The Grove Bookshop in Ilkley is delighted to host an evening of poetry with local poet and yogi, Emma Conally-Barklem, at 7pm on Thursday, July 13.

Emma has gained a reputation across social media for her YouTube yoga sessions and across the spoken word circuit for her inclusive open-mic sessions.

Bradford-based Emma will be reading from her first poetry collection, The Ridings. Named after the area in which she grew up, the collection focuses on family, personal connections, and the memories held in the scenery all around us, including Ilkley Moor, Baildon Moor and Top Withins.

"Ilkley has been a part of my family since I can remember," says Emma. "Every Boxing Day we would take a walk up to White House and every summer hike the full moor, arriving at the top only to find another hill to climb. My dad carved the date into a rock in the stream at the bottom, 8/08/88, which is the title of one of the poems in my collection, a tribute to my parents, our lives together and the nostalgia for home."

Last year, Emma had a summer residency at the Brontё Parsonage Museum, and she was commissioned to write a poem – Mágoa, which appears in the collection – for the Ilkley Literature Festival.

She has since been commissioned to write a poem celebrating the festival’s 50th anniversary. She has been announced as New Northern Poet for the second year running.

The Ridings is out with Bent Key Publishing and is available to buy from The Grove Bookshop (£7.50). Emma will be reading from The Ridings, discussing the inspiration behind her poetry and signing copies of her book.

"Performing in Ilkley is emotional as I know my dad would have been escaping for a cigarette out the back and my mum would have been on the front row taking blurry photos, my biggest cheerleader," she added. "The warmth of West Yorkshire folk who get it and know is always a comfort. Laughter and tears are to be expected and provoking the memories of the audience is always a precious part of my performance."

Tickets are £5. To reserve your place, pop into the shop on The Grove, Ilkley, call on 01943 609335 or RSVP via the website: www.grovebookshop.com/events.