A LOCAL poet is bringing the launch of his latest poetry collection to Otley in November.

Poet Matthew Hedley Stoppard will be giving a belated in-person launch of his second collection of poems that came out during lockdown last year.

He will perform his the collection called “The Garland King” at Otley Court House on Friday, November 12.

The collection celebrates the ‘rituals of the working and labouring classes’, who have had ‘their culture eclipsed’ by organised religion and politics, and he attempts to create an uncanny space where traditional customs and modern anxieties mix.

Stoppard explores them by ‘donning bells and decorated bonnets’ himself, to connect with Britain’s heritage and with other countries that have similar customs.

He said: “If you’ve ever wondered why Morris Dancers look so happy, it’s because you’re witnessing a person who is shedding every distraction in their life and only focusing on movements of music and movements of their body that have been carried through centuries.

“This is what I felt the first time I danced five years ago. Since then, I have explored other customs around the country and met people who feel the same way.”

The evening will be a celebration of British folk culture, featuring seasonal songs, contemporary poetry, evocative instrumental music, and traditional tunes.

During his revue he will be joined by acclaimed singer Stephanie Hladowski, BBC Folk Award-nominated duo Louis Campbell and Owen Spafford, and Border Morris side Wharfedale Wayzgoose.

Stoppard was born in Derbyshire in 1985 after a brief career as a journalist, he now works as a librarian, and lives in Otley with his wife and two sons.

His debut collection, A Family Behind Glass, was published in 2013 and paints a vivid picture of a 1990’s childhood (complete with miniature waistcoats and rusting swing-sets), and then takes the reader through to the present-day realities of the poet’s life as a father to his own family.

His next publication was Cinema Stories (2015), a collaboration with fellow Leeds-based poet James Nash, celebrating the movie theatres of Leeds, past and present, before publishing another solo collection.

It was published by Valley Press and featured in Guardian‘s Readers’ Books of the Year.

To book tickets, visit otleycourthouse.org.uk, phone the box office on 01943 467466 or pop into the Courthouse.