Poets had just three minutes to impress the judges at the Manx Litfest Poetry Slam.

And it was Sarah Smart who came out on top, with Howard Caine second and Boakesey in third.

The event, coordinated by Poetry Unlimited Isle of Man and hosted by Simon Maddrell, took place at Port St Mary Town Hall on Wednesday evening to kick off this year’s festival.

Poets took to the stage, including 2021 and 2017 winner, Jacqueline Morrey-Grace, and three Manx Bards - Michael Manning, John ‘Dog’ Callister and Stacey Astill.

The entrants had three minutes - with points deducted for going over the time limit.

The judging panel was made up of Gemma Middleton, Cathy Lord and Di Benson.

The Poetry Slam was sponsored by Bridge Bookshop, who also provided the prizes and the trophy was provided and sponsored by UHY Crossleys LLC.

The event was part of a packed line up of events for 2022 Manx Litfest.

The following day saw Simon host two poetry workshops at Artea, in Port Erin. A Book Fanatics Quiz with quizmaster Rob Cope was held that evening at Bradda Glen, with teams pitting their literary knowledge against each other.

The winning team was Illiterati.

Friday was Schools’ Day, the aim of which is to inspire the island’s youngsters with a love of reading and writing.

Authors, poets and illustrators visited more than 20 primary and secondary schools across the island throughout the day delivering readings, workshops, talks and performances.

In the evening, historian and speaker John Callow gave a free talk at the Erin Arts Centre titled ‘Gerald Gardner and Wicca in the Isle of Man’.

Catriona Ward, who has twice won the August Derleth Award for Best Horror Novel, has a talk titled ‘The Making of Modern Gothic Monsters’.

Writers’ Day at King William’s College on Saturday included the chance for aspiring authors to receive one to one feedback on their manuscripts from literary agent Therese Coen of London firm Hardman & Swainson.

Children’s author Candy Gourlay hosted a workshop at the Family Library in Douglas inspired by her picture book Is it a Mermaid?

Award-winning illustrator Martin Impey presented a talk on his book Dulce et Decorum Est, which features the work of First World War poet Wilfred Owen.

Jamie Mollart gave a talk about his second novel, Kings of a Dead World, published earlier this year to critical acclaim.

The festival headliner was Michelle Paver, author of Dark Matter, Thin Air and Wakenhyrst. She gave a talk titled ‘Tales of Terror, Beauty and Wonder’ at St Catherine’s Church, Port Erin, on Saturday evening.

Sunday saw authors Joanne Clague and Dr Fiona Gell both host writing workshops at Artea while film maker Dr Chris Riley and artist Martin Impey came together for a live watercolour in illustration talk about the moon landings.

Martin said: ‘It was my second invitation to Manx Litfest and I fell in love with the island all over again.

‘Seeing old friends and making many new ones is the gift of such a festival.’

The festival closed on Sunday evening with a Short Story Slam.

Ten writers had six minutes each to read out their work. Winner Angela Callister was presented with a shield and a free pass to Manx Litfest 2023.

Organisers said that it was impossible to pick a highlight from the festival as they had a wonderful time at all the events.

They thanked everyone who took part in Manx Litfest, including the team of volunteers who brought the festival back after a two-year absence due to Covid. Last year’s Poetry Slam was unaffected.

Manx Litfest will return next year with all the regular events as well as a different selection of authors, illustrators and poets.

This year’s festival was sponsored by Culture Vannin, Isle of Man Arts Council, ManSat and the Steam Packet.