A SOUTH Devon poet will be defending the South West when she competes to be Britain's national champion in a Radio 4 poetry competition.

Liv Torc is one of only 10 contenders to reach the semi-finals in the National Performance Poetry Slam.

The poet, who works for Dartington Hall estate, had to go through four rounds before winning a spot in the September 13 semi-final.

The event, which will be broadcast on Radio 4 on October 1, is the second to be organised by the BBC.

The final will coincide with National Poetry Day.

Liv Torc, which is her stage name, said only poetry slam winners could enter the competition and she was encouraged to enter by friend, performance poet and regular Radio 4 contributor Matt Harvey.

Liv, 30, said taking part in the competition had been challenging because of the restrictions imposed.

She said: "It's quite difficult to cram a poem into the two minutes 15 seconds required.

"It has to be broadcastable, so it can't contain any extreme swearing or extreme adult themes.

"That's quite hard for a performance poet because performance poetry is often quite close to the bone."

Liv said she had to enter four poems to reach the semi-final.

Her poems touched on the problem faced by bumble bees, motorway service stations, jealousy and personality changes in relationships.

She added: "My great love is to perform with my poems. It's something of a calling in a way. I just love everything about it.

"It's a great honour to represent the South West. I have worked very hard. It has been good for my poetry."

Liv is one of the regulars on the Wondermentalists, a group of performance poets entertaining the crowds in cabarets, at festivals and literary events such as Dartington's Way With Words.

Liv said performance poetry was enjoying a rise in popularity in the South West.

She added: "It's building up in the region. I'm glad to see young talent coming to our open mic cabaret nights.

"Winning the top prize would open up a lot of opportunity for me. It would give me a high profile and work including possibly doing stints on Radio 4."

The final will be held on Radio 4 live during National Poetry Day on Thursday, October 8.