Keswick Open Mic

 

I was lucky enough to read some of my poetry at an open mic session in Keswick on Wednesday. This was in Barua Street Food in Keswick. It's a fabulous restaurant that has weekly open mic sessions (as well as a DJ on Saturdays).

There are a number of bars that run open mic evenings in Keswick, all on different nights which is a great idea. Plenty of opportunities to perform and catch different artists.

There is a lovely feel to all of the venues (The Pocket Cafe and Crooked River were the other ones I tried). Barua had it's own fushion-food, cocktail vibe and the staff are really friendly. There was a great cross-section of customers - all ages and backgrounds - and they were really responsive to the performers. There was a mixture of singer-songwriters playing guitars and singers with backing tracks but I was the only poet. My material went down well and it was a lot of fun, though quite scary as well.

Next time I'm in Keswick I'll be heading to one of these venues. It's a really great town for a night out!

Verbalise, June 2026

We had an excellent Verbalise poetry evening at the Brewery Arts Centre last weekend. 

The guest poet was the fabulous Rowland Crowland who had us laugh, gasp and follow his every word. 

His performances are always energetic and full of fun, also looking at the underbelly of society. He was in competition with an England World Cup match and yet he still managed to fill the room. 

I read some of my poems for the open mic session and we all had a fantastic evening followed by a few beers in Kendal. If you spot that Rowland is performing somewhere, make sure you go and see him. He is amazing.