Scottish Poetry News: March 2020
March's poetry and spoken word highlights include the return of StAnza, Re-Analogue's final, triumphant shindig and an open call from Hidden Door
Calling all spoken word poets: Hidden Door is accepting proposals for its ten-day October festival. The poetry team is on the hunt for innovative and accessible spoken word performances and projects created by individuals or collectives. Proposals are due in by 9 March and, for accepted pitches, there’s a flat fee of £250 attached to contribute toward show expenses and time.
It would be impossible to write about live poetry events in Scotland during March and not mention St Andrew’s poetry festival, StAnza, running 4-8 March. The programme this year is, as usual, outstanding, and includes many of the annual events poetry lovers look forward to (the lunchtime poetry cafes, meet the artist events, translation discussions, and, of course, the Saturday night StAnza Slam). Grab yourself a programme or check out the festival website because, alongside poets like Mimi Khalvati, Michael Longley, and Jen Hadfield, there are dozens of other incredible artists taking to the stage, workshop tables and exhibition spaces.
In Aberdeen, on 25 March in the Cellar, Re-Analogue will be hosting its final event after two years of live event action. The night will be an opportunity to celebrate the incredible performances collective has showcased and will feature a classic Re-Analogue programme of poetical, musical and literary performances. Details to follow, so stay tuned to the Facebook page.
Anthony Anaxagorou and Helen Tookey will be reading at the Mitchell Library in Glasgow, as part of the St Mungo’s Mirrorball programme. Hosted by Glasgow’s Poet Laureate, Jim Carruth, this is possibly one of the most exciting events in Scotland’s March poetry calendar. Anaxagorou was shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot prize in 2019, while Tookey was shortlisted for the Forward Prize in the same year. This is definitely not one to be missed.
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