Cambridge Festival - Poetry Trail

A handwritten poem on a black sign is mounted to a tree trunk, inviting readers to embrace the mysterious calm of evening dew.
Date 16/03/2026 at 10.00 - 22/03/2026 at 16.00 Where Wolfson College Gardens

Follow our self-guided trail through the College gardens which feature extracts of poetry written by Wolfson members from our latest WolfWords poetry anthology, press play

A handwritten poem on a black sign is mounted to a tree trunk, inviting readers to embrace the mysterious calm of evening dew.

Overview

This year's collection is the inspiring result of an open call to the Wolfson community for original poems and images based around the theme voice. You'll find poetry by students, staff, Fellows, and alumni, with the anthology showcasing the talent of Wolfson.

The full anthology is available to read online on our website, and physical copies are available for free from the Porters’ Lodge.

 

Poet Biographies

Alex Amann-Schmitt

Alex Amann-Schmitt studied architecture in Munich and began writing short poems and songs during the Covid years in Lithuania. After graduating she moved to Cambridge, pursuing a Master’s in Building History.

Jonathan Chan

Jonathan Chan is a writer, editor, and translator of poems and essays. His first collection of poems, going home (Landmark, 2022), was a finalist for the Singapore Literature Prize in 2024. His second collection of poems is bright sorrow (Landmark, 2025). He serves as Managing Editor of the poetry archive poetry.sg.

Tal Cohen

Tal Cohen is a second-year History and Politics undergraduate who writes poetry as a form of expression, using it to reflect, process emotions, and explore thoughts much like a personal journal.

Heather Duncan

Heather Duncan is a writer/director, and a second-year postgraduate student pursuing a Mst in Writing for Performance. Her dissertation is a horror screenplay. She is interested in abject spaces and feminist new wave cinema. Her plays have been read and performed in New York and Richmond, Virginia. 

Eiman El-Nour

Eiman El-Nour is an Associate Professor in English Literature at Neelain University. She was a Fellow at Wolfson in 2010. Eiman specialises in teaching African Literature and her main research themes include African women's writing, Sudanese literature, and Sudanese orality. Her poem was inspired by a bird she befriended in her garden in Khartoum, Sudan - just before she was forced to leave her home behind due to the ongoing war.

Jasmine Hepherd

Jasmine Hepherd is currently completing her MSt in History of Art and Visual Culture. Through her poetry, she explores the interconnectedness of human beings and nature, expressing this bond through allegorical organic forms that reveal powerful insights on life’s splendours and hardships.

Zoë Starbuck

Zoë Starbuck finished a degree in English at Murray Edwards College, a few years before starting her medicine degree at Wolfson. She enjoys writing poetry to keep alive her love of literature whilst pursuing a medical career. She likes to write about themes of identity, memory, and family. Currently, her range of medical interests include haematology, oncology, and paediatrics.

Tom Williamson

Tom Williamson is studying for a PhD in Materials Science. He is also the Brian Moore accompanist scholar, music society president and organises the student garden. He wrote his poem in the student garden, opposite Barton House. 

 

Details

Maps can be collected from the Porters' Lodge or viewed online.

The trail is free to follow and there is no booking required. 

Children are most certainly welcome and will have plenty of space to explore - but please ensure they are accompanied at all times. Unfortunately, no dogs are allowed on the poetry trail. 

 

Access

This event will take place in our gardens which have fully step-free access and there is an accessible toilet located in our main building.

 

Contact

If you have any questions, please contact our events team - events@wolfson.cam.ac.uk