About Us
Push The Boat Out 2024
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.
Vision
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.
Mission
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.
Values
Openness - both to bringing in a wide range of people and perspectives and to the challenge and change that may result, so that poetry and related art forms are genuinely welcoming to new as well as existing audiences and artists
Play - we want to be a place where people look forward to experiencing incredible poetry in innovative ways, and where artists are given space to experiment, develop and thrive
Collaboration - we believe we all have more interesting ideas, make better decisions, champion and create a greater range of excellent artistic work, and achieve better outcomes with those we work with, when we do it alongside others with similar values
Festival Sponsors
We simply could not deliver our festival without the generous support of our funders and programme partners to whom we are incredibly grateful.