THE Plough Arts Centre, Torrington has a fine line up of live events in store for January.

There is a chance to hear some of the best local poets around during Open Mic Poetry Night on Thursday, January 8 at 8pm.

On Friday, January 9 Share Music present Out of Bounds. This is original music-dance-theatre highlighting the creativity of a new company of disabled and non-disabled performers. Share Music?s unique approach challenges performers and audience alike.

During autumn 2003 the inaugural Plough Poetry Competition attracted more than 300 entries from all over the country and abroad. To mark this, on Saturday, January 31 between 6pm and 7pm there is a Plough Poetry Competition Celebration. Organised by Sarah Willans and judged by Helena Nelson, poets from near and far will be reading their prize winning entries or hearing them read by local actors. The celebration promises to be the perfect warm-up event for John Hegley later the same evening.

Widely known as one of the country?s most innovative comic artists with eight well-selling volumes of verse to his name, this bespectacled dog-loving poetic type will present The Sound of Paint Drying.

John visited Nice in France last year to paint a scene once depicted by his French father 70 years ago. He muses upon the trip, painting in general, romance, throat sweets and blancmange. John takes to the stage at the Plough at 8pm. Box office: 01805 624624