Good old WOL has asked me to write about the South Coast Poetry Scene – so that’s what I’m going to do. I live on the South Coast, so I suppose that puts me in a better position than most to review the ‘Scene’ so, after careful study, much research and bags of extreme personal effort I feel I’m now able to share with you the poetical wonders that stretch from the Kent Coast in the East to the marvels of Southampton in the West.

Apples and Snakes has, of course, recently opened a new branch in Southampton which has given a wonderful boost to our neck of the woods poetically speaking. Pete Hunter, the South East Programme Co-ordinator, is a great poet and a lovely bloke and even encourages people to send links to their myspace pages or CDs for him to listen to, which I think is absolutely sterling of him! Apples and Snakes alone have got lots of great things going, including a new monthly event in Whitstable, at the Horsebridge Arts Centre called Tongue Tide (geddit Tide like the sea! Clever these wordsmiths aren’t they?). Anyway, I performed at the opening gig last month, alongside Disraeli and El Crisis and I have to say it was a really super do.

Peter Hunter

Hastings, where I’m based, used to be a hot-hub of poetry performance, but has now gone onto a slightly lower simmer. Although we do have an interesting poetry/film meld evening called Shoot the Poets, where poets and film-makers collaborate and come up with some wonderfully avant-garde stuff, which is then screened at the funky little Electric Palace Cinema on the High Street in the Old Town.

Moving inland a bit we hit Lewes, home of weird bonfire festivals and, it seems, millions of poets – well Catherine Smith and John Agard to name but two. For a little town it has a lot of live poetry stuff going on. With Lewes Poetry Club at the Lewes Arms and Lewes Live Lit also, rather obviously, based there. Zip back down to the coast again and Brighton is a throbbing metropolis of spoken word events – especially around the time of the festival. And it also homes one of the regular Hammer and Tongue venues, at Klub Kommedia, where once a month you can go and pit your wits in the slam.

Catherine Smith

Sailing West along the coast we make it to Southsea where Tongue and Groove hold monthly performances at the Florence arms. And pop up to Petersfield and Write Angle Poetry and Music Cabaret do their stuff at the Square Brewery – Leah the organizers is an absolute enthusiast and delight. And then we’re back to Apples and Snakes in Southampton where the bi-monthly 451 showcase some of the hottest talents around. Phew!

So that’s it – the ‘scene’ in a nutshell. If anyone else knows of other stuff going on in this corner of the world I’d love to hear about it, go to it, perform at it and continue my extensive, tireless and really quite enjoyable research – thanks WOL!

Kate Tym has had lots of books for children published, and one for grown-ups. She regularly performs poetry wherever will have her. See www.katetym.co.uk