Some poetry nights hide themselves away in the back rooms of pubs like a guilty secret. Permission To Speak does no such thing. Instead, it revels in taking over the cool, funky venue which is the Scary Canary in the centre of Stourbridge.

Climb the stairs and you find yourself in a large, open room with art on the wall, old sofas, doors as tables, and a well-stocked bar. If this was London – or even Birmingham – you’d be knee-deep in hipsters, but you’re in Stourbridge, and it’s chock-full of poets instead.

Poet Rob Francis has put together a winning combination. Free entry, generous open-mic spots, and a feature poet doing a 15-minute set in each half of the show. The open-mic slots give new poets a chance to take their first steps in live performance, or more established poets an opportunity to showcase new work.

When I last visited in the summer, I watched someone get up behind a mic for the first time. This evening they did so again, with more confidence, and some accomplished writing which stood its own among all the other offerings (testament to the power of poetry, if ever you needed it). We also enjoyed John Hegley-inspired comic poetry, seasonal parodies, a memorable surreal rant which re-named the regional newspaper the Express & Swastika, comic skits, war poetry, and more.

Then it was time for Ash Dickinson, pictured above. I’d never had the pleasure of listening to Ash perform his work, and I can only kick myself for not doing so before. A poet at the top of his game: engaging, funny, and imaginative. His pieces about swapping places with the sea, or the experiences of a poet employed to do cover poems down a nightclub at weekends (but who empties the dancefloor by including a piece of his own work instead of old favourites) were works of genius. Catch him if and when you can. And put PTS in your diary for next year. Steve Pottinger