Poetika, Salisbury’s longstanding and only open mic evening for performance poetry, spoken word, prose and acoustic music, welcomes special guest poet Aanka Batta on Tuesday, 15th November. Born in south Asia, Aanka is a performance poet, educator, consultant and activist residing in the UK. Her overall vision brings awareness to issues around race and racial politics, with the hope of contributing towards genuine multiculturalism.

Running every 3rd Tuesday of each month at The Winchester Gate, Poetika welcomes writers and poets, of all styles and levels, to take to the stage and share their work to a supportive and encouraging audience. Slots are approximately five minutes per half.

November’s event will ‘reflect on our strengths and weaknesses, recognise our personal diversity and our acceptance of others’.

The evenings are jointly run by performance poets Nicky Harris and Ria Rylatt-Chandaman: Nicky said: “If writing is your hobby or passion or you’ve always wanted to get up and recite work, Poetika is the place to do it.”

Those wishing to perform on the night are encouraged to sign up at 7pm for a 7.15pm start. The £3 contribution goes towards keeping the community going.