Joins us for our regular monthly Poetry + Spoken Word Open-Mic on Zoom. Each month we have a Featured Reader who presents a selection of their work for around 20-25 minutes, followed by an Open-Mic where all attendees are welcome to read a piece of their own writing: a poem, a selection of prose such as a short story, a play, monologue or novel etc.

In Feb, we are joined by Jane Metcalfe.

Jane began her working life in a variety of jobs, as a night-club hostess, antiquarian bookseller and record shop assistant, before discovering she could sing. After studying at the Royal College of Music, Jane pursued a successful career as an Opera singer and recitalist, notably as a soloist with the D’Oyly Carte Opera as well as major opera houses in the UK. She taught singing at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama for a number of years working with students of drama, music therapy and performance and communication skills.

After gaining an MA in Creative Writing from Sussex University, Jane went on to facilitate numerous creative reminiscence projects in East Sussex as both writer and community workshop leader. She has written plays and monologues that have been performed and led writing workshops. Jane was commissioned to write a poem for Where the Wild Flowers Are, a project hosted by The City of London Festival, 2012. Her poetry has appeared in various publications and she has had modest successes in poetry competitions. A trio of poems celebrating life after cancer have been set to music by British composer Jonathan Dove. She is the author of Things in Heaven and Earth, a true story of love, mystery and transformation: an intriguing account of an intense and secret affair between a British dramatist and a legendary Hollywood actress.

Jane has one son and currently lives opposite the sea in St Leonards on Sea, where she teaches singing, runs The ParkinSongsters, a choir she founded for people with Parkinson’s, and writes.