We had a great evening of poetry last night, when we held our first Zoom open mic. Our featured poet, David Van-Cauter, read poems from his new pamphlet, "Breathing", which is published by Arenig Press.

Don't forget our Zoom open mic this Wednesday (14th January) at 7.30 pm, with featured poet David Van-Cauter. It's free and open to all. If you're not a member of Ver Poets, you can get a link by emailing us at [email protected]. Please say if you would like to read (first come, first served).

We're holding a poetry open mic via Zoom on Wednesday 14th January at 7.30 pm, when our featured poet will be David Van-Cauter. His latest book is "Breathing" (Arenig Press). The event is free and open to all. Please email [email protected] for a link and say if you would like a reading slot.

Mark Totterdell won third prize in our 2025 Open Competition, judged by Rory Waterman, with his poem, "Bus".

We had a very successful evening at St Albans Library on Friday. Huge thanks to Hannah Copley (@hannahcopley.bsky.social) and Pratibha Castle for coming to read to us, as well as to those who took part in the open mic or who came just to listen to some excellent poetry.

Join us for a fantastic evening of poetry in St Albans Library this Friday (5th December) at 7.30 pm with Hannah Copley and Pratibha Castle. Their readings will be followed by an open mic (sign up from 7.00 pm--first come, first served). #spokenwordpoetry #openmic #poetrycommunity #spokenpoetry

We had a great evening of poetry on Wednesday at The Saint & Sinner pub in the centre of St Albans, when Estelle Price was our featured poet. ​ Our thanks to her and all those who read or who came to listen to some excellent poetry.

Hannah Copley and Pratibha Castle will be our guest readers on Friday 5th December at 7.30 pm in St Albans Central Library. Their readings will be followed by an open mic (sign up on the night from 7.00 pm; first come, first served). The event is free and open to all.

Don't forget our poetry open mic at 7.30 pm tomorrow (Wednesday 19th November) in The Saint & Sinner, St Albans, when our featured poet will be Estelle Price. It's free and open to all. Sign up on the night from 7.00 pm, if you want to read.

Only a week to go to our open-mic poetry evening at The Saint & Sinner in St Albans on Wednesday 19th November at 7.30 pm, when our featured poet will be Estelle Price. It's free and open to all. Sign up on the night from 7.00 pm, if you want to read.

Vanessa Lampert won second prize in our 2025 Open Competition, judged by Rory Waterman, with her poem, "Roughly The Same".

Join us at The Saint & Sinner pub in St Albans on Wednesday 19th November at 7.30pm for an open-mic evening, when our featured poet will be Estelle Price. It's free and open to all (sign up on the night from 7.00pm, if you want to read).

​​We were pleased to welcome Maggie Brookes-Butt and Sue Hubbard for an evening of poetry in St Albans Library on Friday. Maggie read from her new book, "Wish: New & Selected Poems" and Sue read from her two most recent books, "God's Little Artist" (Seren) and "Swimming to Albania" (Salmon Poetry).

Don't forget our poetry reading and open mic with Maggie Brookes-Butt (@maggiebrookesbutt.bsky.social) and Sue Hubbard (@suewriter.bsky.social) tomorrow (Friday 24th October). It's at 7.30 pm in St Albans Central Library (sign up to read from 7.00 pm). The event is free and open to all.

Ilse Pedler won first prize in our 2025 Open Competition, judged by Rory Waterman, with her poem, “After the calving”.

Only a week to go to our reading and open mic with Maggie Brookes-Butt (@maggiebrookesbutt.bsky.social) and Sue Hubbard (@suewriter.bsky.social) in St Albans Library on Friday 24th October at 7.30 pm. It's free and open to all. #poetrycommunity #spokenwordpoetry #spokenpoetry #openmic

Maggie Brookes-Butt and Sue Hubbard will be our guest readers on Friday 24th October at 7.30 pm in St Albans Central Library (plus open mic). It's free and open to all. (Maggie Harris, who was due to read to us, is unfortunately unable to come and Sue has very kindly agreed to take her place.)

