Scottish Poetry News: June 2022
June's poetry and spoken word round-up includes new releases from SPAM Press, and a bumper anthology of new Black British poetry
There is an abundance of new pamphlet titles from SPAM Press, their sixth season, with five new titles ready and waiting to be shipped right to you. Their poets include Jay Gao, Ian Macartney, Parel Joy, Gonçalo Lamas, and Ali Graham; an incredible set of poets, working across just about any form of poetry you can think of.
Another exciting release, published just a few weeks ago, is More Fiya: A New Collection of Black British Poetry, edited by Kayo Chingonyi. The list of poets in this anthology is incredible, with multi-award winners such as Roger Robinson, Janette Ayachi, and Dean Atta all having works included.
Polaris, by Gaelic- and English-language poet Marcas Mac an Tuairneir, is out on 2 June. This is Tuairneir’s fourth collection of poetry and examines intersecting notions of ‘northness’, linguistic, and cultural identities. Translations of the poems come in a mix of British native minority languages such as Welsh, Irish, Manx and Cornish.
On 6 June, Candlelight Open Mic will launch Ross McFarlane’s debut pamphlet Life Goals of the Millennials: or The Commune Manifesto. The launch will take place at 6.30pm in Glasgow’s Old Toll Bar, at the end of Candlelight’s usual open mic session. You can sign up in advance by messaging Candlelight Open Mic on Facebook.