Prior to lockdown Soundbites was a monthly poetry open mic event at HEART Assembly
Bar and Kitchen in Leeds. It was started in March 2019 by four creative writing students
who share a love of poetry. The aim – to provide the space and opportunity for local poets
to share their work with an appreciative, like minded audience.
We had no idea if there would be any interest – our aim for what we thought would
be a one-off event was to get at least fifteen people along. There were 45 there that first
evening. Soundbites ran for twelve months before HEART closed in March this year.
Now Zoom has provided the opportunity for Soundbites to open up to the rest of the
World with people tuning in from Washington DC to Spain. A link can be found on
Facebook at Soundbites poetry open mic night.
Since becoming virtual Soundbites continues to invite a published poet to read each
month. Their recorded performances can be found here.