Poetry café at The Brewhouse

Poetry lovers and, in particular, poets, whether they belong to a writers’ group or not, whether they have published any poems or not, whether they write seriously or not, are invited to come along to The Brewhouse to join us in a poetry café run by Fire River Poets. Cafes are open meetings at which members of the audience are invited to read their own work and to enter into discussion and debate with the guest poet and the chairman for the evening.

These are not ‘showcase evenings’ in which audiences are expected to listen in rapt silence, but participatory evenings for poets and poetry lovers to exchange views with published poets with a view to developing more confidence in writing, a better understanding of the world of modern poetry, both in terms of approaches to writing and of the publication ‘merry-go-round’. It is also an opportunity to get to know other lovers of poetry.

The chairman of the evening, John Stuart, who is also chairman of Fire River Poets, said “The important thing about a poetry café is that it is informal, friendly and unfussy. Anybody who feels uncertain about reading their work in public will soon realise that their audience is on their side. It is a great opportunity to see what it’s like and to learn how to read your work aloud.”

The guest poet for this freewheeling evening will be the popular local poet Genista Lewes who will talk about her own experience of poetry and learning how to express her own intimate thoughts. She will answer questions and will be happy to debate issues that arise as well as sharing experiences of when and how to seek publication.

The café begins at 8.00 pm on 1st April 2010, takes place in the Studio and tickets cost £5.00 - obtainable from the Brewhouse box office (01823 283244).