Nicki Ward (nickiward.com) has ably stepped into the spotlight as the new hostess for Plasticine Poetry. Change is good & Plasticine, already a fine series, becomes better as a result. The addition of Poem From The Hat (PFhat) is a fun idea for the open stagers – instead of reading a piece of your own you pick one from the hat to for a cold read.

 bluejay? no way

After a fine round of open-stagers (including myself) Kimberley Wilson (FaceBook) gave us a fun set. She clearly enjoys being on stage, had great chemistry with the audience but that didn’t detract at all from the work she read. Her short pieces dealing with relationships, food & travel were filled with playful, easy to savour images & emotions: ‘our voices float up to meet the light,’ ‘blood on snow with gravy,’ ‘let you smell the ocean in…

Lizzie Violet’s Cabaret Noir continues to run the bar staff at The Central ragged – even on a hot August night the space is crammed beyond capacity and with an audience reluctant to leave when the show is over.

 this really makes want to get my hair done here

After a quick round of open stagers (including myself plugging Pinebow) spoken feature Heather Babcock read several emotional pieces. Her new short story ‘The Dancing Bear’ was full of sensory detail: ‘the sidewalk grey box of my apartment,’ ‘had a shot of whisky as I ordered another beer,’ ‘lipstick smudged straw of her vodka cranberry’ as well as clear emotions ‘it’s as if I’d stolen all of tomorrow’s pain.’ Sexually explicit as well the temperature rose as she read. (heatherrosebabcock.tumblr.com)

 I’d like to thank all the little people

Regina Dentata actually preceded Heather, then kicked off the…