When we first set up Yes We Cant, our monthly poetry night, it was upstairs in the Pretty Bricks pub (a lovely real ale pub in Walsall, well worth a visit if you’re over that way). Then Covid happened, and – like every other live poetry event in the country – we moved online. For the past four years, Yes We Cant has been a pay-as-you-feel event on Zoom, held on the first Sunday of the month, but last Sunday’s was the final one in this format.
For the past year or more we’ve been looking for a suitable venue where we can hold an in-person event which we livestream to anyone joining in from home. Finding one is proving extraordinarily difficult, though we’re hopeful we may have something lined up (more news on that front as and when we have it). What is clear, though, is that a purely online event is far less attractive than it was, say, eighteen months ago. Numbers attending have dropped and dropped, which makes it increasingly difficult to pay our headliners and ‘Alf Enders – and while PPP have never paid ourselves anything for running Yes We Cant since we first set it up in 2017, we aren’t in a position to dip into our own pockets to keep it going, either.
Against that background, making last night the final online edition of Yes We Cant was a no-brainer. But what a way for it to bow out! In a departure from the norm, we had co-headliners in the form of Gill & Mark Connors, reading from their shared anthology ‘The Where We Were’ (Yaffle Press) and the back-and-forth from one to the other, each picking up on a theme the other had touched on in their previous poem… well, that would have made for an excellent night on its own. Luckily for us – and everyone else who was there – the contributions from our ten open-mic poets took the night to another level entirely, and were each outstanding in their own right.
Thanks to Gill, Mark, our open mic poets, and our audience for a great night of poetry. Thanks, too, to everyone who’s ever supported Yes We Cant. Without you, it simply wouldn’t happen. Keep your eyes peeled for the next, exciting step in its evolution!
We’ve been involved with Wolves Lit Fest since it first started, and it’s been joyous to watch it establish itself and go from strength to strength. As this year’s festival slips away into the rear view mirror, here’s our thoughts on it. This is going to be a long post, so make yourself a cuppa and settle in…
The 2025 festival built on the success of previous years, bringing loads of visitors here to enjoy our city, and giving those of us who live in Wolverhampton something they can be massively proud of. There was a perfect blend of events – big names to bring in the crowds, and plenty of opportunities for local creatives to get up behind the mic and share their work with the public, too. That’s massively important as far as we’re concerned – and we’ll talk more about that later. For now, here’s a review of all the stuff we enjoyed and curated over the last weekend…
Friday
Each year, well in advance of the festival, we recommend a headline poet we think would be a great addition to it. Then we leave them and the festival organisers to hammer out an agreement, and hope they can make it happen. This year, we’d suggested Hollie McNish – who is absolutely brilliant – and we were delighted that her Friday night show in the city’s Art Gallery sold out way before the festival weekend. There are few poets who can hold an audience of over 140 in the palm of their hand, but Hollie is definitely one. We laughed far more than poetry audiences normally do, and the queue for signed copies of Hollie’s book ‘Lobster’ stretched all the way back up the gallery stairs at the end of the night.
Saturday.
We’ve run a Fringe Room at Wolves Lit Fest for several years now. It started in the upstairs room of the Lych Gate, moved to the Purity Bar after the pandemic, and has now found its home in the Tilston at the city’s Arena Theatre. In the tradition of Fringe, the shows are free for the audience to come and watch, but they have to pay to leave. More accurately, they lob into the hat whatever they think the show was worth, with all the money going direct to the performer. We always put on five shows, each of them roughly fifty minutes long. It’s a full-on day, but it is absolutely worth it, and the audience numbers speak for themselves – the room was packed! Huge thanks to our performers Susan Murray, Naomi Paul, Robin Ince, Date Night (Autumn & Hannah), and Lee Nelson.
Those of you who were there will know that Robin asked for the money in his hat to go to a local charity. We have now donated all £225 to Base 25, who work with young people across Wolverhampton. Thank you, Robin.
At some point in the afternoon, Steve sloped off to MC the event for the poetry competition winners – and shortlisted poets – in the Arena’s main room (you can see videos of the winning poems here, if you haven’t already) Our thanks to all the poets who came along to this, and a special mention to Wolverhampton poet John Woodall, who read his 2nd prize poem and hotfooted it down to the Molineux to watch Wolves-Villla. The actions of a man who loves misery, we all thought. And how wonderfully wrong we were proved to be!*
With the Fringe Room wrapped up we just had time to head to a noodle bar for a bite to eat, and then it was time for Stars of Slam. One event; five brilliant poetry slam winners. This was an evening of poetry to savour – no headliner, just five excellent poets sharing equal billing – with a rapt audience thoroughly entertained from the first moment to the last. If you get the chance to see Ben Davis, Brenda Read-Brown, Prince Acquah, Morgan Birch, or Bradley Taylor wherever you live, we recommend you grab it with both hands.
We went home absolutely buzzing.
