Trust promoting life of Mytholmroyd poet Ted Hughes announces Max Porter as new patron

The Elmet Trust is a registered charity, which promotes the life and work of former Poet Laureate Ted Hughes, and preserves his birthplace in Mytholmroyd, which is available as a unique holiday let. Max Porter joins Simon Armitage, the current Poet Laureate, as a patron of the charity.

One of British fiction’s most exciting and innovative voices, Porter is the author of Lanny (Faber, 2019), a Sunday Times Top Ten Bestseller, longlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2019, and The Death of Francis Bacon (Faber, 2021), described as a “miniature masterpiece”. His debut novel, Grief Is the Thing with Feathers (Faber, 2016), was met with instant critical acclaim and won the 2016 Dylan Thomas Prize and Sunday Times/Peters Fraser + Dunlop Young Writer of the Year Award.

Grief Is the Thing with Feathers tells the story of two young boys and their father – a Ted Hughes scholar – in the aftermath of their mother’s death. They are visited by Crow, an imaginative version of Hughes’s Crow, who helps the family to heal. Though very much the product of his own creative genius, Porter’s Crow reveals the author’s deep love for the work of Ted Hughes.

Max Porter said: "I am honoured and delighted to be joining The Elmet Trust as a patron. The colossal impact and influence of Ted Hughes' work can be felt globally but it's right that his legacy should be nurtured from his birthplace in Mytholmroyd. I'm especially excited by the trust's ongoing work in the area of community engagement - helping new readers discover this miraculous body of work - and by their collaborative work with other Ted Hughes organisations in Yorkshire and beyond."

Ruth Crossley, Chair of the Elmet Trust, said: “The Elmet Trust is delighted that Max has agreed to become a co-patron alongside Simon Armitage. This is a very exciting time for the Trust and we look forward to working with Max in the coming months as we continue to keep the memory and works of Ted Hughes alive in his natal area and beyond.”