Mar 24th, 2016, 04:33 PM

Spoken Word: Live Poet's Society

By Lily Radziemski
David Barnes, the man behind the curtain of SpokenWord Paris (Image Credit: Narrative.ly)
Every Monday night in Paris, poetry and wine take over the basement of the Chat Noir.

Every Monday night at eight o’clock, the Chat Noir's dimly-lit bar is packed and buzzing. The bar's name recalls the legendary Parisian cabaret, Le Chat Noir, frequented by bohemian artists during belle époque. But we are not in Montmartre. Au Chat Nois is located in the trendy eleventh arrondissement, though its walls feature Théophile Steinlen's original iconic Chat Noir posters.  

At nine o'clock, something mysterious happens. People begin drifting towards the staircase at the back of the room. By the stroke of nine, nearly everyone has vanished from the upstairs bar, except for the bartender and a few confused patrons.

Where have they gone? They've slipped downstairs for SpokenWord, an open-mic poetry event in English that takes place weekly in the downstairs cave.

SpokenWord was created a decade ago by David Barnes, who came to Paris thinking he would get “itchy feet” within six months. But after discovering fellow poetry lovers at the Shakespeare & Company bookshop, he decided to create an English-speaking open-mic poetry night. Today SpokenWord Paris — which has its own Facebook page — has expanded internationally to London and Istanbul. 

In Paris, the event features mainly poetry, but anybody who wants to take the floor is free to express themselves however they choose — singing, stand-up comedy, crying, anything really. There is only one rule: they have only five minutes. When their five minutes are up, a bell rings. 

The week I was in the room, a young woman appeared in a full shepherdess outfit — complete with dramatic makeup and a staff — and recited a comedic poem that had the whole room bursting with laugher. Another SpokenWord regular, Peter Deaves (better known as Fun King Nero) performs songs such as "Audrey Tautou", about the girl of his dreams (“she looked like Audrey Tautou…”) whom he doesn't know how to approach. When musicians perform, the audience is invited to sing along, leaving the room bonded by a unique artistic energy.

Fun King Nero - Audrey Tautou (avec sous-titres français)

SpokenWord is comprised of three acts from nine until midnight with breaks in between. The door is manned by David Sirois (better known this week as David Leo "Nel mezzo del cammin de nostra vita" Nutella Velveeta Hot Tuna Sirois), a pirate-hatted poet and musician who has created a spinoff event called Open Secret every Wednesday night at Café des Artistes. During breaks, Sirois goes round the room holding out a top hat to collect the €1 attendance fee. At the end of act three, the party moves back upstairs to the bar where everyone shares a nightcap (or two or three...). 

After attending SpokenWord a few times, you may notice that the host is never seen without a top hat. According to David Barnes, the sixty-year-old top hat was originally a gimmick to get peoples’ attention, but has since become part of the host's uniform and an unofficial SpokenWord emblem. When it's not Barnes, the host is Alberto Rigettini, a charismatic Italian poet who has missed only two Mondays in the past six years.

The special vibe at SpokenWord is almost impossible to describe. It's perhaps the intimate and unpretentious atmosphere, or perhaps it's the affordable €3 glasses of wine. What truly makes SpokenWord captivating, however, is the rawness and talent from the performers who can get up in front of the crowd without feeling exposed or judged. Even for non-poets who don't perform, it's a great experience. 

SpokenWord
Au Chat Noir
76 rue Jean Pierre Timbaud, 75011 Paris