Sunday
This is always a quieter day for us (hallelujah!) but a really important one. We curate the Writers’ Hub at the city’s art gallery. It’s a really important part of the festival programme, giving dozens of local writers the opportunity to share their work in public. For some of them, it’s the first time they’ll have got up behind (or is it in front of?) a mic, and it’s always wonderful to see how doing that changes their perception of what they can do with their work and what’s possible for them. This year, ten different writers’ groups from across the city and beyond gathered together to share their work. That’s maybe ninety local writers actively participating in the city’s arts scene, from first timers like Tettenhall Writers (hope we see you again!) to veterans like Bridgnorth and Coachhouse Writers.
And then, in the blink of an eye, it was Sunday evening, and time to retire to the pub for the traditional –and much-needed – debrief. We’ve spent years perfecting that, too.
Now, for reading this far, a little bonus: over the past few months Emma’s been busy working with a choir in Shrewsbury (the Mere Singers) writing a poem on a subject they wanted, after which a composer turned it into a choral piece for the choir to sing. The poem and song were finally released today, and you can watch and listen to them here. Enjoy. These are utterly magnificent.
And finally….
*We’re not saying that the positive effect of Lit Fest is exactly why Wolves beat Villa 2-0 on Saturday evening, we’re just saying that any reasonable person would recognise the part the Lit Fest played.
Tuesday 15th October was another helping of PASTA. We were entertained with rich words on buses, public transport, and lamb[1] based meals. But it wasn’t just entertainment. It was also educational. Did you know there are some trees in Walsall Arboretum that smell of toffee apples? No, nor did I[2]. Did you know one of our poets cannot swear in front of Canadian people? No, nor did I. Did you know there might be a connection between driving a Mercedes on Wolverhampton Ring Road and public displays of self-satisfaction? No, nor did I? But I did have my suspicions about that one.
We had poems, ballads, short stories, and Gilbert and Sullivan cover versions[3]. More importantly we had those people who are “nervous” but managed to push those fears into the ground long enough to walk to the mic and deliver some great works. Back in the day when the three P’s first sat in a pub we wanted a way to bring new people into poetry and get people to perform for the first time. PASTA is an amazing and unique platform for rookies and long may that continue.
Next month’s PASTA is on Tuesday 19th November. The theme is “I” or if you hold it upside down… well, it’s still “I”. But if you hold it sideways it could be “H”. It could even be “1”. So write some stuff about yourself, about Arnold Rimmer[4] or about Malcolm McDowell[5].
See you in November.
[1] I’m sure Emma and Steve would like to point out vegetarian versions of lamb are available.
[2] They smell of toffee apples even if there isn’t a caravan next to them selling toffee apples.
This afternoon, as part of our series of events bringing poetry to Caldmore Community Gardens, we held an open mic event for anyone who wanted to share their poems (especially ones on the theme of nature). It was a cold, grey October day, but we had twenty-five people turn up. Not too shabby!
Our thanks to MC Gracey Bee, to Jane Flint Bridgwater for some wonderfully atmospheric harp music, to Anna, Anna, and Estelle for the coffee, cakes, and samosas, and to everyone who shared their work. It was great to hear so many different voices – and to have people say how much our series of workshops has helped build their confidence in their writing. That’s a huge result in our book!
The next Caldmore workshop? Sunday 20th October, when we’ll be writing poems and doing a seed swap. Bring seeds from your garden, take some new ones back with you. See you there!
Tomorrow, we’re at BlackBerry Fair in Whitchurch. This is one of our favourite events of the year – we spend all day sitting on a sofa at the side of the high street, writing bespoke poems for folk who’ve come along to enjoy and take part in the festival. Over the years, we’ve written dozens: for grandparents and grandchildren, pet dogs and pirates. We can’t say how much we love this – although that love has been tested in years when the weather’s been a bit grim. We get to chat with so many fascinating people, and we never know what we’re going to be asked to write about next. It may not be every poet’s cup of tea, but it’s definitely ours! If you’re there, pop by and say hallo.
On Sunday afternoon we’re back in the West Midlands, at Caldmore Community Gardens in Walsall, running an open mic to celebrate nature (and National Poetry Day). Gracey Bee is our MC, it’s free to attend, it’ll be fun and friendly, and there may well be samosas. If you’ve a poem you want to read, or just want to come along and listen, you’ll be very welcome.
And once that’s finished, we hotfoot it over to Zoom for October’s Yes We Cant. Our headliner this month is Jonathan Humble, the man behind Dirigible Balloon, and our ‘Alf Ender is Ash Bainbridge. All the open mic spots have been filled already, but there’s still time to join our audience. Get in touch if you fancy curling up on your sofa with some great poetry to round off your weekend.
Yes We Cant, for those of you who don’t know – and yes, it’s cant without the apostrophe, cant as in natter or blather or chat – is our long-running poetry night. Held on the first Sunday of the month, originally in the Pretty Bricks pub in Walsall, then moving online during the pandemic. It’s stayed online since then, partly because we built up a loyal audience of folk who wouldn’t necessarily be able to make it to a physical event, and partly because we haven’t yet found a venue which meets all our needs about accessibility, cost, and the facility for us to host a hybrid poetry night which can be attended by folk in both the real and the virtual world.
