Poet Ruth Yates has been announced as Sheffield’s new Poet Laureate, taking on the city’s civic poetry role for the next two years. 

The announcement was made at the Off the Shelf Festival, where Ruth was introduced as the latest writer to become an ambassador for poetry, creative writing and literacy across Sheffield. 

The Poet Laureate role is an honorary post established in 2018 by the Sheffield City Council with support from Culture Sheffield, Off the Shelf and other writing organisations. It aims to champion poetry across the city and inspire a new generation of writers. 

Ruth Yate succeeds Beth Davis, who held the title since 2024. 

Ruth is a Sheffield– based poet who previously worked in speech and language therapy. Their work has been widely published in anthologies including Five: An Anthology and Like Flyering for the Revolution: The Verve Anthology of Protest, as well as magazines including The North, Route 57 and Pennine Platform. 

They said: “It’s a huge honour to be the next Sheffield Poet Laureate, following the footsteps of such great poets: Danae Wellington, Warda Yassin, Beth Davies and Otis Mensah.

I feel very lucky to be in a role which involves sharing the joy of poetry in the city which has become my home.

I’m looking forward to working with Culture Sheffield, Off the Shelf, and people from across Sheffield. I’m keen to be involved in sharing people’s stories, writing about place, environment and community, and learning more about access for writers and audiences.”

Over two years, the Laureate delivers performances, workshops, commissions and community work with the aim of getting more people reading, writing and listening to poetry. 

Cllr Andrew Sangar, Lord Mayor of Sheffield said: “Poetry has a unique way of helping us understand ourselves, our communities and the world around us. Sheffield has a rich literary heritage and a thriving creative scene, and I am delighted to welcome Ruth Yates as our new Poet Laureate.

Ruth’s achievements as a poet, along with their commitment to creativity and collaboration, make them a wonderful ambassador for poetry in our city. I look forward to seeing how they inspire people across Sheffield over the next two years and help more residents discover the power of poetry.”