the written word. For the full story visit

Hannah Teasdale, Fenland’s newly appointed Poet laureate, has a busy year ahead of her