Poetry
About our events
Nothing gets under the skin or expresses the complexity of the human experience quite like poetry. With work spanning an enormous range of styles, from tender to raucous, formal to abstract; even if you haven’t dipped a toe in since school, let us be your guide to some of the best poetry from across these isles.
Hollie McNish delights with Virgin; Jay Gao and Małgorzata Lebda attend to the human body’s relationship with nature; Hannah Lavery, Jennifer Wong, and Nidhi Zak consider how migration is articulated in poetry, song, and myth; Colin Bramwell and Ryan Van Winkle share how they’re bringing poetry to wider audiences; and T. S. Eliot Prize-winner Joelle Taylor brings the riotous energy of her new collection, Maryville, to the stage.
Simon Armitage, Hanan Issa, and Peter MacKay (UK and Welsh Poet Laureates and Scottish Makar respectively) join forces to reflect on the idea of a national poetic identity. Elsewhere, MacKay showcases the range of languages being spoken in contemporary Scotland in Our Many-Voiced Country.
For something noisier, check out Loud Poets Grand Slam Final, GUBSMACKED’s Flyte Night, Push the Boat Out’s Open Mic Night, or our own Citizen Collective as they showcase the next big names in both written and spoken word.
List of Events
Loud Poets Grand Slam Final
Back again for another year of electrifying slam poetry, this heated competition from Loud Poets gives new meaning to the phrase ‘poetry in…
Jay Gao & Małgorzata Lebda: Embodied Natures
Two poets turn their singular attention to the human body’s relationship with nature. In Mer de Glace, Małgorzata Lebda runs the length of…Our Many-Voiced Country
Now in his second year as Makar, Peter Mackay brings together contemporary poets working in Scotland who showcase the range of languages…Simon Armitage, Hanan Issa & Peter Mackay: Poetry of the People
‘Poetry is not only dream and vision,’ Audre Lorde wrote, ‘it’s the skeleton architecture of our lives.’ Join three brilliant national…Scotland Through Poetry
Join your host, Beth Cochrane, for a glittering line-up of poets from across Scotland. From Scots Scrievers to Gaelic singers, Edinburgh…
Vona Groarke & Tom Pow: The Poet’s Attention
Scotland and Ireland have always punched above their weight in the world of poetry. Today we welcome two of their most beloved poets: Vona…Edwin Morgan Trust: Poetry, Performance, and Prizes
This lively showcase, hosted by Ryan Van Winkle, features some of the best of Scotland’s contemporary poetry scene. Discover the talented…
Simon Armitage: New Cemetery
A local beauty spot becomes a graveyard; a poet walks its boundary. Today, UK Poet Laureate Simon Armitage discusses and performs from his…
Colin Bramwell & Ryan Van Winkle: Poetry in Practice
Two singular voices in Scottish poetry, Colin Bramwell and Ryan Van Winkle, join the Festival to share new work and discuss their…Anton Hur & Lee Seong-bok: That Summer’s End
Regarded as one of South Korea’s most influential poets, Lee Seong-bok is the author of eight extraordinary poetry collections and numerous…
Luke Wright: Later Life Letter
In Later Life Letter, his fiercely moving memoir-in-poetry, Luke Wright explores the effect of his own ‘later life letter’ – the document…Beyond the Margins: Poetry in Motion
We believe that everyone has a story to tell and that stories help us make sense of our world. Over the spring, community members from the…
Tim Key: L.A. Baby!
Following packed-out events with us in 2024 and 2025, comedian and writer Tim Key returns to the Festival with poetry collection, L.A.…Hannah Lavery, Jennifer Wong & Nidhi Zak/Aria Eipe: Migratory Patterns
Jennifer Wong’s Light Year is a moving, generation-spanning examination of family history. Hannah Lavery’s Everything Everyday is both…All Star Poetry
Pin-drop silence, riotous laughter, and back-of-the-neck goosebumps are just a few common side effects from our poetry evenings, and it…Sarah Howe, Rachel Long & Sarah Stewart: Lyric Memory
Poetry has the capacity to say what other forms cannot. In Sarah Howe’s Foretokens, for example, the T. S. Eliot Prize-winner forms a…
Holly Pester & Anthony Tao: A Place Like No Other
In her latest collection, Cafés, Holly Pester considers how, despite its ‘normalness’, a café remakes itself through the people who pass…