LANCASTER'S top literary parade comes back to entertain local people with its first autumn monthly meeting this weekend.

Weaving trails of humour around everyday absurdities and dropping the listener into unseen pitfalls of hilarity as ths Spotlight begins to shine once more will be Simon Baker.

He is one of the feature guests as the Yorkshire House opens its doors once more on Friday evening at 8.30pm.

Simon has developed a well deserved reputation as one of the funniest people to appear at the event, where he will be supported by Spotlight debu-tant Alan Wen, a Lancaster creative writing student who has already twice impressed at the open mic with his passionate poetry.

SixPoets mem-ber Jan Petersen, just back from San Francisco, and Richard Chamberlain, a former member of local bands The Pier Group and The Plastic Noons, who is now a writer of experimental prose poetry, will com,plete the literary line-up.

Music this month comes from singer-songwriter Dan Haywood (pictured), the ex-Puma-Sutras writer who will be airing songs from his ambitious New Hawks of the Great Interior' CD, and Mick Murphy, who will be performing an acoustic set.

Spotlight kicks off at 8.30pm on Friday with an open mic from 8.45 to 9.15pm. Admission will cost £3 (£2 concessions).