Push the Boat Out is an award winning festival with a growing year round presence, and a unique and vital part of Scotland’s arts ecology. It is Edinburgh’s first and only poetry festival, and one of only two in the whole of Scotland. Fresh, vibrant and innovative it strives to increase the diversity of poetry in Scotland – in form, cross-artform pollination, the voices platformed and those who feel welcomed as part of our audiences and participants.
‘At Eighty’, the late great Edwin Morgan’s unforgettable poem, is our namesake. The work is forward-looking and progressive; it encapsulates his persistent, indefatigable curiosity for the unknown, whatever it holds, come what may. Launched in 2021, the centenary year of Edwin’s birth and one of the most difficult and unpredictable periods in recent times, our work pays homage to his inestimable contribution to poetry and to his restless pioneering spirit.
We want not only to give poetry a new platform, but to create an environment where all variations of this vital art form are encouraged to grow, evolve and even collide. We explore inventive ways to bring poetry and audiences together by challenging perceptions of what poetry is, how and where it can be enjoyed and who it is for. Our programme reflects and engages directly with the world around us in all its complexity and diversity; and aims to contribute to Scotland’s long legacy – and future – as a place where poetry and the arts are thriving.
Year-round, we run regular online writing workshops with internationally acclaimed poets and special guests from around the world. while Rock the Boat, our hugely popular open-mic night, takes place on the first Thursday of every month at Summerhall.
A world where poetry in all its myriad forms can grow, evolve, and expand its boundaries as a vibrant and meaningful part of people’s everyday lives.
Our mission is to bring artists, audiences, and participants together to access, create, celebrate, and make meaning through experiencing the vibrant range of contemporary poetry and related artforms from Scotland and beyond, both at the annual festival and year-round programme.
