ULVERSTON'S popular A Poem and a Pint season is to continue with an evening of music and poetry at the Laurel and Hardy Museum.

On Saturday, April 22, at 7.30pm, the Brogden Street venue will welcome poet James Sheard and singer/songwriter Dawn Foster.

Violinist Dawn, of Kendal, sings and plays as a solo artiste and also performs with Room Full of Mirrors, a band that combines elements of gypsy and Celtic music, reggae, soul and blues.

Dawn is described as having "a rare skill for writing intelligent, interesting music" featuring "infectious melodies and beautifully honest lyrics".

She is a newcomer to A Poem and a Pint, as is poet James Sheard, a senior lecturer in creative writing at Keele University.

James has been writing and publishing poetry for more than 20 years, and he has been called "a manifestly European poet working in English" by critic Sean O'Brien.

His poetry evokes the varied landscapes of Europe, from the wharves of Hamburg to the port town of Famagusta, in Cyprus. Boundaries are a key theme in his work, as he explores the points where different people, languages and cultures meet.

James's most recent collection, The Abandoned Settlements - published in January - deals with themes of departure, separation and desire, in settings such as ghost towns, war zones, deserted villages and resorts.

His poetry is described as having "clarity of expression, which in performance is enhanced by his fine reading voice, by the weight or lightness he gives to his images, and the carefully crafted rhythms of his lines".

James's first full collection, Scattering Eva, was published by Cape in 2005 and was shortlisted for two prizes. The follow-up, Dammtor, appeared in 2010 and was a Poetry Book Society Recommendation.

The evening at the Laurel and Hardy Museum is also to feature six open mic slots, which people can sign up for on the door from 7pm.

For more, visit www.apoemandapint.co.uk