A video that recaptures some of the warm, inclusive informality of Write Out Loud’s poetry jam at last year’s Marsden jazz festival has been uploaded on to YouTube. It forms part of Write Out Loud’s developing YouTube channel, which also includes footage of Steve Mellor at Write Out Loud Wigan earlier this month. Write Out Loud’s founder, Julian Jordon, said:  “Write Out Loud has run its lively poetry jam at each of the last four Marsden jazz festivals, and each one has seen us fill the pub with poets. Supported by Diane Green of Kirklees Libraries, we run workshops ahead of the festival, with attendees going on to read their work at the jam, as you can see in the video.”

Part of the poetry jam’s enduring appeal is its northern roots, with poets coming across the Pennines from Lancashire to support the Yorkshire event. But its lure stretches further than that. The first poet on the video is Jazzman John Clarke, a veteran and legend of the London poetry circuit, who had made the pilgrimage to Marsden to take part in Write Out Loud’s jazz-poetry The Beat Is Back later the same day. Footage of that event will be appearing on YouTube soon, too.