https://www.facebook.com/667640313353855/

The Platform, 46 Seamoor Road, Westbourne, Bournemouth (2026)

02/10/2026

Last night's open mic was certainly filled with wonder!

Our lovely poets shared poems that made us stop and appreciate the little things we take for granted every day - from celebrating the natural world to marvelling in the unique possibility of our existence.

A big thank you to our featured poet, Mr Blandford-Cavern and his musical group, Uncut Diamonds! We all thoroughly enjoyed the witty wordplay and clever comedy of Mr Blandford-Cavern's poetry.

As they say, always finish on a song! Lucky for us, Uncut Diamonds treated us to a special performance to close out the evening.

Full write-up to follow 🌠

01/10/2026

Join us for our open mic tonight for a special performance from the fabulous Mr Blandford Cavern!

Dorset born and bred, Mr Blandford Cavern started writing poetry in his teens on subjects that stirred his imagination such as seagulls showing off, girls brushing their hair and where does Salisbury Cathedral go to at night? He wrote poems for the school newspaper and had poems published by Poetry Now, Arrival Press and Anchor Books.

Teaching himself to play guitar, he put his poems to music and formed his first group Terbium J. Pursuing a music career, he recorded 40 of his songs in 9 different studios culminating in 500 copies of an EP pressed by The Madding Crowd. A track released nationally received radio airplay.

Performing poetry since the 1990’s in Coventry, Mr Blandford Cavern has performed in the local area at open mic nights such as Wordmakers, Poetry on the spot, Verbal Remedies, Getting Poetical and of course, The Platform. His current musical band is the six-piece folk, pop, blues, ska collective ‘Uncut Diamonds’ based in Poole.

Witty, inventive and often cynical, Mr Blandford Cavern delivers his on-point poetry with deadpan humour.

21/09/2026

In case you missed it...

Following a summer break, The Platform returned on Thursday 3rd September - and it was back to school for all of us with our theme, "Every Day's A School Day".

We continued with our ‘unplugged’ initiative, with no Wi-Fi and phones in airplane mode to keep the event accessible for our host who struggles with EMF sensitivity. It also ensured a distraction-free atmosphere to be fully present for the poetry in the room.

Abby G opened the evening with a tribute to Bournemouth poet Colin Hunt, who sadly passed away over the summer. Her moving poem, "Melted Ice Cream" captured the last few weeks of his life and the impact of his passing. Abby invited the poets in the room to share thoughts, memories and tributes to Colin alongside their on-theme poems for the night, as well as to check out Colin's poems which are featured on Bournemouth Library's "Writings On The Wall".

Abby then shared an extract from Kahlil Gibran's "The Prophet", and a humorous extract from her Coincidence Diary about Pink Floyd's "Another Brick In The Wall" to tie into the theme.

Following this, we welcomed our first "poet" - or perhaps, songwriter! - Mr. Blandford-Cavern, sharing two songs loosely on-theme and in tribute to Colin. The first, "Lonely In A Crowded Room", was inspired by his experiences in moving to Romsey as a young man. While the second - "Heartface" - got the whole audience singing along with him.

Linda then joined us to share her poem, "Bedtime Stories", a rhyming tale (and warning!) on the consequences of global warming. Her second poem then explored whether bumblebees have feelings, and what we might learn from that.

Amy shared her moving reflection, "Know-It-All", examining her path to self-learning through the years.

Next, Ivan joined the stage wearing a shirt very much in the taste of something Colin might wear, and shared two poems inspired by his experience of being a father: "My School Bag" and "These Furrows I Have".

To close the first half, Tim Heywood shared a heartfelt free-verse tribute to Colin, followed by a humorous tanka on the theme of "Everyday's A School Day".

We had Tom Shaw welcome us back for the second half, standing in as co-host in the absence of S. Penny-Smith and C.W. Blackburn. He shared some of his memories of Colin and his poems, along with two poems from his book Go Forth, Butterfly! related to the theme: "A Day At The Office" and "The Blame Game".

