Tenth voice and verse event for Bar des Arts

POETRY enthusiasts from Guildford are next month (October, 2012) invited to an evening of spoken word and music in aid of Oxfam at a bar in the town.

Bar des Arts will be holding a poetry open mic night on Tuesday, October 16 from 7.15pm and hopes to collect money for Oxfam’s music fundraising event, ‘Oxjam’.

Sara Burks, Co-owner of Bar des Arts, which is located opposite the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Millbrook, said: “This will be our 10th voice and verse event. We are hoping to see lots of people with a passion for poetry attending this wonderful evening. Visitors are welcome to perform their own material in between the guest features.

“The event is free but we do hope for some donations to Oxfam’s music event Oxjam.”

Oxjam is a month long music festival running throughout October. Volunteers are hosting hundreds of events throughout the country to help raise money for Oxfam.

Sara continued: “The open mic night will be hosted by Dónall Dempsey and Janice Windle, who have proven to be a big hit at previous poetry events at the bar.”

The Leano, a duo that performs all over London, will be sharing some of their eclectic rap poetry at the bar.

Poet, artist and musician, Cathy Flower will be one of the acts at the open mic night. Cathy has recently performed at the Edinburgh Fringe and broadcasts on Neutral Zone, a London-based radio show.

Writer and performer Steve Pottinger, who has appeared at Blackpool’s Rebellion Festival, will also be performing on the night.

Bar des Arts is a café by day and a wine and cocktail bar by night. A range of wine, beers, cocktails and soft drinks are available to purchase, along with sharing platters. The bar hosts a variety of events and exhibitions, including live music, dance performances, open mic nights and many more.

Sara added: “Anyone is welcome to join in with the event, or alternatively people can just come along and enjoy listening to the poems.

“People who would like to perform at the event should come along and sign up for a slot at 7pm or email popupoetry@gmail.com.

“This is one of our most popular events with our customers. The performers are always very entertaining and the evenings are full of laughter. We hope lots of people will come along and enjoy our next event.”

Date: Tuesday, October 16, 2012