In late 2012, Wayne Holloway-Smith decided to bring his favourite poets and artists into the public eye by offering them a new kind of stage: his living room.



Wayne had moved into a new flat in a King’s Cross backstreet. It was secreted yet spacious. Little did he know at that stage how many friends and random members of the public – not to mention journalists and photographers – would descend on the place, sparking salacious rumours and ensuring these ‘salons’ a place in London’s literary folklore.

Advertising the events with a hand-drawn map inviting people to ‘follow the trail of moths’, which lined the street from tube station to venue, and filling his kitchen with fine foods, Wayne gave his home over to performances from leading British poets, accompanied by savvy micro-lectures, music and art installations, spanning three nights from December to March. This book contains, in print form, a selection of the work read on those nights, as well as a complete story by writer Imogen Robertson.

Unfortunately, we were unable to reproduce the banjo interludes.

Visual artist(s): Sophie Gainsley