A UNIVERSITY of Worcester student has been selected as the youngest-ever Poet Laureate in Worcestershire.
Freddie Barker, 22, is in the third year of her degree in Film Production and Screenwriting and will graduate this September.
The accolade was awarded by the Worcestershire Literary Festival and Fringe Community Interest Company (CIC), which was started to promote literate and poetry across the region.
Freddie, who had to perform two poems as one of three finalists for the role, said: “It was surreal. I was so happy just to make it to the final and to have that on my CV.
“When they announced that I’d won, I was just ecstatic.
“I was a bit scared off by GCSE poetry, but when I came to university, I joined the poetry society and found I really loved the community and the people.”
Freddie has events lined up including a performance at the Ledbury Poetry Festival Celebration Day and Worcester Fringe.
She said her goal was to bring poetry into the forefront of Worcester’s creative scene.
“We have beautiful murals, we have buskers and musicians, but we don’t have a lot of poetry in our day-to-day lives,” she added.
“I want people from all walks of life to get involved, because some people see it as something that’s not for them, so there’s some myth-busting to do.”
