BEAT poets from Bolton have the chance to take part in one of the world's largest poetry festivals next month.

The International Beat Poetry Festival will showcase the talents of Manchester poet John G Hall and Dave Morgan's Kerouac style haikus, which are supported by a saxophone accompaniment from Kevin Bates.

The event will take place at Bolton Socialist Club and is the largest celebration of the beat legacy in history — and there are still some open mic slots are available for local talent to fill.

About 65 events are being held in every one of the fifty American states, as well as cities and towns across the globe from Tokyo to Bolton.

Organiser Scott Devon says the town was an obvious choice for the bill.

He said: "Officially it is the largest beat poetry event globally, in terms of the number of individual events across the globe, so it is very excited to be bringing one of them to Bolton.

"Walt Whitman was a big inspiration for the beats and he has a history with the town. His supporters were known as the Whitmanites and he was the first person in the 1800s to discuss themes such as homosexuality — it had never been done before. There are still letters written by him in Bolton Central Library."

Beat poetry dates back to after the Second World War when soldiers came home and began discussing freedom of the moment.

He said: "It was started by men such as William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac who fought in the war and came home and questioned why they went through such an awful experience.

"Some travelled on the road and were obsessed with freedom of the moment. They became known as beat poets.

"A lot of young people are keen on the fact that there is no re-drafting involved — the poem is what it is: a celebration of what they are doing in that second of time, without fear."

Originally from Powys in Wales, Scott moved to his adopted home in Bolton 10 years ago and is excited to be able to offer an opportunity to local talent to take part in the event.

He said: "We have a number of fantastic performers booked in to take part, such as Manchester poet John G Hall, Dave Morgan and saxophonist Kevin Bates. Plus it is being held at the Socialist Club, which is a fantastic venue and tailor made for such an event.

"The open mic performers do not necessarily need to be beat poets, so for those who would like to be part of something exciting, get in touch.

"The event will be broadcast across the globe so it really is an opportunity from local poets to step onto the world stage and showcase their work.

"On top of that, I am hoping to have another exciting announcement very soon regarding a special guest from California."

The International Beat Poetry Festival takes place at Bolton Socialist Club on Wednesday, September 9 from 8pm.