Then, we had Platform first-timer Katherine grace the mic, where she shared two poems on the sea ("Mother Sea" and "I am, Therefore I Swim"), and a poem "Dear Child Inside" - with the idea of both the sea and her life experiences having something to teach her.

Amy returned to the stage with an additional poem on what she had learned from the harmful behaviours in the past.

Then, we had another first-time Platformer - Jodie - share an untitled poem on a teacher at school who went above-and-beyond to help her when she was struggling most.

Finally, Katherine returned to the stage with one additional poem, "She Recovers", championing self-education and self-awareness.

Tom and Abby closed the night with gratitude for everyone's memories of Colin and their poems.

We’ll welcome poets back to Camden on Thursday 1st October for our next Platform 💫

10/08/2026

We need your help!

Each month at The Platform, we like to raffle off a mystery poetry book. We do this because we believe poets should be paid for their art, and selling raffle tickets helps us pay guest poets for their performances.

To continue this tradition, we desperately need donations of second-hand (or new!) poetry books. If you've got a few titles just gathering dust on your shelf, please bring them along in September.

Until then, we'll be scouring the shelves at our local Oxfam bookstore!

07/08/2026

Purbeck Valley Folk are looking for poets to compete in their annual poetry slam!

The two first-round heats will take place on Saturday 22nd August, where poets will have just three minutes to impress the judges (and the audience!)

Poets with the highest scores will perform two poems each in the grand finale on Sunday 23rd August. Deadline to apply: 10 August 2026

Want to be involved? Prep your poems and email the host (Shaun Gary Palmer) for all the info: [email protected]

Read more about the slam rules here: https://www.purbeckvalleyfolkfestival.co.uk/whats-on/poetry-slam/

01/08/2026

We’re taking a break for the summer holidays, so there’s no Platform in August. In case you’re missing us, here’s a look back on July’s open mic.

We asked our poets to bring poems on the theme of heatwave. We welcomed summery poems, hot and sweaty poems, words about steamy love affairs or even sticky affairs with a melted ice lolly.

And of course, our lovely poets did not disappoint! We continued with our ‘unplugged’ initiative, with no Wi-Fi and phones in airplane mode to keep the event accessible for our host who struggles with EMF sensitivity. It also ensured a distraction-free atmosphere to be fully present for the poetry in the room.

Abby G opened the evening with readings of Wendy Cope’s ‘Summer Villanelle,’ Roger McGough’s ‘Summer with Monika’, and her own poem in praise of Bournemouth Beach, ‘Holidays at Home.’

Our first performer of the evening brought us a political commentary on body politics combined with Nelly song lyrics, aptly named ‘Hot in Here.’ Theo’s second poem, ‘Heatwave,’ mused about our recent heatwave, even coining colourful new words to describe it.

Tim Heywood followed with a series of collaborative haikus written with C.W. Blackburn on the theme of ‘heatwave.’

Dave was next to take the mic, sharing beachy romance poems ‘To Catch a Romantic’ and ‘Sandy’.

Rob made us laugh with ‘Bloody Foreigners’, a tongue-in-cheek recollection of his recent adventures in Spain on a motorbike during a heatwave.

Phoenix reminded us ‘dreamwalking is not about being lost,’ with his characteristic nature imagery in ‘The Flower Caught The Sun’, and ‘Beneath the Blazing Breath of Noon.’

Colin brought us a trio of poems: ‘Summer Waiting’ which anxiously anticipated the season’s arrival, a vivid personification of a missed call from Earth to humanity to talk about climate change called ‘Earth Calling Mankind’, and ‘SPK Soon’ which summed up his feelings about confusing text abbreviations.

Scottish Claire debuted an excerpt from her current YA novel in progress, Dex Destroy. This section of the novel was entitled 6th Floor and breathed life into a fictional heatwave with its powerful descriptions.

Tim M shared ‘Bring Your Own Poems,’ and ‘Poem for a City’ which inspired us with the concept of a secret boat and the prospect of escaping the heatwave.

Amy closed out the first half of the evening with a relatable rant about peri-menopause (and its rage!) in 35 degree heat.

