BBC2’s Earth Pilgrim Satish Kumar joins four other notable figures from the world of literature and big ideas – to compete in a ‘Dead Poets’ Slam at Dartington Hall on Monday 14 of July. Their aim – to breathe new life and purpose into some of the greatest words ever written, while playing a part in what promises to be one of the highlight moments of the Ways With Words literature festival.

‘The Dead Poets’ Slam’ is part of Radio 4 favourite Matt Harvey’s notorious Wondermentalist Cabaret, which has been delighting audiences in excess of 150 every month in the 7 stars Totnes, since it started last December. The cabaret is now coming up the hill to the Ways With Words Literature Festival, where it will take on a whole new and considerably more famous dimension.

Programme Director at Dartington’s Schumacher College and editor of Resurgence magazine Satish Kumar is one of the distinguished contestants, a man whose engaging presence has been known to attract audiences of millions to see his hugely popular TV appearances.

Satish Kumar remarks on his poetry choice, “I have chosen to read a poem by one of the most influential figures in Dartington’s history – the Bengali poet and philopher Rabindranath Tagore, who spent a lot of time at Dartington and was a good friend Leonard Elmhirst. Tagore’s poetry operates on the principles of culture, activism and education – three elements that still run at the heart of Dartington’s ideology and the work of Schumacher College.”

Other notable figures taking part in the slam include famous novelist and ex BBC Economics correspondent James Long, local legend and storyteller Clive Fairweather, Poet Christopher North and author of ‘The Secret Life of Words’ and renowned expert on the oddities of the English language – Henry Hitchings.

Festival Director Kay Dunbar said, “Ways With Words is delighted that such a popular and ingenious local event is taking place at the festival, and with so many notable literary figures wandering about – it only seemed fitting that we should ask some of them to take part in the slam.”

The cabaret which is taking place in the Great Hall at 8pm, also features comedy from local favourite Jerri Hart, music from Nomad Shuffle and an audience participation poem, wrapped around a spoken-word spine, consisting of a host of well known local and national poets – all fronted by Matt and his famous superhero alter ego ‘Empath Man’.

Matt says modestly about the event, “Bringing the Wondermentalist Cabaret to Dartington and the Ways With Words festival is the perfect way to celebrate our love of poetry and ideas, while reminding people what a powerful form of entertainment the spoken word can be. ”

Anyone wishing to see and hear the famous faces and voices on display and take full advantage of this amazing opportunity to catch literary history in the making – should book their tickets now from the Ways With Words box office on 01803 867373