Coffee and Poems Club

Carmel Smickersgill, Tours & Activities Editor

Book now

Coffee and Poems Club

SEESAW, Manchester
12 March 2025

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Graphic promotion
Louis Glazzard
Book now

Poetry can sometimes have a reputation of being an artform reserved for those compulsively driven to express their innermost feelings, those who have more than one creative writing degree behind them or long dead legends of the romantic era. Thankfully, poet Louis Glazzard is proving those misconceptions wrong with a relaxed, friendly and thoughtfully curated club, in which anyone can have a go at writing poetry together. Coffee and Poems club is a nomadic happening open to all who have the curiosity to explore poetry, with no previous experience required.

Louis debunks the idea of poetry being pretentious by easing people into writing by demonstrating that there’s no one way to write words. Through a series of communal exercises (with a healthy dollop of fun included) you’ll flex your creative muscles using words among like minded and encouraging folk. There is no need for poetry to be over complicated. It’s an art form using words, probably one of the most accessible materials to craft with. For experienced writers or total novices the sessions are fun, informal and give you skills you can take away and put into practice elsewhere.

Louis Glazzard is a nationally published author, having released his debut poetry collection Human Men in 2021. He started the club after coming to the realisation that most of his own writing happened in coffee shops and that the environment offered a more relaxed space for people to be creative and connect.

Previous clubs have taken place in 92 degrees coffee, however the next couple of iterations will be happening at the cafe in SEESAW. Located behind the Palace theatre this co-working space aims to bridge the boundaries between work and play. Coffee and Poems is primarily a space for people to connect and create with the help of an experienced writer. Your first coffee at SEESAW is included in your ticket price. We heartily recommend the artisanal baked goods in this cafe as well!

Accessibility

  • Relaxed

Where to go near Coffee and Poems Club

View of PINK meeting area and exhibition space, with a table, chairs and white walls
Stockport
Gallery
PINK

PINK is a Stockport-based multipurpose art space, with studios, exhibition areas and a community-focused ethos.

Manchester
Music venue
Joshua Brooks

Long-established Manchester bar and nightclub, Joshua Brooks is just off student hotspot Oxford Road. Open until 4am on the weekends with regular DJ-led club nights.

Manchester
Music venue
YES

The apple in Now Wave’s eye, YES boasts four floors of live music and DJs, and offers food via two outlets. It also has a huge outdoor roof terrace!

Manchester
Restaurant
The Cotton Factory

This residency restaurant opened in summer 2019, at Locke Hotels’ Whitworth Locke. The first residency comes courtesy of Mexican specialists El Camino.

Manchester
Restaurant
Peru Perdu

Peru Perdu has an all-new food and drink menu, with some of the best-looking dishes in the city.

Winsome
Manchester
Restaurant
Winsome

Winsome delivers modern British food, cooked beautifully by chef-owner Shaun Moffat and his team.

Manchester
Music venue
G-A-Y

Smack bang in the centre of Manchester’s Canal Street, colourful club on the corner, G-A-Y, is popular with a youngish crowd looking for pop tunes, cheap drinks and a lively atmosphere. And there’s a rooftop terrace for the smokers.

What's on: Activity

Image courtesy of SCENE Festival.
ActivityCity Centre
SCENE: The Traitors at Aviva Studios

Calling all faithfuls. Celebrate the murderous TV phenomenon The Traitors as SCENE Festival sits down with some of the show’s most memorable players. Yes, that includes Linda.

From £12.00
Southern Cemetary Chorlton by Tom Jeffs
Until
TourChorlton
Southern Cemetery Tour

Within Chorlton’s Southern Cemetery lie fascinating stories, beautiful architectural details, and the inspiration behind one of The Smith’s best songs.

From £20.00
Encounter Festival 2026
FestivalsLancashire
Encounter Festival in Preston

Preston comes alive with outdoor theatre, live music, dance and family-friendly creativity in one of the North West’s most joyful festivals.

Free entry
Until
TourCity Centre
The Oxford Road Tour

Jonathan Schofield’s new walking tour exploring the treasures and famous landmarks of Manchester’s Oxford road.

From £20.00

Culture Guides

Food and Drink in the North

Squeeze the most out of these final weeks of summer thanks to our mid-August guide to food and drink in Manchester and the North.

Exhibitions

Summer isn’t usually a high point in the exhibitions calendar, but Greater Manchester’s small galleries seem to have made a pact to change that this year.

Matt Spratt.
Music

Aphex Twin-endorsed electronica, an eight-hour organ marathon and the most exciting band in Ireland's current folk revival all feature this month.

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre

From intimate dramas to spectacular outdoor festivals, discover the North West performances worth adding to your diary.

Emily Lloyd-Saini as Grace in Space and Harrie Hayes as Lieutenant Strong in Horrible Science
Family things to do in the North

Whether you’re after storybook theatre, museum wanderings or illusion-bending play spaces, there’s plenty to keep curiosity ticking through winter and beyond.

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
Cinema in the North

There's no shortage of great films out at the moment, whether you're looking for the latest blockbuster, that hot arthouse flick fresh from Cannes or a cosy classic.