Poetry / poets
Bertel Martin to perform at monthly poetry night at El Rincón
Set up by Bob Walton in 2022, the monthly not-for-profit poetry night Under the Red Guitar has been entertaining sell-out audiences at Southville’s cosy Spanish bar El Rincón ever since.
It’s the only regular poetry night in the area, but draws people from all across the city and beyond for its combination of curated and open mic performances in a warm and intimate setting.
For Walton, many of the poets that have featured also straddle the oft-perceived divide between so-called ‘page-poetry’ and ‘spoken word’.
is needed now More than ever
“People like Clare Ferguson-Walker (who regularly tours with John Cooper Clarke), Muneera Pilgrim and Melanie Branton, for example, bring the vitality and energy of performance poetry,” he enthuses.
“But the poems of, say, Taylor Edmonds, Claire Williamson or, coming up next month, Rosie Jackson, are more reflective but possess a quiet intensity that is breathtaking.”
Previous featured guests include established local poets Deborah Harvey, Dominic Fisher, Helen Sheppard and Lizzie Parker, and from much further afield, acclaimed New York poet David Lloyd.
El Rincon – photo: Martin Booth
“I also love that fact that for a few poets who have read in the open mic, it’s their first public reading ever in their life,” muses Walton. “Then they’ve come back to read again and gone out onto the broader scene in the city – poets like Paul Truan, Florence Grieve, Maisie Franklin, or Chinese poet Ellie Li and Siberian refugee Vladimir Yustus.”
The headliner of the upcoming event on October 18 will be Bertel Martin, the celebrated Bristol poet, producer and director who founded Bristol Black Writers group in the late 1980s.
“The breadth and variety and linguistic energy and skill of poets across the spectrum in this city is fantastic. The scene is buzzing with creativity and enthusiasm.”
Under The Red Guitar runs monthly at El Rincón, with the next event on October 18 (doors at 6.30pm). Tickets are available at www.wegottickets.com, and must be booked in advance.
Main photo: Bertel Martin/Under The Red Guitar
Read more: Former Bristol City Poet Vanessa Kissule features in new anthology of Black British poetry
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