The Verb at Free Thinking: Maximo Park, Jackie Kay, David Almond, Kate Fox

Poet Ian McMillan hosts BBC Radio 3's The Verb, his unique cabaret of the word, recorded at The Sage Gateshead as part of BBC Radio 3's Free Thinking Festival 2011.

There's music from the double platinum selling band Maxïmo Park, one of the few bands of recent times to wear their intellectualism on their sleeves. Lead singer Paul Smith talks about the songwriting process.

We feature the first performance of a new poem on the theme of Change, Mutatis Mutandis, written together by Jackie Kay, Sean O'Brien and W.N. Herbert, and commissioned by the Newcastle Centre for the Literary Arts.

Celebrated children's writer David Almond grew up in the Gateshead area and discusses regionalism in art and what it's like to be labelled a 'northern writer'. He describes how he found his confidence as a writer from the North East by looking to the great writers of the southern states of America, like Flannery O'Connor.

And spoken word artist Kate Fox tells us why she's frightened of the metaphor.

Producer : Dymphna Flynn.