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 on 7 April 2011 to join us in a poetry café run by Fire River Poets. Cafés 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 chair of 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 experienced 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 Fire River Poets, John Stuart, said “The important thing about a poetry café is that it is an informal, friendly get together with other lovers of poetry. Anybody who feels uncertain about reading their work in public will soon realise that the 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.”

As guest poet for this freewheeling evening Fire River Poets has invited their colleague, Hannah Wiseheart, to step into the spotlight. Hannah was born and studied in the US, including a period with the great Denise Levertov (1923-97). Her poems have appeared in journals in the US and she has won prizes there. She recently moved to the UK with her husband and lives in Somerset.

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