S.Penny Smith kicked off the second half with ‘Stalemate,’ using housefire as a metaphor for a collapsing relationship.

Barbara read her freshly penned poem about the exciting chemistry in a new relationship, ‘The Lab.’

Ivan also returned with fresh material. ‘This Bright Sunny Day’ was a raw and entrancing recollection of another heatwave in Afghanistan.

Tom read our minds with his poem ‘Ice Cream for Breakfast.’ Come on, who hasn’t thought about it?

Fraser performed his trademark hip-hop lyric poem ‘Forged in Dorset’ completely from memory! His second poem, ‘Frontal Lobe’ was a relatable treatise on being tongue-tied with a new love.

Abby G rounded off the evening with a soundscape of an older poem about isolation and alienation. Her recent experiences with EMF sensitivity have meant she is more isolated than usual, so please do send her your well wishes via email!

We’ll see you in September for our next open mic!

16/05/2026

We had no formal theme for May’s open mic, which meant our wonderful poets brought a rich variety of styles and themes for us to enjoy.

S. Penny Smith opened the first half with her poem ‘I Hope You Step on a Lego’, which was written for a previous Platform theme, Plastic Fantastic. In Abby’s absence, S. Penny Smith shared Abby’s recent poem ‘Magic Me To My Bed’.

Platform-regular Rob told us he doesn’t do poignant poems and shared his intentionally unpretentious poems; ‘Inspiration,’ ‘On Reflection’ and ‘Dinner Date.’ His reflections on how BBC television programming has changed since the 1970s got us giggling! That’s just ‘The Trouble with Society Today.’

Up next, Phoenix took the mic and dazzled us with his trademark vivid imagery centred around identity. His three poems, ‘Beneath the Celestial Moon,’ ‘Ballad of the Moonlit Stag,’ and ‘Beneath the God Moon,’ empowered each of us to embrace who we are.

Theo treated us to some of his musings about spring – mostly, when does it actually start? His next poem was a recently penned piece about the divine nature of love entitled ‘Demeter’s Daughter’.

Newcomer Barbara shared her hilariously nonsensical poem ‘Emily and the Prawn’ with us at the end of the first half.

C.W Blackburn brought us back for the second half with his mental-health themed poem, ‘Brave Face’. No brave faces needed for the second half though, as all our performers were fantastic!

Newcomer Daniel shared a recently penned poem inspired by a prompt from Abby G’s poetry breakfast during last month's Bournemouth Writing Festival. His second poem, ‘Time’, combined ethereal imagery with political themes.

Tim Heywood returned to The Platform with a shape poem inspired by another Bournemouth Writing Festival prompt, this time courtesy of C.W. Blackburn. He ended his performance with a triumvirate of haiku with the themes rise, rebuild, and restore.

Next to take the mic was Daphne, a Platform newcomer and established member of Poole Poetry Collective. She shared a range of captivating pieces, including a monologue of advice for her daughter entitled ‘Honour Thy Mother,’ a relatable take on getting old called ‘Granny’s Bucket List’, and ‘Spilt Milk, ’ which was previously shortlisted for the Yeovil Literary Prize.

Ivan blew us away with his debut performance at The Platform, which was also his first ever public performance! His first poem, ‘Moths’, told us why moths are the real heroes over butterflies, before giving us a taste of Norfolk colour in ‘Two From the Oven.’

Hip-hop lyricist Fraser disproved the popular myth ‘Nothing Rhymes with Purple,’ and mused about the connection between innovation and human creativity. The final line of the night left us pondering, ‘Your thoughts have wings. Be careful what you think about, because your thoughts become things.’

Ivan won the raffle for this month’s mystery poetry book, a hardback collection of nature poetry handpicked and carefully wrapped by C.W. Blackburn.

We hope to see you next month on 4th June for our next open mic, same time, same place!

08/05/2026

We had a lot of fun at last night's Platform with an eclectic mix of styles and themes 🤩

More pictures and full write-up to follow!

07/04/2026

Wonderful to see so many of you for The Platform Unplugged last Thursday!

