Yes, the Write Out Loud Marsden Poetry Jam is back on again! After an absence of two years, the poetry jam is returning to its rightful home at the Railway Inn at 11 am on Sunday 9 October 2022, during the Marsden Jazz Festival. So, if you’d like to listen to or perform your poetry, or see the Four Sisters reprise their Andrews Sisters act with a couple of riotous numbers, do get yourselves down there and maybe soak up a bit of jazz as well …

From my experience, a number of festivals have struggled to regain their mojo since the pandemic, with funding slashed, general enthusiasm for socialising impaired and confidence that events will actually go ahead undermined.  It is therefore with great pleasure that I confirm this event WILL happen, because all you need for a successful event is a host, a venue and a stack of great poets with a will to perform!

This year’s event will be slightly different to previous years. Regrettably Julian Jordon, our site owner, compere and jam organiser, no longer lives in Marsden so will not be compering on the day. He has kindly agreed to me hosting the event though and I am still hopeful that we may be able to entice him over on the day, because his wit WILL be missed and it’s far too long since our paths crossed!

For those of you who’ve never met me, let me fill you in on my poetry connections: for many years I was involved on the Write Out Loud admin team helping to moderate the site.  In addition, I helped John Togher run the highly successful Write Out Loud Wigan open mic event at the Tudor Inn – a night that was famed for its irreverent fun-loving atmosphere as much as the quality of the poets it attracted.

With regard to this year’s poetry jam, I’d like to thank Jonny Kelly - artistic development manager for the Mechanics in Marsden - for agreeing to lend his support to the event and organise publicity at a local level.  Some of you may already be aware that Jonny has taken up the mantle from Julian in organising monthly Write Out Loud poetry events in Marsden.  If you’d like to know more and attend one of these, do check out this article outlining Jonny’s vision for poetry within the area.

The spectre of Covid 19 has been with us for far too long.  So come along and share poetry with old friends. Bring your old favourites, your Covid poems, your post-Covid poems and let’s exorcise that C word forever.  There is a future beyond what we’ve all been through and we need to live it.  That journey can begin or continue at the Railway Inn on Sunday 9 October, where in terms of art, the serious and the not so serious rub along nicely.  I look forward to seeing you!

Venue: Railway Inn, next to the station

34 Station Road, Marsden, HD77 6DH

Entry: Free

Time: 11.00 to 13.00