The Seacroft Canto responds to Dante’s 700-year-old poem, The Divine Comedy, and reflects Seacroft’s local and interconnected stories and histories, transmitting experiences of resilience, connection, and the transformative power of creativity.
Dante’s text is an imagined journey through the afterlife that explores the central concerns of his time – political divisions, war, conflicting religious views, ethical dilemmas, and his worry about the mounting focus on money and power to the detriment of the natural world and human wellbeing.
Written while Dante was in political exile from his beloved home city of Florence, the Divine Comedy is a monumental love letter to life that blends historical and present-day realities with visionary poetic imagination.
In the spring of 2026, Seacroft community writers came together with poet and University of Leeds Professor Kimberly Campanello to co-create The Seacroft Canto. Seacroft writers contributed to this project for a range of reasons – out of interest in the history of Seacroft and curiosity about how it fits with Dante and to see and feel Seacroft afresh.
Click here to listen to a radio broadcast about the Seacroft Canto: https://www.chapelfm.co.uk/elfm-player/archive/2026/04/seacroft-canto-radio/
Click here to learn more about Kimberly Campanello’s work and to view the Seacroft Canto documentary film: https://www.kimberlycampanello.com/theseacroftcanto
Click here to for info on the Seacroft Canto event that took place as part of the BBC Contains Strong Language Festival in September 2026: https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/ep3fbp/acts/acr2hn