Maggie Brookes-Butt and Maggie Harris will be our guest readers on Friday 24th October in St Albans Central Library, followed by an open mic (sign up on the day from 7.00 pm). It's free and open to all.

Our open mic in The Mad Squirrel on Wednesday was a 'stanza bonanza' with Poetry ID, who are the North Hertfordshire Poetry Society Stanza Group. We were grateful to David Smith and other members of Poetry ID, who joined us for a lovely evening of poetry. Our thanks to everyone who came.

Don't forget our 'stanza bonanza' open mic with Poetry ID this Wednesday (24th September) in the Mad Squirrel Tap, St Albans at 7.30 pm. It's free and open to all. Sign up on the night from 7.00 pm, if you want to read. #spokenwordpoetry #openmic

Two Poetry Society Stanza Groups, Ver Poets and North Hertfordshire (Poetry ID), are joining forces for a "stanza bonanza" open mic at The Mad Squirrel Tap in St Albans on Wednesday 24th September at 7.30 pm. The event is free and open to all (sign up on the night from 7.00 pm, if you want to read).

We're holding a poetry workshop in St Michael's Parish Centre in St Albans (AL3 4SL) on Friday 19th September at 7.00 pm. The workshop is FREE and open to non-members as well a members.

On Sunday 14th September, at Torriano Meeting House in Kentish Town, 7.30 pm, Ver poet Katherine Gallagher will read from her new bilingual collection, "Rencontres Encounters", with Mexican poet Marina Sanchez reading the parallel text in French.

Next up is @stephenclaughton.bsky.social, who is the Stanza Rep for the Ver Poets (St. Albans) Stanza. To learn more about our Stanza groups - and how to find one near you - head over to our website. Stephen's pick is 'Come Here to this Gate' (Carcanet) by Rory Waterman. Thank you, Stephen!

We had a great evening of poetry at our open mic in The Mad Squirrel Tap, St Albans on Wednesday. Many of our regulars were there as well as some new faces. Our thanks to everyone who came.

Join us tomorrow (Wednesday 30th July) at The Mad Squirrel Tap in St Albans for an open-mic poetry evening starting at 7.30 pm. The event is free and open to all (sign up on the night from 7.00 pm, if you want to read).

Don't forget to join us at The Mad Squirrel Tap in St Albans at 7.30 pm on Wednesday 30th July for an open-mic poetry evening. The event is free and open to all (sign up on the night from 7.00 pm, if you want to read).

Join us at The Mad Squirrel Tap, St Albans on Wednesday 30th July at 7.30 pm for an open-mic poetry evening. The event is free and open to all (sign up on the night from 7.00 pm, if you want to read).

Thank you to everyone who attended and to Terry Jones and Gill Knibbs for organising the competition and anthology.

Huge thanks to Rory Waterman for judging the competition and for his comments on the poems. We were especially pleased to hear Rory read his own poems, including some from his latest book, "Come Here To This Gate" (Carcanet Press).

Congratulations, too, to the highly commended & commended poets and those selected for the anthology. Part of the proceeds from the competition have gone to St Albans Community Pantry and we were grateful to their founder, Raihaanah, for attending the event and explaining the excellent work they do.

We had a very enjoyable Zoom reading on Saturday of poems from the Ver Poets Open Competition 2025. Congratulations to Ilse Pedler, Vanessa Lampert and Mark Totterdell. You can read their winning poems on our website: verpoets.wixsite.com/verpoets/cop....

​​We enjoyed a great evening of poetry in our old haunt, St Michael's Parish Centre in St Albans, on Friday with readings by Olga Dermott-Bond and Sue Wallace-Shaddad. Our thanks to them and to the poets who read in the open mic.

