“The writer Iain Sinclair called poetry the ‘toffee of the universe’. A lot of the poetry we want to present to people is challenging and difficult, but it is also fun and engaging.”

So says Alan Hay, the co-founder of regular poetry reading series Desperate For Love, which was launched in November and returns to Komedia’s Studio Bar tomorrow.

The night was founded by Alan, journalist Wolfy Jones and painter Gary Goodman, all poets and poetry lovers who had met at various readings. Inspired by former Brighton poetry night Do Tongues, it was designed as an alternative to slam poetry nights and open mic sessions.

“There seemed to be a shortage of this sort of night,” says Alan. “We treat it in the same way you would a music night, booking acts and putting an interesting bill together.

“We are trying to make it the kind of night where you can bring your flatmate or girlfriend, who isn’t a poetry fan, and they would still have a good night.”

As well as live readings from invited guests, the night also features music played by DJ Steph Goodman from 1950’s club night Born Bad, and plenty of opportunities to have a drink and a chat between performances.

“It gives it a hanging out party atmosphere rather than a studious, academic environment,” says Alan.

The choice of guests is generally more leftfield than the poets invited to read during the Brighton Festival – focusing on those who can be loosely grouped in the “linguistically innovative poetry” genre.

“It’s not a massive world,” says Alan, “and the poets are very approachable.

We are getting people like Geraldine Monk down later in the year, and new young poet Sophie Robinson.

“There is another reading series in Brighton called Chlorine, [next night is at The Hope, Queen’s Road, Brighton, on Monday, which is quite similar to ours.

“And there are now a number of reading series all over the country, including Openned and Crossing The Line in London, and The Other Room in Manchester. There are a lot of websites and blogs too, it is quite a big scene – although poetry will never fill Wembley.”

He puts the increase in interest in poetry partly down to the internet, making communication easier between poetry fans, and poems themselves simpler to get hold of.

“It was quite a dispersed community before – there would be quite local scenes,” he says. “The internet provided a way of sharing stuff very quickly. Publishing companies offering print-to-order services has also had a big effect.

“When I first got into poetry 20 years ago, I ended up hanging around secondhand bookshops, borrowing poems and doing lots of photocopying.”

This month’s Desperate For Love features three special guests.

Tim Atkins is the editor of online magazine onedit, whose last book Folklore, released by Salt Publishing, took English folklore as a basis.

Joining him will be new young poet Lucy Harvest Clarke, whose debut collection Silveronda is being published by if p then q, and former Brighton-based poet Mat Colegate, who will be reading from his first collection Black Triangle Scrapings.

The first 50 people through the doors at Desperate For Love will also receive a specially compiled, hand-made 18-to-24-page Chapbook featuring work by each of the guests, complete with designs by co-founder Gary.

“We are trying to raise the profile of poetry generally,” says Alan. “Poetry as a whole culture involves books, so we try to have a little thing for people to take away with them.”

  • 8pm, £3.50, 0845 2938480