Spoken Word poetry has enjoyed a surge in popularity in recent years, as people get in touch with their inner John Cooper Clarke or Emily Dickinson to craft poems which charm, amuse, entertain and engage with audiences hungry for words with meaning and rhythm (but not always rhyme).

A band of Cheshire poets recently set up Voice Box Chester in association with the Creative Writing Department of Chester University. Their aim? to re-establish a regular spoken word night at Alexander’s.

Luminaries of the poetry scene such as Mike Garry, Henry Normal, Brian Bilston, Kate Holland, Lemn Sissay, Harry Baker and (of course) John Cooper Clarke are poetic visitors to the city. They receive a warm welcome from Cestrians who love the places and head spaces their words take them to. Giving local talent the opportunity to showcase their work in a welcoming, professional setting like Alexander’s can only be a good thing for the city and its surrounding area.

By chance, the fledgling Chester Voice Box discovered that for 12 years VoiceBox Wrexham has been nurturing a generation of artists across the border – with monthly open mic gigs scheduled at Bank Street Social. It made sense for the namesakes to join forces for a combined gig. This happens on Sunday May 17th at 6.30pm, coinciding with the start of Chester Literature Festival.

This time the co-hosts are Andy Porter and Tasha Borton. Andy has become a regular at Open Mics and performed at Electric Picnic Festival in Ireland last year. He is Poet in Residence at books on the walls in Chester and his first collection, “Neighbour’s Got a New Hot Tub”, available at books on the walls and online from Luain Press, was published in summer 2025. His second collection, “Sourdough in Stilettos”, also from Luain Press, will be launched in July.

Tasha, the Artistic Director of Voicebox Wxm is an award winning poet, facilitator and collaborator. Her commissioned work includes projects with Donmar Warehouse, Dirty Protest Theatre, Chester Pride, Wrexham Poverty Action Group and Ty Pawb. She is the newly installed Writer in Residence for the River Dee for Literature Wales and WWF Cymry

For more information DM Andy or Tasha on Instagram

@andyporterpoet

@tashabpoetry