Join us at 7.30 pm tomorrow (Friday 20th June) in St Michael's Parish Centre, St Albans for an evening of poetry with Sue Wallace-Shaddad and Olga Dermott-Bond. It's free and open to all. Sign up from 7.00 pm for the open mic.

Only a week to go to our reading on Friday 20th June by Olga Dermott-Bond and Sue Wallace-Shaddad in St Michael's Parish Centre, St Albans. It's free and open to all. Sign up on the night (from 7.00 pm), if you want to take part in the open mic.

Many thanks to Joe Rodrigues for taking these photographs of me reading at the Bushey Performing Arts Festival on Sunday. I was there with fellow Ver poets, Imogen de la Bere, Lesley Lilley, Gill Macdonald, Margaret Rochford and Juliet Troy. We had a great time and the weather was kind.

Olga Dermott-Bond and Sue Wallace-Shaddad will be our guest readers on Friday 20th June at 7.30 pm in St Michael's Parish Centre, St Albans. Their readings will be followed by an open mic (sign up on the day from 7.00 pm). The event is free and open to all.

Our featured poet at last Wednesday's open mic at The Mad Squirrel Tap in St Albans was Neil Beardmore, who gave excellent readings with amusing introductions. The open-mic contributions were also very good and we were pleased to welcome some new faces. Our thanks to Neil and to everyone who came.

Join us tomorrow (Wednesday 28th May) for an open-mic evening at the Mad Squirrel Tap in St Albans with featured poet, Neil Beardmore. The event is free and open to all (sign up on the night from 7.00 pm, if you want to read).

Congratulations to the winners of the Ver Poets Open Competition 2025! First prize goes to Ilse Pedler for "After the Calving", second prize to Vanessa Lampert for "About the Same", and third prize to Mark Totterdell for "Bus". Huge thanks to Rory Waterman for judging, as well as to all who entered.

Only a week to go to our open-mic evening on Wednesday 28th May at the Mad Squirrel Tap in St Albans with featured poet, Neil Beardmore. The event is free and open to all (sign up on the night from 7.00 pm, if you want to read).

Join us at The Mad Squirrel Tap in St Albans on Wednesday 28th May for an open-mic evening with featured poet, Neil Beardmore. The event is free and open to all (sign up on the night from 7.00 pm, if you want to read).

​​We had a lovely evening of poetry in St Albans Library on Friday, with readings by Shanta Acharya and Jane Duran. Our thanks to them and to the poets in the open mic.

Tomorrow is not only the last day in April but also the last day for entries to the Ver Poets Open Competition 2025, judged by Rory Waterman. Details of how to enter are in the link below. Thank you to everyone who has already sent in their poems and good luck!

You can read a review of Shanta's new book, "Dear Life", by our Chair, Stephen Claughton, in "The High Window": thehighwindowpress.com/category/rev....

Join us at 7.00 pm tomorrow (Friday 25th April) in St Albans Library to hear Shanta Acharya and Jane Duran read their poems. It's a free event, to which all are welcome, and there's an open mic at the end (sign up from 6.30 pm on the night).

Just one week left to enter our 2025 Open Competition, judged by Rory Waterman (closes 30th April). We have a limited number of free entries for writers on low or supported incomes, which will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. #poetry #poetrycommunity #poetrylovers #poetrycompetition

Don't forget that Shanta Acharya and Jane Duran will be coming to read their poems to us in St Albans Library on Friday 25th April at 7.00 pm. It's a free event, to which all are welcome, and there's an open mic at the end.

Just one more week to go until Shanta Acharya and Jane Duran come to read their poems in St Albans Library (7.00 pm on Friday 25th April). All are welcome. It's free and will be followed by an open mic.

Only two weeks left to enter our 2025 Open Competition, judged by Rory Waterman, which closes on 30th April. This year we are offering a limited number of free entries to writers on low or supported incomes, which will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. #poetry #poetrycompetitions