Tonight (5-6) I’m taking part in a symposium (grand word – not sure what it means) on performing poetry, taking the grand stage at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre, in the Studio. My eldest son has been there before me, acting in, of all things, Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. And my daughter, too, aged about ten months, when she was momentarily lifted from the audience during a pantomime to receive a teddy bear. Ah, cute!

The symposium is a taster session before Being Human, part of the Off the Shelf festival, which is a performance of select poems from the Bloodaxe collection edited by Neil Astley. The performance itself starts at 8.00. Poets, actors and director will discuss the nature and value of performing poetry. It’s a free event, and should be interesting – though I think the main event will far surpass it.

Symposium: 5-6, Crucible Theatre Studio, Free event

Being Human: 8.00 onwards, Crucible Theatre, £10