Just Write Speaks

Open Mic Event

Contact: bunburymagazine@gmail.com

Want some more poetry in your town for your eyes and face in the best pub in Bury?

Just Write Speaks returns for another installment of some of the best spoken word in the area. As usual, we will have open mic spots available - 10 of them at 3 minutes each.. If you would like a slot, sign up below or turn up on the night as early as you can to ensure you get one as they go fast!

We care about your health and well-being - doing poetry in front of people can be exhausting! Because we care so much, if you go too far over the three minute mark, we will give you the next month off so you can recooperate.

We also have some brilliant headliners for you as usual. Here is some words about them:

Pete Slater: An art school dropout more than 45 years ago I sort of “fell” into poetry about 6 years ago. I became a poet by accident when asked to join an artist’s collective. I had nothing to offer other than some dusty sketches from my 45 year old art folder. Rooting through I found two lines from a “poem “I had tried to write all those years ago ... AHA!! ... I thought, I’ll add a couple of lines to this, photoshop a picture as a background and I have a piece to take to the collective. I sat down to do just that and I haven’t stopped writing since. I was advised by a couple of “performance poets” I had met through the collective to read my scribbles at an open mic, having never heard of such a thing, I was curious and went along and was completely smitten. Since then I have been lucky enough to be invited to be guest poet at various venues around the North West. Who’d’a’thowt’it? Me, a bus driving accidental poet reading his stuff in public. Poetry has been good for me......... A photoshop done by my own fair hand.

Kieren King: Kieren King is a Salford based spoken word artist. He is best known as the co-creator and host of popular Manchester spoken word nights, Evidently (Shortlisted for Best Regular Spoken Word Night – Saboteur Awards 2015 & 2016) and the Word War Slams, and formerly as a host of Bang Said The Gun: Manchester. He has recently been hand-picked by Guy Garvey to curate a Spoken Word event as part of the 2016 Meltdown festival at the Southbank Centre in London.

An experienced performer in his own right, Kieren has been writing and performing his work since 2008 and has performed at various festivals including: Kendall Calling, Wychwood, 2000 Trees, Rebellion, Strummercamp and the Cheltenham Poetry Festival and has featured at a number of spoken word nights throughout the UK, including several performances for Amnesty International and Musicians Without Borders. A multiple slam champion, Kieren was also part of the guest Manchester slam team at the 2016 Hammer & Tongue grand final. Earlier this year he was longlisted for the Saboteur Award for Best UK Spoken Word Artist.

He has appeared on several local radio and television shows and was featured on ITV News coverage of Billy Bragg’s “Welcome To Manchester” gig during the 2015 Tory Party Conference and has a weekly spoken word show on FAB Radio International.

So there we go! There is a suggested donation of £1 for the night. This money goes towards treating our headliners like the stars they are and will be used to fund some exciting things in the future!

Can't wait to see you all there. Invite friends too. The more people that come, the better!

Entry: £1 Suggested

Time: 8:00pm