The Blue and Salt of the Lies We Believe
All Weekend, Friday 22nd Nov, Saturday 23rd Nov, Sunday 24th Nov
10:00 am - 9:30 pm
OPENING AT 5pm on 22nd November, this photography exhibition responds to the words and poems of Hannah Lavery, Shasta Hanif Ali, Jeda Pearl, Alycia Pirmohamed and Niall Moorjani. Through conversations with the writers and explorations of the places and experiences held within their work, Kat Gollock aims to curate a visual response to the poetry and ideas that make up the Disrupting the Narrative project.
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Machine Whispers
All Weekend, Friday 22nd Nov, Saturday 23rd Nov, Sunday 24th Nov
10:00 am - 9:30 pm
Can we trust machines with poetry? Will an ‘artificially intelligent’ translator mangle carefully crafted verse, or make it more beautiful? And will a human still recognise a poem when it’s passed through multiple translation tools? Machine Whispers is an interactive installation designed to provoke debate around translation and the role of the human translator in the age of AI.
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Supported by Design Informatics and Edinburgh Futures InstituteWaves, Wildlife, and the Art of Watching
11:00 am - 12:30 pm
Join Elspeth Wilson for a poetry walk around Portobello Beach where we will use our senses to take inspiration from the sand and the sea. We will practise listening and noticing, and think about how the environment we are in can be a collaborator in our writing.
Get TicketsDouble Bill: Sasha Dugdale and Oksana Maksymchuk
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
In Sasha Dugdale’s The Strongbox, recent history and Greek mythology meet to uncover stories found in conflict and warzones. Oksana Maksymchuk’s Still City begins as a poetic journal kept from her hometime in Ukraine. Together, Oksana and Sasha explore how poetry can bear witness to unimaginable experiences.
Get TicketsThe Craft: with Caroline Bird
11:00 am - 1:00 pm
Caroline Bird is one of the UK’s most celebrated contemporary poets. At this workshop, her knowledge and love of poetry will help participants gain a deeper understanding of the craft. Whether you’ve just started writing poetry or have written for a long time, this workshop will give you new tools and insights.
Get TicketsBringing the Self to Poetry Performance
11:30 am - 1:00 pm
Slim Shaka, Kenyan poet, storyteller, artivist and Poetry Slam Africa Champion, will lead you in a workshop to give you the confidence to tell your own story through poetry performance. This journey from page poetry to the stage moves beyond translating words into action, and into harnessing the energy of human nature and storytelling to empower you to embody your story through bold performance.
Get TicketsTakeover: St Mungo’s Mirrorball
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
St Mungo’s Mirrorball is Scotland’s leading community of poetry writers, listeners, and readers. At this takeover event, their lightning dance of poetry reaches new heights with performers Christie Williamson, Vicki Husband, Eloise Birthwhistle, Gillian Dawson and Lynnda Wardle, hosted by Scottish poetry legend, Jim Carruth.
Get TicketsDouble Bill: Activism, Poetry and James Baldwin
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Kadija Sesay and Neo Gilson come together to share their poetry and discuss how they have used the artform as a tool of activism. Neo’s work has appeared as part of Window to my World: Poetry, Resistance and Justice, while Kadija has just edited the new literary anthology, Encounters with James Baldwin.
Get TicketsA Lighthouse Poetry Zine Workshop
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
You have a single poem you’re ready to put into the world, or maybe just the seed of a poetic idea – words ready for the page, but not yet a collection yet, or even a pamphlet. You need a zine! Join writer/poet/facilitator JJ Fadaka for some gentle, cathartic creativity, where we’ll show you how to cut and prep a tiny booklet and unleash your poetry within!
Get TicketsBlack History and Poetry Walk
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Lisa Williams, poet, author, and founder of the Edinburgh Caribbean Association, will lead this Black History Walk and share some specially written poetry as we explore the histories of The Royal Mile’s surrounding areas. These little-known stories of Edinburgh’s many visitors and residents of African, African American and Caribbean heritage may surprise some; what tales lie beneath the sunny Mile?
Get TicketsBirds / Humans / Machines / Dolphins
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
A performance which fuses poetry, music, and the acoustic recordings of dolphins and birds, Birds / Humans / Machines / Dolphins gives voice to the non-human in surprising and original ways. Poet Genevieve Carver, in collaboration with composer Lucie Treacher, will perform works from her pamphlet, Birds / Humans / Machines / Dolphins, and the EP, Hydrophonica. Sponsored by Book Week Scotland.
