February's Write Angle had people rushing to get in – till there was standing room only. Many new people, along with those who 'won't miss it' . The word is spreading – or should we say the fame of 'the Spoken Word'and Open Mic, is spreading! Poetry is hitting radio, TV and even being made into films, BIG TIME! The evening held the anticipication as ever, of the unexpected!

Mike Knee started out with guitar, singing, 'Changing Lives in Bordon' – about someone in his band, mistaken for Piers Morgan, who suddenly found himself entertained, by a lady begging him to get her on 'Britain's Got Talent'. ('Eat your heart out Piers Morgan. We've found the spit of you'), and 'Genoa', describing the streets behind the main shopping areas,  when 'a power cut brought out stars galore . 'The simplest....place..civilized space'.

Chris Sangster, described 'snowflakes big as golf balls' in 'Winter', and Morocco, 'a Marakesh Moment – with 'constant hassle', and - 'a great trip home'. Anita Fleming, selling her poems and drawings, read 'Roses' and 'The Black Cat', about schizophrenic 'voices on the radio and tele, talking to her – 'It's all in the tale'. -  'we all harm ourselves one way or another'. 'Big Dave' Knight followed with his usual dose of fresh and dazzling humour.. 'The Haiku has 17 syllables, This one has nothing to do with anyone here!'  He then went on.'. 'This is a haiku. The amount of syllables equals your I.Q. (ok. Start counting!) He then did his own version of 'I Got a Shed', where he goes to get out of his head. - Ending with a story about a dentist's visit. 'The Tooth, The Whole Tooth, and Nothing but the Gums!'

JeanAnne Naumchyk did 'things that get left over after Christmas', The things that still sparkle', and 'Home', 'My time is now -when the family's away' A lovely feeling of that special feeling of being alone. She ended it with 'I'm not alone. I'm home!' She then did 'Child's Lament', a conversation between a child and her separating parents. 'You must both tell me, whatever's going on!'  Armando Halpern told us about 'This Side Of The Glass'.

Audi Maserati, as ever, took over the stage and captivated the audience.. - with a guitar he's 'always learning to play', his dark glasses. 'What Happened in the 60s in Manchester' he asked. Then sang,  'Tight trousers, hat, going out on the town'. Then, 'The essence of Dada..' he explained, '... put your fingers wherever they are' and now he's 'living the dada dream'. He truly captured an era gone by. 'Every night at 9.15, I put out the tele...have the same dream...The audience got caught up in his imagination. Audi is an enthralling performer.  John Meriton, a great lover of his hometown, Emsworth, sang with guitar, 'The Ballad of Colin Dodger' and how he drowned at sea. 'But he died doing what he needed to do' Then, the familiar but still loveable and always singable 'Emsworth Blue', starting with Saturday Morning- Emsworth Square. No matter how often he sings it, so does the audience. A great song! John ended with 'Yesterday' and everyone joined him.

Caz Stevens did 'Dear Joe', a friend not seen in a long time, and 'David's Rowing', What's he rowing for? An out of work actor whose granny died of cancer. Now we know why he's rowin' a storm! Bill Woods read of the old days in Widnes with memories of a sulphuric acid company and what it did to the community. Followed by 'Tayside – after two months of snowing – how the 'high tide met Tayside'. Then, his 'first effort at black humour'. - a wife torn between her man and lover. Who was the father of the child?'

Speech Painter, next month's compere at Write Angle, thrilled the room with his fantastic speed, charm and clever wit. First with 'Who put the Bump in the Bumpety Bumpty Bump. You put the earn in earnest, the nam in tsunami. You put me in a mental hospital. You put the ill in killer'. Honest, he has to be heard to be believed! He then tried 'something new'. 'My Jehovah Baby' 'I love her salesman grin. She keeps ringing on my bell. I'd memorise the bible...' ending with 'now, my Jehovah's baby is my Jehovah wife, and once you're in there – you are in for life!'

Jack Warshaw, new performer with Write Angle, and coincidentally, graduate of the same special art school in New York Leah attended, sang and played guitar, explaining how folk songs change over time. He did 'Cuckoo Bird' , an original Clarence Ashley, from Arizona, followed by Mississippi John Hirt, who he met at Newport Folk Festival. His rendition of 'Frankie and Johnny'. Jack comes from a long history of folk singing and playing with some top performers all across the US, before coming to England to live. He loves reminiscing of the days of 'the greats'.

Lastly, but not least – the beautiful and delightfully 'dark', Liz Bentley, Write Angle's Star of the evening. A great interacter with the audience, Liz confidently chatted about everything including her Brownie days, where she showed the badges she won for various awards. 'One for learning to smoke. One for crushing cocaine. She spoke of different therapies, such as cognitive – also known as 'cock and ball torture'. As a child, she wanted to be a trolley dolly, but was 'too short'. Also an ambulance medic, but they were frightened she might drop someone. 'What if the other medic is short too.' It didn't work. Liz asked why everyone liked performing. 'We enjoy it' they responded. 'I'm not sure I do' she said, 'But I'm an exhibitionist. I never got attention from my mother and significant other', she sang.

In addition to the string instruments she played, Liz brought along a box in which the ashes of her greyhound, named Seamus' was buried. 'When other women baked cakes for their kids' schools, she'd take Seamus in his box so people could pay to try and guess his weight. 'This year' she said, 'she entered him in a competition but he didn't win. He came in 2nd, though. - pipped at the post by a can of sardines. 'I know I have a warped sense of humour' she said, smiling that beautific smile she has. She also had another box – larger –  her Aunt Margaret's – not her ashes but her music box.

Liz told how her mother was a shopaholic and when Liz said she was diagnosed with MS, her mother got excited thinking Liz had now got a job with M&S. Liz has a real sense of the absurd. She'd written a book including 'The Suicidal Farmer', for children. About how 'The farmer wants a wife. The wife wants the cook...The nurse wants an abortion...and so on' She read 'Thank You Universe' including 'Thank you, Johnny, for not walking me home so I could get beat up in a place privately' and then, Thank you Charlie, for apologising for beating me up by mistake.'. Also, Thank you for diagnosing my MS. If not, I wouldn't have got my new motability car!'

Liz was full of humour about herself. Meantime, she's won awards galore - has received arts grants and is well known and loved, in the Spoken Word Circuit, having even played 'The National Theatre, Southbank.. 'When she finishes her tour', she said, she's 'going to get on to the list of famous people who have MS – but then, we wonder if she'll have to complete the same unending list of questions, and forms, that she had to do – in order to qualify for her benefitis in the first place! Liz was called back for an encore.

It was a great evening, indeed! Different from every other – but as unpredictable and as exciting!  The raffle was sponsored by The Links at Liphook.

This month, Leah and Jake will be on holiday in the States and Speech Painter will compere, along with his guest performer, Steve Tasane. We're all expecting another great evening of entertainment and hope you can all make it. But better come early, if you want a seat! That's Tues 15th March! Hope to see you then!