Yesterday saw the second installment of Gary Clark's new spoken word open mic night, Word Mill, at the Minerva (Nelson Street, Hull). The night takes place in the intimate theatre (home of the an old micro-brewery, I am reliably informed) in the pub, a great little venue for both performing and watching. Word Mill describes itself as "poetry, 'Ull style" and runs under the banners of Write to Speak and thisisull, champions of the arts in Hull.
Many of the poets performing were from the Write to Speak stable, having participated in their workshops which formed part of the Larkin25 celebrations which took place in the city last year and it was a delight to catch up both the poets and their work.
As both the arts and publicans seem to both be struggling financially at present, Word Mill is one of many open mic nights (some poetry, some music, some mixed) popping up at the moment and promoting good quality art at a grassroots level and I am sure that Word Mill will soon become an established part of the spoken word scene in Yorkshire.
