The Daily Telegraph has published an article on performance poetry today. It's a good overview of the scene, given the limited space. I was surprised at one section though:
"According to Geraldine Collinge, director of Apple and Snakes, the main
organisation promoting performance poetry in Britain, there are around 1,000
poets now making a primary living out of performance."
While I'd be delighted if there were 1,000 people making a "primary living" from poetry performance in the UK, the number does seem a little high. If it were true, I'd expect more of the poets I know to be living the high life and not working 'first jobs' as something else.