History of Past Events  (listing main readers)


2012 - 2014 at our first venue: Olive's Café Bar, Elm Hill

2012
February   Bill Jervis and Anna Reckin
March   Hilary Mellon and Bob Sheed
April   David Street and Peter Watson
May   Julia Webb and Lynn Woollacott
June   Claire Hamburger and Satyadaka
July   Barrie De Lara and Sarah Walker
August   Readings from Shakespeare
September   Pete Goodrum and Hilary Stanton
September   Fiction Night Special with Andrew Hook, Lander Hawes and Terri Armstrong
October   Dot Cobley and Della Taylor Leake
November   Nick Jackson and Graham Jones
December   Readings for Victorian Christmas

2013
January   Tish Kerkham
February   1st birthday at Olive's!  President Gas and John Vaughan
March   Adrian McKeogh and Hilary Mellon
April   Spring has Sprung ! Readings on nature and the seasons.
May   Pete Belton and Dot Cobley
June   Guest poet from Australia: Aidan Coleman with 'Down Under' open mic.
July   Elspeth Rushbrook and J.D. Taylor
August   Shakespeare in the Garden (Grapes Hill Community Garden, Norwich)
September   Susan Sydney-Smith and Peter Watson
October   Bob Sheed and Lynn Woollacott
November   Caroline Gilfillan and Pete Goodrum
December   Readings for 20th Century Christmas

2014
January   Barrie De Lara and Sarah Walker
February   Merle Colborne and Hilary Stanton
March   Graham Jones and John Vaughan
April   Theme: "WIT & WISDOM" (April Fool)
May   Dot Cobley and Hilary Mellon
June   Tish Kerkham and Mark Sorrell
July   Jeremy Gaskell and Gerry Ryan
August   Shakespeare in the Garden (Grapes Hill Community Garden, Norwich)
September   Steve Glasson and Bob Sheed
October   Readings on war and peace for the Great War Centenary
December   Christmas Party and farewell to Olive's


2015 - 2020 at Jurnet's Bar, King St

2015
February   Lynn Woollacott
March   Matthew Walpole
April   Pete Goodrum
May   Theme: "NATURE & THE SEASONS"
June   Hilary Mellon
July   Open mic (no set theme)
September   Tish Kerkham
October   Theme: "BIRDS, BEASTS & HUMANKIND"
November   John Vaughan and Elspeth Rushbrook
December   Seasonal Poems

2016
January   Mark Sorrell
February   Theme: "LOVE & LUST"
March   Peter Wallis
April   Theme: "WAVES"
May   Peter Belton
June   Theme: "ELEMENTS"
July   Ken Cumberlidge
September   Bob Sheed - book launch
October   Theme: "FLIGHT"
November   Hilary Stanton
December   Theme: "IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN!"

2017
January   Barrie de Lara
February   Theme: "CLOTHING"
March   Sarah Walker
April   John Vaughan - book launch
May   Theme: "PAIN"
June   Graham Jones 
July   Theme: "PLEASURE"
September   Rupert Mallin
October   Theme: "FALL"
November  Book Launch: "Confession - Made in England" by Miroslaw Przybyla
December   Theme: "CHRISTMAS", plus launch of pamphlets by Tish Kerkham, Geof Gaskill and Peter Belton

2018
January  Showcase event: Stuart Spagatner, Matt Jewell and Simon Richardson
February   Theme: "VALENTINE / ANTI-VALENTINE"
March   Betty Hasler
April   Theme: "APRIL"
May   Showcase event: Steve Glason, Phil Hawtin and Patrick Widdess
June   Sue Burge
July   Theme: "NOSTALGIA"
September   Theme: "AUTUMN"
October   Tribute night to Peter Watson
November  Helen Wells
December  Theme: "LIGHT"

2019
January  Theme: "SERENDIPITY"
February   open-mic with no theme.
March   Theme: "MARCH HARES & OTHER ANIMALS"
April   Theme: "THE STRAND"
May   Sally Festing and Peter Wallis
June   Theme: "FATHERS"
July   Open-mic (no theme).
September  Tribute night to Steve Glason
October   Tribute night to Bob Sheed
November  Theme: "PLACE"
December  Theme: "INDULGENCE"

2020
January   Pete Goodrum
February   Theme: "UNCERTAINTY"
March   Theme: "Celtic/Irish" - CANCELLED (Coronavirus)
April   CANCELLED
May   CANCELLED


2020 onwards, online via ZOOM

June   Small-scale Zoom test
July   Small-scale Zoom test
August   First all-comers open-mic Zoom session. No theme.
September  Mark Sorrell
October   Theme: "CONFUSION"
November  John Vaughan
December   Theme: "DECEMBER"

2021
January   Unthemed open-mic
February   Theme: "LIGHT & DARK"
March   Beth Hartley
April   Theme: "OPENINGS"
May   Phil Hawtin
June   Theme: "TREES"
July   Theme: "SUMMER"
August   Peter Wallis
September  Theme: "SOUNDS & SILENCE"
October   Theme: "FALLING"
November  Carol Raithatha
December   Theme: "PROMISES"

2022
January   Unthemed open-mic
February   Hilary Stanton (10th Anniversary)
March   Unthemed open-mic
April   Unthemed open-mic
May   Theme: "WORK"
June   Heather Howard/Peter Howard
July   Theme: "EDGES"
August   Theme: "ROADS"
September  Ken Cumberlidge
October   Theme: "CALM & TROUBLED WATERS"
November  Vron McIntyre
December   Theme: "THIS DARK TIME"

2023
January   Unthemed open-mic
February   Unthemed open-mic
March   Unthemed open-mic
April   Theme: "POSSESSION"
May   Theme: "HOME"
June   Unthemed open-mic
July   Eileen Hagger-Street
August   Theme: "MEETINGS"
September  Unthemed open-mic
October  Theme: "WORDS"
November  Theme "FIRE"
December   Unthemed open-mic

2024
​January   Theme: "WATER"
February   Theme: "DAYS"
March   Theme: "JOURNEYS"
April   Theme: "NATURE"
May   Unthemed open-mic
June   Theme: "DATES"
July   Unthemed open-mic
August   Theme: "AWAKENINGS"
September   Theme: "TIDES"
October   Unthemed open-mic.
November   Unthemed open-mic.
December   Theme: "FESTIVE SEASON"

2025
​January   Theme: "HORIZONS"
February   Unthemed open-mic.
March   Theme: "UNCERTAINTY"
April   Unthemed open-mic.
May   Theme: "THE JOURNEY"