A live poetry performance from an author lauded by the world’s most prestigious seats of learning – and with a list of honours longer that a Shakespeare sonnet – conjures up certain images.

Stuffy seminar rooms awash with tweed jackets, pungent pipe smoke and flowery words: a world not always seemingly welcome, or attractive, to the modern poetry lover.

However, the chance to see the internationally renowned writer and broadcaster Lemn Sissay in my hometown was enough to make me pocket my preconceptions.

The Coro has done much to boost its spoken word offering in recent years and Lemn Sissay is a stellar addition to the roster with innumerable awards and published works to his name. His appearance at the Coro was part of his Let the Light Pour In tour featuring works composed at dawn each day over the course of a decade.

On entering the auditorium, there was no stern, chin-stroking silence but a warm buzz of chatter as friends greeted each other with a glass of wine and excitement about the evening ahead.

The lights dimmed and Sissay, clad in a vibrant yellow suit, emerged on stage to a round of applause and the image of pretentiousness I had anticipated dissolved in an instant.  His presence emanated a warm glow in the darkened, century-old hall and, with some introductory wit and personal anecdotes about his life, he had the crowd laughing as if he were also an old friend.

His reading style is energetic and while the subject matter of his work and life can veer towards the dark, he never chills the relaxed and warm atmosphere. I felt myself taken on board his train of thought as the track meandered to a destination unknown. Although seemingly untouchable on the lofty Coro stage, his disarming charm and humour broke the barrier f distance and created a sense of intimacy – talking to the audience as if expecting an answer.

Sissay’s poetry is accessible, though not without impact, and his words felt akin to an open door, an invitation to step in and find something of your own. There was a slight chaos in his delivery, a planned unruliness and vulnerability that willed us to listen.

There was also a lovely moment of audience interaction which saw him teach the audience to sing one of his poems. The initial embarrassed reluctance soon dissipated courtesy of his charismatic humour and everyone joined in which made for a lovely feeling of mutual connection.

The atmosphere stayed alive post show. There was a quick Q&A before our host joined us in the foyer for a book signing and to hand out special “scratch cards” which revealed for the recipient one of his poems. A sweet touch with the luck-of-the-draw aspect being a hark back to the days when he was posting the poems daily

Let the Light Pour In was another performance perfectly suited to the Coro. The venue’s intimate atmosphere paired with the audience’s small-town sense of heart and community were well matched to Sissay’s ability to bring people together.

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