POETRY. Lofty, rarefied, elitist? Well, not if you go along to the Swindon Poetry Slam.

Saturday night’s audience at the Arts Centre were treated to an evening of lively, engaging, at times raucous (there was partial nudity) and at times moving poetry from a selection of poets from around the country who had come to take part in the contest.

The slam has a bit of a gameshow feel to it, with the wacky, zany hosts encouraging the audience to clap, whoop or stamp their feet to contribute to the scoring.

It proved that poetry is, in fact, fun, relevant and all inclusive — I sat next to a 12-year-old boy who has been going to slam for years, he told me, and liked to hear what people had to say.

A huge range of subjects was covered from war to Venus and Apollo and love and loss, while styles varied from rap-like rhythms to twisted nursery rhymes. Some were laugh-out-loud funny while some were so moving they reduced my companion to tears. There were more than a few hints of Les Barker and Alan Bennett as well.

And, only a couple of days after the General Election, it was refreshing to hear votes coming in for poetry instead of politics.

The deserved winner was Mark Niel, whose tight, comic poems had the audience in stitches, but special mention must go to Michael Wilson whose raw, powerful verse — and his choice to sign one of his poems — was a real show-stopper.

If you’ve never been to the Swindon Slam before, make a note in your diary for next May.

It is one of highlights of the fabulous Swindon Festival of Literature.