1st Wednesday of the month in person in Chichester
Words Out Loud holds regular scheduled readings
where everyone is welcome
to come and read a poem or piece of prose.
It doesn’t matter if this is the first piece you have written or whether you are a seasoned pro, you will find a warm and supportive welcome as you share your work with us out loud.
If speaking out loud is not your thing just come along to listen and enjoy the readings with everyone.
Downstairs at Franco Manca, 1-3 South Street, Chichester PO19 1EH First Wednesday each month, 6pm for a 6:30pm start. We usually finish around 8:30pm.
Come along to hear Poetry & Spoken Word live and also take the opportunity to enjoy Franco Manca’s selection of Pizza, Salads and Light Bites as well as a wide selection of wines, beers, cocktails & spirits, teas, coffees and soft drinks.
Hosted by Ken Jones
Ken Jones
Ken Jones Hosts: Chichester Zooms
Graduate of University of Birmingham (1970, BSc Chemistry) and
Institute of Education London University (1971 PGCE)
Has been an Education professional between 1971 and 2020.
Worked mainly in 6th Form Colleges in England (Esher College, Hill College Southampton, Taunton’s College Southampton and finally as Principal of Spelthorne College Ashford) for 34 years
Worked as a School Improvement Adviser for Wokingham and West Berkshire Councils for 5 years
Worked as a teacher of Physics and Engineering for Oak Park High School, Oak Park California for 8 years
Has been writing poetry in fits and starts since University and is published (mainly in the USA) in a variety of periodicals and magazines (Poetry Quarterly, Pacific Poetry et al) and has a collection published by Prolific Press (“One Step Ahead”, 2017)
Has attended Open Mic poetry readings in Ventura CA since 2014, established Poetry readings in Thousand Oaks and Newbury Park Libraries in CA in 2016 and was a founding member and director of Off Main: Ventura County Poetry Project in 2020 (a non profit organisation whose aim is to foster and promote poetry and performing arts in Ventura County and beyond). He has worked with the Poets Laureate of Ventura, Malibu, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo in developing and promoting poetry readings.
Has been the featured reader at Poetry readings in Ventura, Thousand Oaks and Malibu and has performed in Ventura at 5x5x5, a Performance Art event on several occasions in 2016 and 2017 and at The Electric Lodge in Venice CA in 2017.
Previous Featured Readers
Featured Reader & Open Mic: Christine Rowlands
Christine trained as an embroidery teacher and worked in an FE College as a special needs teacher working with adult learners. She has also worked in libraries, for The Lady newspaper and The Daily Telegraph. She currently leads Art workshops for older people at Christ Church Chichester while continuing to enjoy reading and writing poetry.
Piers Rowlandson
Chichester Zooms
Wednesday 20th October, 2021
Piers is a regular at our Open Mic events on Zoom and in person at Wagtail. He has been writing poetry for pleasure for many years and has also recently published several collections of his work.
Jen Kelley
Chichester Zooms
Wednesday 15th September, 2021 at 6:30pm
Jennifer is a poet, fiction, and non-fiction writer living in Ventura, CA. She graduated from California State University, Channel Islands in 2017, with a degree in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing.
Most recently she is being published in the 2020/2021 edition of Spillway. She was included in the anthology Psalms of Cinder and Silt, published as Solo Novo: volume 7/8. Two of her poems were published in the chapbook Love Letters to the Recently Departed in 2018. She has been published twice in the ASKEW literary journal, in 2015 and 2017. Her ekphrastic works were included in Kevin Sloan’s Exhibition, A Collection of Rarities at the California Museum of Art Thousand Oaks. Most recently, she has begun writing blogs for Off Main: the Ventura County Poetry Project.
She has appeared as the featured poet in the Loose Lips, series in Malibu and throughout Ventura County, including Jackson Wheeler’s Arcade Poetry Series in 2015 and 2016. A regular performer at John M. White’s performance series 5X5X5 in the last three years, Jennifer loves the energy of a live audience.
For her growth as a poet and her opportunities, to present her work, she entirely blames her poetry family at Phil Taggart’s Thursday Night Poetry, at EP Foster library.
Her chapbook, These Things Remain was published in 2005 and she is currently looking for a publisher for her full-length collection, Coming in from the Wild.
She is recently completed a fantasy trilogy, The Founders, and begun work on the futuristic corporate thriller The Vampire Hunters.
Phil Taggart
Chichester Zooms
Wednesday 18th August, 2021 at 6:30pm
Phil Taggart has three collections of poetry. Rick Sings, Opium Wars and an art book with artist Ann Harithas, Cowboy Collages. He has been a poetry editor for over twenty years for Art Life limited edition, and with Marsha de la O, the Askew Poetry Journal and Spillway.
Phil has taught poetry workshops at Cal Lutheran, University of Pittsburg, local high schools, CAPS Media and elementary schools. He teaches Broadcast Digital Media at El Camino High School at Ventura College
Phil has run and supported poetry readings in Ventura County and Santa Barbara since 1991. He presently hosts a weekly poetry reading at the EP Foster Library in Ventura.
Sue Shattock
Chichester Zooms
Wednesday 21st July, 2021 at 6:30pm
Sue describes herself as an “accidental” writer and new poet. She wrote a script for fun one sunny bank holiday weekend in 1990. As a stage-manager on the long running police TV drama “The Bill”, she gave the script to a colleague who passed it to one of the shows editors and Sue was “discovered” as a writer – as much to her surprise as everyone else’s!
After stepping away from professional writing, Sue became a complementary colour therapistteacher and is a marriage registrar in Chichester. Her love of dialogue, the rhyme and rhythm of words was re-ignited quite recently and she enjoys creating monologues, plays and poetry for performance and entertainment.
Nigel Millet
Chichester Zooms
Wednesday 16th June, 2021 at 6:30pm
Nigel now enjoys life in abundance, having moved to Chichester five years ago and living with his partner Sarah.
During his professional life he had several career changes all in pursuit of life’s adventures & betterment, working overseas and in the UK.
He has always been very fond of the arts and over the years written several poems for fun and for love, only recently deciding to compile a small collection of his words and thoughts in the form of a book , now working on a follow up.
Mike Jenkins
Chichester Zooms
Wednesday 19th May, 2021 at 6:30pm
Mike has been writing poems since the angst ridden age of 16 when they were then mostly all about figuring out why falling in love with people hurt so much.
Since then he has worked as an actor, a customer service coach, a teacher and a web designer. Mike also leads groups in meditation practice. He is currenlty editing a collection of his poems for publication.
Tina McNaughton
Chichester Zooms
Wednesday 21st April, 2021 at 6:30pm
Tina divides her time between Crowthorne, Berkshire and her home city, Portsmouth. Tina is married and has three sons. She started life as a linguist, has a literature background and has worked as a teacher. Tina now works as an acupuncturist and has her own clinic in Crowthorne.
She also has a professional writing services company, WriteRhymes, which produces bespoke celebration poetry on commission. Tina is passionate about poetry and finds reading and writing it therapeutic, uplifting and calming. When she wants to relax she walks, cycles, dances and practices yoga. And reads more poetry.
Words Out Loud are very grateful for the support of Local Giving and Magic Little Grants in helping us extend our work in the community, helping people to explore their creative talents and share them with audiences.