At each Yes We Cant we have ten open-mic poets (a strict four minutes each), an ‘Alf Ender (a poet who’s recently had a collection of their work published) and a headline poet (who’s, er, the headliner). And over the years we’ve put on some of the very biggest and best names in UK poetry while creating a friendly, welcoming, pay-as-you-feel space for poets and audience alike.
All this preamble is by way of letting you know that the next Yes We Cant is on Sunday October 6th, on Zoom, at 7.30pm. Our headliner is Jonathan Humble, the force behind Dirigible Balloon; our ‘Alf Ender is Ash Bainbridge; there are ten open mic spots waiting to be claimed. As always, first dibs on those go to folk who’ve never read with us before, or haven’t read at Yes We Cant for a while. Get in touch if you’d like to read, or if you simply want to join our audience.
And there’ll be a half-time video of something obscure and wonderful, courtesy of our very own Dave Pitt. What’s not to like, folks? What’s not to like?
Whenever you return to a gig after a bit of a break for the Summer you always wonder if it will have a negative impact. Will everyone have suddenly discovered a new poetry night which is split into two halves with the first half being on a theme and the second half being on any subject and all held together with shambolic professionalism? It’s possible. We imagine there are thousands out there. Somewhere.
If there are, it didn’t have a negative effect. What a night! As always a wide mix of voices took their turns to entertain what we’re sure is one of our biggest PASTA audiences ever. It didn’t matter if it was juxtaposing football with a new term at Uni, talking about a dream world where writing is financially viable or expert use of the word “protozoa” – we had big laughs, rich language and provoked thoughts.
Now I don’t want to bring the vibe down, but you know the Pandemic? It was bonkers, wasn’t it? So it was nice to not only see some new faces trying their hand but also seeing some old faces us PPPers hadn’t seen since the “before times” of a pre-pandemic world. We miss your faces. We hope you’ll be back.
As always, seeing those people who trust the event enough to make it the first time they read their work in front of an audience proves we’re doing something right. And it also shows how nice and supportive you all are as an audience.
Thinking about it, it’s amazing there aren’t thousands of nights like this. People obviously want this stuff. Then again, maybe it’s because in that place, with these people, there’s a bit of magic happening you can’t get elsewhere.
Whatever makes the magic next month will be worth a punt. If you want to pop along it’s 15th October at The Arena Theatre and the theme is “BUSES” or maybe “BUZZES” if you’re Black Country.
It was an incredible Ironbridge Slam 2024 yesterday. A lovely venue and an almost impossible job for the judges. Top notch poetry and performance all afternoon until we finally crowned our winner Brenda Read-Brown. With David Braziel in 2nd place and Ryan Kenny in 3rd. Thanks to everyone who joined us, to the venue for being such wonderful hosts and the techs who made everything go seamlessly.
See you next year.
And if you enjoyed the music played before the event and during the interval…
Last night, we celebrated seven years of Yes We Cant. That’s seven years of putting on top-notch poetry events – originally in a Walsall pub and now online – which is no mean feat, and we felt we should mark the occasion with something a little bit special. So we did.
Our headliner was the incredible Liz Berry – who did a set made up of requests from our audience on the night, which was just phenomenal. ‘Alf Ender Tim Brookes explained how he’s relatively new to the world of poetry, and then showed us why he’s taking it by storm. Our open mic poets ranged from people performing live for the first time, through to poets with reams of experience. All of them were great. Oh, and NOFB Pitt drank mead. Well, it was a birthday. What else you going to do?
Thanks to everyone who came along, and to all the people who’ve supported us and our night over the last seven years. Let’s make the next seven better still.
You might think that after running Yes We Cant for some considerable time – originally in the Pretty Bricks pub in Walsall, moving online when the pandemic happened, and still there now – we’d be a little jaded. That we’ve seen it all. That it’s next to impossible to find quality poets to join us on the first Sunday of each month and share their work.
Dear reader, you’d be wrong. Each month, we’re stunned by the quality of the open mic poets, and awed by the craft of our features. And last night was no exception. Our ‘Alf Ender was Carol J Forrester, and if you’ve not heard her read yet, we recommend you do. Her work is beautifully layered and crafted. The quality of the open mics? We’re glad you asked. They were astounding. And our headliner, Nafeesa Hamid, knocked it right out of the park.
Nafeesa first headlined for us back in July 2019, when we were still in the Pretty Bricks and her book ‘Besharam’ had been published by Verve Poetry Press just a few months earlier. It was truly wonderful to see how she’s grown as a performer and a writer over the years – her set was utterly compelling.
Next month, we’ll be celebrating our seventh anniversary. Seven years of putting on a monthly event which brings the best of contemporary poetry to our part of the world. We can scarcely believe we’ve done it, and you’d better believe we have something really special planned. Sunday June 2nd. Put it in your diary. We’ll see you there.