To hold space for those with EMF sensitivity, we enjoyed a Wi-Fi and signal-free evening. Special thanks to Daryl at Camden Bar Westbourne for facilitating a Wi-Fi-free night. And a big thank you to all our audience members who cooperated with our 'phones in airplane mode' rule. This allowed Abby to stay for the entire event for which she is very grateful!

It was a truly special evening, full of genuine human connection, and of course, poetry! Couldn't make it? Here's what you missed:

Our wonderful host, Abby G Poetree, kicked off the night with her poem 'Do not go gentle into that good night', which talks about her recent experiences with EMF sensitivity.

Tom Shaw, our first performer of the night, also talked about his own experience of EMF sensitivity and shared poems from his pamphlet 'Analogue.'

Up next, Tim Heywood Hopefm shared some experimental poems with us called 'Facing the Screen' and 'Unplugged.'

Paulus Buzz Martin read his poem 'Man', which touched on themes of mental health and a man's impact on the world.

Claire Wyburn enraptured us with a riveting reading of her narrative poem, 'The Dog That Beat Me'. Safe to say, this chilling insight into the dangers of alcoholism left us all with goosebumps!

Tony Butcher closed out the first half with his patented absurdist, abstract style. In his words, "I'm not sure if these poems are on theme. They might be, but I never really know what my poems mean."

We were joined by the fabulous Kim West, who is organising events for the Poetry Marquee at this year's Bournemouth Writing Festival. She told us more about the upcoming events and what to expect on 25th and 26th April. More information: https://www.bournemouthwritingfestival.co.uk/poetry

S. Penny Smith announced the launch of Dorset Lit Events, a brand-new free newsletter for the writing community, with details of upcoming events and opportunities. Subscribe here: https://mailchi.mp/f538735ae7f7/sign-up-for-dorset-lit-events-newsletter

C.W. Blackburn opened and hosted the second half of the night, which included two fabulous newcomers, Laura Sargent-Edney and Erin!

Laura wowed us with her words about Poole and the freedoms that dance can bring.

Erin dazzled us with musings on the construction of binary s*x, ending with the thought, "if we are 60% water, of course I believe gender is fluid."

S. Penny Smith performed her new poems about unplugging, 'Village' and 'Why the Library of Alexandria Burnt Down.'

Bournemouth Poet Laureate, Myriam San Marco, invited us to participate in the Spoken Word Olympics on 26th April (also at the Poetry Marquee!) Team captains to represent Bournemouth are needed. Get in touch with her if interested: [email protected]

Myriam also performed her classic poem 'The Hardest Question,' which is, of course, how are you?

Paul Nield, 2025 winner of the Bournemouth Writing Prize, recited his award-winning poem, 'First Love'.

Platform-regular Ciara Madeline shared her poem, 'Primary Shades,' which explores her nostalgia for school assembly songs and new perspectives since reaching adulthood. Her second poem was inspired by Welsh mythology and Angela Carter's short stories.

C.W. Blackburn closed the night with his hilarious parody piece, 'Dear Chat GPT, write me a poem about being an authentic person.' The final poem of the night, 'Leopard Man' was inspired by the true story of a man who lives on a remote Scottish island and is tattooed with leopard spots.

Never a dull moment at The Platform! Join us next month on Thursday 7th May, from 7.30pm at Camden Bar Westbourne. See you then!

03/04/2026

The Platform: Unplugged was a resounding success!

A big thank you to all our lovely poets and audience members who put their phones in airplane mode for a special edition of The Platform last night. We enjoyed a distraction-free, connected-focused evening with plenty of poems about connecting with nature, each other, and ourselves.

Abby even dusted off an old-school camera to capture the evening in true analogue style. More photos and full write-up to follow!

The Platform

02/10/2026

01/10/2026

21/09/2026

10/08/2026

07/08/2026

01/08/2026

16/05/2026

08/05/2026

07/04/2026

03/04/2026

Address

Website

Alerts

Contact The Business

Shortcuts

Share

Category

Listing takedown request