The Three Ps

“Poets, Prattlers and Pandemonialists” was always a bit of a mouthful, so we fans refer to them as the Three Ps, a Black Country poetry collective which has enriched our lives. Sunday was the fifth anniversary of “Yes We Cant”, a monthly poetry night which in normal times was held at The Pretty Bricks, Walsall, but has been on Facebook and then Zoom over the past three years.

There’s nothing quite like it. It’s friendly, occasionally raucous and always varied, with a range of poets in style, tone and experience. There’s a deliberate, consistent welcoming and encouragement of newcomers, and a ferociously fair system of rotation which means that open mic slots are not hogged by regulars. There are ten open mic slots (four minutes max, and they keep to it), with a half ender at the end of the first half, and a headliner topping the bill at the end of the night.

Sunday night was special anyway, as we wanted to show our appreciation for what Steve, Emma and Dave have done for us over the last five years, but it was also objectively one of the best poetry nights I can remember - some brilliant new talent, a few familiar faces, and the wonderfully fluent Johnny Fluffypunk (I know, it’s silly; he knows that too, but still) ending the night with a mixture of fantasy, comedy and humane wisdom. We are so lucky.