Organised and hosted by Vic Pickup & Katherine Meehan, Reading’s Poets’ Café LIVE brings the very best guests from around the UK alongside an open mic section for local poets to read their work in a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
Set up thirty years ago by Susan Utting, previous curators include beloved children’s author AF Harrold and poet and novelist Claire Dyer, who have brought Britain’s best loved poets to our stage.
Taking place on the 2nd Friday of every month, twenty open mic slots are available to seasoned poets and newcomers alike on a first-come-first-served basis. We welcome poets to read one A4 page or equivalent (approximately 2 minutes) of their best work.
Special Guest Poets coming up:
12th Dec - Robin Houghton
9th Jan - Fiona Larkin
13th Feb - James Womack
13th March - Desree
10th April - James Peake, Kitty Hawkins, Peter Robinson – TWO RIVERS PRESS (locals night)
8th May - Lucy Heuschen
12th June - Ali Lewis
10th July - Rachel Spence
14th August - Oliver Fox
All Welcome
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Inclusivity
At Poets’ Cafe, we believe that poetry is for everybody. We want to ensure that we are collectively creating an environment where people of every faith, orientation, ethnicity and background can feel comfortable, welcome, and supported. Please ask yourself before reading whether your poem contains language or positions that could be hurtful or discriminatory. If the answer is ‘yes’ or ‘maybe’, feel welcome to have a chat with Katie or Vic. We would be happy to suggest revisions.
Photographs and Videos
Photographs will be taken at this event for use on our social media channels. Please let us know if you would prefer not to appear in any promotional imagery.