The poetry scene in the South West has always been pretty lively, although if you talk to some of the stalwarts Bristol performance poetry in the late '80's and early '90's, they will tell you that it isn't like it was. And of course it isn't like it was. It is different.  But it is definitely alive and kicking.

It is true that the slam scene in Bristol is only a pale shadow of its former self, with no regular events and only a few showcases each year courtesy of the Bristol Poetry Festival (which this year has split itself into a 4 day Spring Fest and a week long September Fest). But travel a bit further afield and there are slams in Festivals in Bridport, Frome and Swindon plus of course the Glastonbury Festival slam, which is one of the highlights of the annual poetry facet of this musical mudfest. Whilst in Bath there is an annual public contest for the honourable post of Bard of Bath. A position that has just been replicated in Exeter, where Liv Torc has been chosen as the first Bard of Exeter.

But poetry slams are only one strand of the live poetry scene in the South West. They are fun and lively, but not for everyone by any means. A much better gauge of the strength of a local or regional poetry community is the extent and frequency of open events that give poetry aficionados the chance to hear great verse read/performed by excellent local and national writers, as well as events that give new and developing poets a chance to share their words and learn from hearing others.

In the Bristol and Bath area there are a number of regular and semi-regular spoken word events. These vary from the relatively intimate to the full-on performance gig. And whilst this article is not attempting to be inclusive of all that goes on, I will mention a few names.

On the intimate side of things there is: Poetry Unlimited at Café Kino Bristol; Portcullis Poets in Clifton; ASP Poetry Circle Keynsham all these meet monthly and  offer a low key chance to share favourite poems ( original or by others).

The slightly louder performance aspect of spoken word is catered for by one of Bristol's longest running open mic nights, Acoustic Night (acousticnight.com), which fortnightly puts on a great evening of spoken word and live music. This is an excellent venue for aspiring poets to take their first steps into the world of audience reaction. Whilst for the audience there is always a guarantee of top featured performers.  In a Bath, a similar ambiance is guaranteed at the monthly What A Performance evenings, that were started by the wonderful poet and musician David Angus, who sadly died, all too young, last year.

For me as a performer and a keen audience member, I really enjoy the mix of spoken word and live music. I like the opportunity to share my words with people, who are not died-in-the-wool verse fanatics. This opportunity is extended even further in the cabaret nights that are run from time to time in Bristol – Lansdown Cabaret and Bath – Emporium Cabaret. Here music, magic, acrobatics, poetry, juggling, stand-up comedy and films are combined for amazing evenings.

There is so much more that could be written about the spoken word scene in the South West and the many innovative ways that poetry can be brought out into the world, including the burgeoning community radio stations, such as Source FM(96.1) Cornwall and Ujima Radio in Bristol, which both have regular poetry programmes.

In conclusion, the best starting point for finding out what is going on in the South West try the Poetry Can website - poetrycan.com with its monthly events bulletin and its links to Literature South West. If you live in the South West and love poetry and the spoken word, you'll be amazed at how much there is out there for you.

David C Johnson http://www.writeoutloud.net/poets/davidcjohnson