Write Out Loud’s Gig Guide is back – but just for events staged online at the moment. Our Gig Guide – which provided the spur for the formation of Write Out Loud almost two decades ago - was removed from our front page on the evening that the first lockdown was announced in March. Nine months on, and we’re into our second lockdown. It’s hard to believe.

But the good news is that the Gig Guide is back. For now, it is limited to online events that have been springing up all over the country as organisers sought an alternative to live poetry nights. Many online events have developed an international feel as poets have logged in to take part from all over the world. As a global poetry hub, we welcome this.

Here’s how to list your event. It’s free to do so on Write Out Loud, as it always was. You need to log in first. (If you don’t have an account with us already, please use the ‘sign-up’ option, top-right of our home page). On our home page the link to the Gig Guide is the second option, to the right of News. The 'add a gig' option is at the top of the Gig Guide page.

For those who may not have listed before, options available include: event name and description, its date and time, whether a single or repeating event, and also whether it is open mic. Contact details can include a phone number or email address; we suggest a link with log-in details to the live event is not included but made available after contact is made.

Last month, we emailed those who have listed with us before. Many thanks to those who replied. Replies included many who are waiting for venues to be permanently open again before restarting. Many have gone online already, prompting us to adapt the guide for their use.

We reassure those who had listings in the Gig Guide when we took it down, that the information is still held here. As it becomes clearer when venue-based events can restart we'll consult about bringing the stored information up to date.

If you have any queries, please email gig@writeoutloud.net