South East

Hi, I’m Peter Hunter, the South East Programme Coordinator based at The Nuffield Theatre in Southampton.

I am the most recent addition to the programme coordinating team, having started in May 2009, and my role is to support what is already going on in the area, find and support artists and organisations, help create opportunities and develop networks. The South East covers Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Hampshire, Surrey, West Sussex, East Sussex and Kent. This is the largest Apples & Snakes region and is apparently about the same area as Kuwait!

There are several hot-spots for performance poetry in the South East: Hammer and Tongue run popular monthly slam events at Café Tarifa in Oxford and Komedia in Brighton; Tongue in Chic and Poetry Kapow have strong followings at Madcap Performing Arts Centre in Milton Keynes; Write Angle Poetry and Music Cabaret thrives at the Square Brewery in Petersfield; Tongue and Groove pronounce monthly at The Florence Arms in Southsea and Reading’s South Street Arts Centre holds a monthly spoken word open mic with guest performers. Canterbury also has a busy scene with events regularly taking place at The Gulbenkian, Coffee & Corks and Orange St Café/bar, and there is a regular spoken word programme at Norden Farm in Maidenhead.

Spoken word, poetry and writing organisations with strong footholds in the South East include Hammer and Tongue in Oxford, New Writing South in Brighton, Lewes Live Lit in … er … Lewes and East Kent Live Lit based in Folkestone. Clearly here is an enthusiasm and even a hunger for spoken word in the South East. Literature festivals abound: Oxford, Havant, Brighton, Guildford, Lewes, Folkestone and Canterbury all programming spoken word and storytelling events. Canterbury now has a poet laureate, performance poet Patience Agbabi, who works alongside a ‘laureate squad’ bringing poetry to the people and Hastings was once home for Do Not Feed the Poets, one of the UKs pioneering performance poetry groups. Several national figures: John Agard, Attila the Stockbroker, Patience Agbabi and Billy Childish have all made their homes here.

What I can do

I can offer advice and support, help with ideas and funding (No, I don’t have a big pot of money to give away!).

I can discuss ideas and projects and maybe put you in touch with the right person or venue you need to get your poetry rolling. If you’re looking to develop your skills, maybe there’s a workshop I can help you with? If you’re struggling to find places to perform, perhaps my database has the necessary info you need. If you’re looking for a local poet for a specific event, drop me an email or give me a call and I’ll try and match you up with one. I am still relatively new to the South East, so am still piecing together a picture of what’s going on where, but all the time new things are slotting in to place.

I am particularly keen to hear from performance poets and get to know what they’re up to and even see their work; if you have a myspace site send me a link or if you have a CD send it to me so I can have a listen. Please note, though, that I only work for Apples & Snakes 3 days a week (Weds, Thurs and Fri) so be patient. I’m quite a big bloke, but I’m spread rather thin! 02380 315500 ext 206

Select this link for Apples & Snakes events in the South East