Episode 2

Radio 4's Radio 4's 2009 Poetry Slam second semi-final was held at the South Street Arts Centre in Reading, where nine slammers battled it out for a place in the final. They were: Catherine Brogan, Alison Brumfitt, Danny Chivers, Kit Lambert, Simone Mansell Browne, Brenda Reade Brown, Deanne Rodger, Pete the Temp, Liv Torc.

A slam is a knockout performance poetry competition in which poets perform their own work to a time limit and are given scores based on content, style, delivery and level of audience response. In the space of two minutes, performers must demonstrate their word-play, performance skills and inventiveness; over two or three rounds, poets are knocked out until one top scorer emerges as the winner. Slams attract a wide range of performers and styles, from heartfelt love poetry to searing social commentary, uproarious comic routines, and bittersweet personal confessional pieces.