Make Yourself Heard With Spoken Word

The spoken word scene in Liverpool is young, thriving and ready to be heard. There are plenty of great open mic nights around that are changing the image of poetry as belonging exclusively to fusty old fat guys with a vocabulary to match their appearance.

There’s a wealth of pubs, clubs and people who are helping to bring this emerging scene to the forefront of students’ attention in Liverpool, and are showing that anyone can and should get involved.

The Pilgrim Pub on Pilgrim street, aside from being a great corner of the city for cheap drinks and rustic atmosphere, plays host to a series of open mic nights organised by In The Red – a 12 year old student run organisation that produces an annual magazine that ‘aims to publish new writers of poetry and prose fiction alongside established authors’.

If you love to write – this is the perfect place to submit your work. Far from being elitist or judgmental, they are always on the look out for ‘the raw stuff as well as the chiselled masterpieces’.

The Pilgrim

If you’ve never even heard a poem or story in your life, there’s all the more reason to go. The performances may range from first timers to experienced poets but one thing they have in common is that they are students just like you.

This captive, welcoming and easy going audience are what has helped In The Red become so great for aspiring poets, curious listeners and everyone in between. I caught up with Criss Fletcher, one of the editors of In The Red who shared some advice for aspiring poets:

“Know the scene and make yourself known”. The best way to do this? “Go to the events, meet the people and keep in touch with what’s going on”.

In The Red open mic night – a captive audience

So there you have it. If you want to lose your spoken word virginity, you could do a lot worse than an In The Red open mic night, advertised regularly on their Facebook page.

With other nights such as The Dead Good Poets society (every 1^st and 3^rd Wednesday at Garden Cafe, Blackburne House) and The Liver Bards (every 3^rd Monday at the Ship & Mitre Pub) helping the spoken word scene thrive, there is now an influx of students that are taking part.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KED5hhX42Us[/youtube]

Ryan Devin performing for Well Spoke

Whether you’re an undiscovered poet or just a curious listener,  there’s never been a better time to get involved!

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