Richard Harries (not to be confused with the Bishop of Oxford) is a well known spoken word artist with a considerable following on YouTube. He performs throughout East Yorkshire but mainly in and around Hull. His first poem, Pirate Izzy, was written for his Granddaughter; and thereafter he began writing and performing at Folk Clubs and Pubs. In addition to several years at the Hull Freedom Festival he has been a popular feature at the Filey Folk Festival, Cottingham Springboard, and in venues in Leeds, Harrogate and Wakefield. Richard's historical poems have been published in American Journals and his war poems were read in Ypres 100 years after the first shot in the Battle of Bellewaarde in World War I. Richard is often known as the Bard of Withernsea or the Activist Poet of Hull having written for the Action for Hull Group, The Wilberforce Society and supported campaigns to save the Lord line building and Beverlygate.