Poets and alcohol have a long shared history, and it seems only fitting that we should celebrate that association as part of our grassroots festival. Last year’s Poets in the Pub was a resounding success: so much so that we have decided to forget the double this time round and go straight for a treble top and bullseye finish!
Not only that, but while all the events will have the full Voices flavour, your usual hosts Pam (Flitt) and Ivor (Folio) will be stepping aside to hand MC duties over to two very special guests for weeks two and three.
Thursday June 9th at Even Flow Café, Bar and Record Store: as indicated above, Flitt & Folio are your hosts for this one and will be waxing lyrical (see what we did there?) while browsing the extensive range of fine vinyl on offer. Please reserve your seat in advance and indicate whether you intend to perform. Book early to avoid ‘standing room only’ at this popular venue: 01892 739991. From 7:00pm
Wednesday June 15th sees our pub poets happily ensconced in the warm and friendly bosom of Rusthall Club. This venue is at the hub of Rusthall village life and we are delighted to introduce slam winner AP Staunton as headliner alongside our guest MC, local slam favourite Harry Barden, to its wonderful clientele. From 7:00pm
Wednesday June 22nd sees us in The Plant Base Café Bar for our final PiP outing and we are proud to be the first such event to be staged there. There is a lovely performance space in the bay window to accommodate our guest MC John Wheeler, and we’re sure those who attended his performance workshop earlier in the festival will make the most of this opportunity to showcase what they’ve learned. Please note this is a card only (cashless) venue. From 7:00pm
So there you have it, three brilliant evenings of free entertainment in three wonderful venues across town. Of course, an open mic is nothing without open mic performers, and we know from past experience that Tunbridge Wells is full of amazing local talent to make these evenings fly. As always we’ll be offering 3 – 5 minute slots on a first-come-first-serve basis for poets, singer/songwriters, comedians and anyone else playing with fresh and original words. To register your interest for any or all events just drop us a line below.
Tunbridge Wells Poetry Festival 