Originally from the swamps of Stockport, Paul “Rev Porl” Stevens has been performing as a poet since 1995. The main thrust of his work though has been to bring poetry to non-poetry audiences, usually by appearing as a compere or support act to bands playing at venues such as Night and Day, the Star and Garter, Retro Bar and the Roadhouse. He has supported veteran Punk bands the UK Subs, GBH and the Subhumans, has appeared with Attilla the Stockbroker and Nick Toczek and has performed throughout most of England  and Wales bearing sharp shades, a pint of something lethal and a big pink cross. Since 2003, he has also been involved in the Speakeasy project, bringing together the cream of Manchester Spoken Word artists with musicians from a variety of disciplines.  2012 saw the launch of “Rise of Neon”, his début novella, the first in a series of Superhero books set in Manchester.