Happy birthday - Pint of Poetry is 10 years old

Created in 2006 by friends Summer Moeed, Mark Grist and Richard Harris, ‘A Pint of Poetry and a Dash of Drama’ has grown hugely from the three people who came along the first night. Most nights tend to fill up the end of Charters’ Bar with over 40 performers and audience members. People are welcome to sign up to perform their own work, or to read a favourite piece of poetry or a short extract from a play.

The night is currently organised and compered by Keely Mills, Pete Cardinal Cox and Mark Grist (all previous Poet Laureates of Peterborough) as well as the current Peterborough Poet Laureate Charley Genever and takes place on the second Wednesday of every month at Charter’s Bar from 8pm.

“When we started the night 10 years ago there was nothing like this going on in Peterborough,” recalls Mark, who used to attend regular poetry readings at university before he moved to the city. “Since we started the night up it’s been amazing to see the variety of poetry that people can come up with. It’s been great to see how the night has developed over the years.”

Several Pint of Poetry performers have gone on to publish their own collections or devise their own live shows. The night itself has also generated two spin offs – Drama on Tap and Stamford’s own ‘Pint of Poetry.’

“It would be great to welcome back anyone who attended in the past to either perform, or just come along and be part of our celebrations,” said Summer. “We’ll be celebrating this year the way we always do – poems, plays and lots of cake. It would be great to welcome back anyone who attended in the past to either perform, or just come along and be part of our celebrations.”