Tight Lip debuted at the Zoot Street bar in Brighton in Feburary 2005 and found a home at The Permanent Gallery in June 2005.

Why "Tight Lip"?

Tight Lip was created by The Hammett Story Agency - Jay Clifton and Sam Collins - as a different kind of literary night from the poetry slams and open-mic nights that were the most typical kind of live outlet for writers in Brighton.

The 'Tight' in the title refers to the minimal number of writers featured at our events (four, sometimes three with a musical performer), our selectivity when it comes to putting writers on (we are looking for writers with something to say and an engaging way of saying it), and our general preference for writing that has concision and precision.

How does the evening play?

Each writer has ten to twenty minutes to read a short story or a collection of poems. The Permanent Gallery is a small intimate environment that provides a respectful setting and appreciative audience for the serious writer. Unlike many readings that take place in bars and pubs, no drinks are served during the readings. This is a deliberate choice to avoid disrupting the focus of the listeners through background activity. At the same time, there is a ten minute break between each reading for the audience to get drinks and catch up with friends. The balance works well: the nearest comparison might be to a theatre experience, where the audience are respectful and focused during the stage performance, and in a celebratory mode afterward. Since gaining funding from the Arts Council Great Britain and Brighton and Hove Arts Commission's Grassroots Project in September 2006, we have been putting on an established author, a 'guest writer', each month along with our Tight Lip writers. Our night has attracted established writers of the calibre of Cathi Unsworth, Maxim Jakubowski, David L. Hayles, Matt Thorne, Martyn Waites, Barry Adamson, Stewart Home, Alan Clayson, Max Décharné and Ken Hollings.

How do I get a reading slot at Tight Lip?

Tight Lip has already developed a gallery of locally-based writers. To name a handful who have become part of a gallery of regular readers at Tight Lip, in no particular order: Meredith Okell, Gary Goodman, Hannah Murgatroyd, Ed Brown, Danya Deerheart, Ben Murray, Rowena Easton, Peter Moyse, Theodore Koulouris, Joshua Peacock, Abi Curtis, Karen Schaller, Mike Russell, Vicky Blunden, Robert Cooper, Alan Hay, Vicki Vilas

We are interested in having new writers at our event but also need to allow our gallery of developing writers a slot every third or fourth month. With only three or four slots each month this can be tricky. Therefore, if you wish to read at our event the best way is:

1) Come to our events. We're more inclined to put on people who come to our events regularly and thereby show their support both for the general endeavour of Tight Lip and for the other writers who read. We're less inclined to put on people who only seem to come when they've been given a reading slot. Put it this way: that's not how the Beats got started.

2) Send the material you want to read to Jay and/or Sam at The Hammett Story Agency

For regular updates of forthcoming events at The Permanent Gallery visit The Permanaent Gallery Website.

To be added to our e-mailing list e-mail Jay Clifton

Our e-group mailouts also inform you of special events, such as our forthcoming Serge Gainsbourg literary tribute night in Lewes on Saturday 26 May 2007.