A GROUP of spoken word performers will showcase their craft for shoppers at Bury Market this weekend.

The Northern Poets Society will hold a free event at the Market on Saturday with the aim of introducing spoken word to those unfamiliar with the craft.

The society not only brings together writers and performers across the region but aims to bring poetry to places where it is rarely performed.

Sixteen poets and spoken word artists from across the region will each have ten-minutes to show off their compositions, with market-goers able to come and go as they please.

The founder of the society, poet Bryan Dunne, explains why Bury Market was the perfect venue for their latest event.

Bryan said: “The idea is that I try and put the poetry events on in places that normally wouldn’t be exposed to poetry and spoken word.

“There is a lot of spoken word events in Manchester but the people who attend are other poets, which is great because you still get to perform to other people, but it doesn’t really broaden the scope of poetry “My idea was to take poetry where poetry wouldn’t normally be heard, so that’s why it fits in so well with Bury Market, with Bury being a northern working-class town.

“People just passing through [Bury Market] might be exposed to something that they’ve not really heard before, they might like it or they might hate it, but at least they’ve been exposed to it.”

Bryan says that attendees should expect contemporary performances which try to reflect the lives of people today. “Its not the traditional sense of poetry, its not your shakespears and stuff like that, its more modern creative.

“The stuff that people are performing about now, it connects us because they speak about modern day issues.

“One of the guys talks about bin day, and how he gets nervous because he’s missed bin day, and things like that.”

Bryan adds that audience participation is encouraged and that he will begin the event with a personalised introduction with Bury in mind.

The event, in partnership with the MancSpirit Charity will take place at the market from mid-day until 3pm.