Having spent part of the year cooped up at home with nothing but their poems to work on, many of the island’s performance poets are gearing themselves up for one of the highlights of the Manx literary calendar.
The 2020 Christmas Poetry Slam is set to take place tomorrow night (Friday) at the South Douglas Old Friends Club, Finch Road, Douglas, from 8pm and will feature at least 18 poets and writers, some who are seasoned veterans of past poetry slams, alongside many who are reading their work out for the first time.
The Poetry Slam is essentially an open mic for poets, performed in front of a panel of judges, who will choose the most worthy of the title of the 2020 Slam champion.
The current reigning champion is local figure and one of the Manx Bards, John ’Dog’ Callister, who won in a tightly-fought contest in Port St Mary last year, coming top of a field of more than 22 poets. He is due to take part again this year, alongside two other former champions, Howard Caine, who won in 2018 and Jackie Morrey-Grace.
Other regular slam poets also taking part are Rakie Bennett, Helen Jessup, Maire Stephens, John Davies and Cat Jenkins, alongside two more bards, Annie Kissack and Stacey Astill.
The poetry slam is usually held as part of the Manx Litfest and would normally take place in September.
However, the slam was cancelled after the Litfest organisers decided not to hold a festival this year.
However, organiser Bridge Carter said that she felt compelled to hold a slam after being inundated with requests.
’It came to the point that I couldn’t walk down the street without somebody asking me whether or not there was going to be a slam this year,’ said Bridge.
’It just shows how popular the event has become over the past few years.
’Obviously, without the Litfest, we were unable to hold our regular event, but we thought that a slam at Christmas might be fun.’
The judges this year will be the Lt Governor, Sir Richard Gozney, Chief Minister Howard Quayle, Daphne Caine MHK, published author, poet and photographer Janet Lees and Grainney Sheard, from the Isle of Man Arts Council, along with compere, 3FM DJ Charlie Smith.
The night will be opened by Bridge, herself a former slam winner in 2012, who will read her own ’sacrificial’ poem.
’’The only shame is that we are unable to welcome people from across,’ said Bridge.
’We’ve had a lot of people travel over in the past and I think we had three people from the UK last year, including our compere Mark Grist.
’But poetry nights are getting more and more popular over here and I think it’ll be interesting to hear what people will have written after the year we’ve just had.
’I’m looking forward to hearing what our new poets come up with.’
The event has been sponsored by UHY Crossleys.
by Mike Wade
Twitter:@iomnewspapers