A monthly poetry open mic night is set to launch in Barrow.
Squawk Spoken Word aims to showcase local wordsmiths alongside acclaimed and emerging poets from across the UK.
The launch will take place on Wednesday April 29 from 7pm to 9:30pm, at Full of Noises in Barrow Park.
Squawk’s inaugural event will feature an open mic alongside a headline performance from Wigan poet Louise Exactly.
Squawk’s creative director Caleb Staps returned to Barrow four years ago. He said: “When I came back to Barrow I knew one thing I’d miss would be the spoken word
scene in Manchester.
“Poetry nights were such a key part of my student years and when I came home I had one thought – how can poetry happen in Barrow?”
Alongside other local poets, Caleb has been organising, hosting, and performing at one-off and semi-regular poetry nights in Barrow.
They have included supporting Mike Garry at Barrow Town Hall and hosting nights in aid of Mind in Furness at Barrow Underground Music Society which have raised over £1,000 for the charity.
Caleb said: “We’ve started to build a spoken word scene in Barrow.
“That’s why the open mic aspect of the night is so important to me – local people shouldn’t just be seen as an audience, many of them could be and are the artists that people want to go and see perform.
“So many people locally have played their part in making Squawk Spoken Word a reality. I couldn’t have created the night without the support of all my fellow poets, venues, and organisations who have supported me over the years.”
Glenn Boulter, artistic director at Full of Noises has been collaborating with Caleb towards Squawk.
He said: “We’re really excited about working with Caleb to host Squawk! People mainly know us as a space for music and film so we’re looking forward to welcoming new artists and audiences to our space in Barrow Park.”
Tickets are £3 each and a pay what you can option is also available.
