Poetry Unplugged 15th Anniversary

On Tuesday 6th of September the Poetry Cafe at Betterton Street in London hosted the 15th anniversary birthday party of Poetry Unplugged complete with birthday cake and previous hosts, John Citizen, Carl Dhiman and current host Niall O'Sullivan introducing 37 acts and which featured many old regulars or at least attendees including, Paul Birtill, Tim Wells, Emma Hammond, Donall Dempsey and so on. What made the night curious was how the hosting styles differed. John Citizen was more laconic and quizzical bantering with the audience as if to say, "Did I say that?" Or "the birthday cake has been mullered!" Carl Dhiman more like a stern, but compelling showman and O'Sullivan like a cheeky Phys Ed teacher knowing he has the best job and can ditch the classroom at any time. It was a lively atmosphere, good vibes, though the old stock phrases such as "please turn off your mobiles" and "don't hang around the entrance and talk during intermission" were still being ignored as every one hung out in front and sucked on a fag during the intermissions. It was good to see Graham Buchan read; the audience especially liked his slow, grating delivery so include some new poems from him in the next post.