Linking literature

Although the East of England is a hotbed of live literature activity, it has long lacked the regularity and frequency of events taking place in London and other cities. The region has spawned such high profile artists as John Hegley, Martin Newell, John Cooper Clarke and more recently Aisle 16 and Scroobius Pip, as well as countless live literature producers. However, there has never been a network or consortium for live literature activists in the Eastern region. When I began co-ordinating the New Writing Live (NWL) programme alongside Luke Wright in September 2007, one of our first developments was to initiate a touring network.

The Poetry Link tour is a new model for the region. We began by facilitating a network of existing local live literature producers in Southend, Norwich and Peterborough. Seeing a gap in provision for up-coming local artists, we designed a model that would enable them to showcase new work alongside national peers within the field. The tour started in April 2008, running for three consecutive nights each month, featuring two headline artists with local support. For the producers, who made up the programming panel alongside Luke and me, it was an opportunity to book some of the UK’s best emerging artists and offer the stage to local talent.

The first phase reached Sundown in Southend, The Monday Night Alternative at Norwich Arts Centre and Speakeasy at The Glass Onion, Peterborough. These venues were visited each month by two headline artists, including Kat Francois, Ross Sutherland, Dockers MC, MC Angel, Scroobius Pip and A Poem In-between People. The tour received record audiences and had local press coverage. The unique thing about The Poetry Link is that it offers local performers a stage alongside nationally renowned artists. For regional poets Keely Mills, John Osborne and Patrick Lappin, it raised their live profiles and provided excellent networking opportunities.

Our main concern is that the tour is sustainable and producers are equipped to continue this work independently. We delivered valuable training opportunities to our producers through a number of workshops prior to the tour. These were also open to the public, offered at a subsidised price, and explored ‘Performing your Poetry’ and ‘Producing Live Literature’. Looking at the future of the project, we aim to secure funding to give producers time to develop their events and audiences and continue to programme high quality and diverse artists. In September 2008 the tour will be re-launched, with additional venues: Maltings Arts Theatre in St Albans and Colchester Arts Centre. This creates a five-night tour, reaching an estimated audience of 3,500 over the course of a year, and will showcase more than 100 local support artists.

The success of The Poetry Link reflects on other regional activists. A successful live literature night makes future programming much more appealing to venues. Venues in this region are increasingly keen to develop a live literature programme, but lack the necessary capacity or resources. We have worked with venues to encourage increased programming by recommending artists and tours. We are compiling a free booking guide for venues, with the aim of making programming easier, and to encourage increased and diverse activity. The Poetry Link reflects the East of England’s enthusiasm for live literature and is helping to establish the longevity of this exciting live art form.