Brighton poet Ros Barber played to a packed audience at the Open House on Thursday evening, for the second of THE SOUTH's new series of poetry events Southern Energy. Heading a line up of top poetry talent that included Brendan Cleary, Andrew Dilger and Gary Goodman, Ros wore a stunning shiny emerald green trouser suit once owned by her mother. "It's a small tribute to my mum who died suddenly in a tragic accident on holiday in Thailand in March,' says Ros. Ros presented award winning earlier work as well as new poems that received an enthusiastic response.

THE SOUTH, the new support group for writers and poets in the south of England is based in Brighton. It is promoting the range and quality of local poetic talent in the new series of events running every Thursday evening at the Open House in Springfield Road, Brighton. With a break for Halloween, the series continues on Thursday 7th November with a poet in the bardic tradition, Robert Walton, sharp-shooting satirist and epic poet Simon Clayton plus special guests.

"We've had a fantastic response to our Southern Energy events," says John Davies, co-ordinator of THE SOUTH. "They provide a marvellous opportunity to hear some of today's best poets reading their own work, as well as providing great networking opportunities for new and aspiring poets."

THE SOUTH is beginning to make quite an impact on the literature scene nationally as well as locally. It's new web site will be featured by The Poetry Society's own website during November.