28/08/2026
Wednesday night marked the end of Squawk Spoken Word - for now.
The past 5 months have been an absolute pleasure. Bringing a monthly poetry night to Barrow-in-Furness has been no small task but the energy and joy in the room every month has made it all worthwhile.
We’ve seen seasoned poets and newcomers alike take to the stage including many familiar faces and some new ones too. Audiences have come from across Cumbria and beyond (including Blackpool and Barnsley) to attend our nights. Many had never been to a poetry night before and some shared their work for the first time ever. Personally for me, that is the biggest achievement of the project so far.
We’ve had headline acts from across the country take to the stage and chat with local budding poets. Wednesday’s poetry slam was the cherry on top, a night of celebrating our local spoken word scene and crowning our champion who will headline one of our nights in the future.
But what now?
Squawk Spoken Word will be going on a hiatus while I report back to Arts Council England about our first chapter sharing all the successes we’ve had and how we’ve tackled any challenges along the way.
I’ll be reapplying for funding to help us start our next season in the new year bringing more poets from across the country to Barrow while also continuing to celebrate our local scene.
Photography and videos from our last two nights will be posted in the coming weeks. I’ll also be sharing other events coming up from our home venue, Full of Noises (FON) and some others poetry nights that’ll be happening while Squawk is on break.
Upon our return we’ll be brining more regular poetry nights to Piel View House with more headliners, more open mics, and some extra surprises too. The names I’ve got pencilled in for next year are mega!
A huge thank you to everyone who has been involved in the project. Whether you’ve performed on stage, watched and listened from the audience, or been one of many people who’ve helped me behind the scenes. Thank you!
All the best from the nest,
Caleb Staps
Photo credit: Alex Taylor