Get TicketsImtiaz Dharker: Shadow Reader
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
Imtiaz Dharker has long been an internationally acclaimed poet. Her 2023 collection, Shadow Reader, is a radiant criss-cross of encounters, messages and Punjabi proverbs, shot through with the dark thread of unwelcome prophecy.
Hosted by Harriet MacMillan, Imtiaz will speak about the collection and show projections of the illustrations within.
Get TicketsTranslation as a Political Act
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
How can language both bridge and reinforce cultural divides, shaping our understanding of the world and our place within it? This panel, sponsored by the Edwin Morgan Trust, with Oksana Maksymchuk, Martin MacIntyre and Hasib Hourani, hosted by Taylor Strickland, will address the political implications of translation, including issues of representation, accessibility, and cultural identity.
Get TicketsIn Conversation: Naomi Shihab Nye
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
At this special event, poet Naomi Shihab Nye speaks with Marjorie Lotfi about her poetry, inspirations, and how her work engages with her American-Palestinian identity and culture. With her versatility and decades-spanning career, Nye’s work is impossible to summarise, so tune in to this online conversation to hear Nye herself say more.
Get TicketsCreativity in the Cards: Inspired by Tarot
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
In this workshop, you’ll learn to read tarot cards as a source of inspiration, delving into their rich symbolism and history. Through guided exercises, you’ll craft poems that resonate with the deep insights revealed by the tarot, weaving together intuition and imagination. Hosted by poet and performer Francesca Beard.
Get Tickets(Poetry) Page to Stage – Adapting for Theatre
2:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Join leading poets and playwrights, Imogen Stirling, Hannah Lavery and Harry Josephine Giles in a lively discussion about what can be found – and lost – in the adaptation of poetry for theatre and hear about their own experiences of working across disciplines. Chaired by Stephanie Katie Hunter.
Get TicketsBearing Witness
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Bearing Witness asks the question: how do poets and artists continue to create art while witnessing devastation? This event brings together artists who have fostered community spaces in Scotland and beyond, and whose activism is deeply intertwined with their creative practices. With performances and discussions by Marjorie Lotfi, Nat Raha, and Anahit Behrooz, chaired and curated by Alycia Pirmohamed.
Get TicketsTitans of Poetry: Caroline Bird and Ella Frears
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Caroline Bird’s Ambush at Still Lake shows us the ambush of real life that occurs in the stillness after the happy ending. Ella Frears’ Goodlord: An Email is a genre-defying book that takes the form of an email to an estate agent. Together, they discuss the themes of their books. Sponsored by the Forward Prizes for Poetry. BSL interpreted
Get TicketsTakeover: GUBSMACKED
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Hellraising poets Leyla Josephine and Colin Bramwell present GUBSMACKED, a brand-spanking new live event showcasing the best of writing in all its magical forms. Audiences will be treated to performances from both up-and-coming talent and luminaries from the worlds of page, stage and song.
Get TicketsFluid Words: The Poetry of Water
4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
In this Zoom masterclass, poet and critic Michael Hofmann will dissect and explore the nuances of selected poems, inviting participants to engage in deep analysis and lively discussion. This interactive session will offer fresh perspectives on our theme “Living Water,” enriching your appreciation of poetry through collaborative interpretation. In partnership with the Goethe-Institut.
Get TicketsSongwriters Circle
4:30 pm - 5:30 pm
*We’re sorry, this event has been cancelled*
Join this Songwriters Circle as a panel of musicians discuss the backstory to their songs. Multi-award winning hip-hop and improvised rap comedian MC Hammersmith, spoken word poet and rapper/musician ACE V!S!ON, and poet and singer-songwriter Christie Kandiwa will share their insights and inspirations. Chaired by Arusa Qureshi.
Get TicketsRock the Boat
5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
Prepare to be moved! Join us for Rock the Boat, Push the Boat Out’s longstanding monthly poetry open mic. Register online to perform your work or come by to just listen. You especially won’t want to miss the rapid-fire feature poets who will close out the evening!
Get TicketsAir An Aon Ràmh
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Translation: On The Same Oar. Hosted by award-winning poet and singer, Marcas Mac an Tuairneir, this event brings together some of the best contemporary and traditional Gaelic poetry and music. Join poet Babs Nicgriogair, singer-songwriter Rachel Walker, and enjoy new collaborative work from poet Robbie Anndra MacLeòid and polymath and soundsmith Kapil Seshasayee. Sponsored by Comhairle nan Leabhraichean (Gaelic Books Council).
Get TicketsAnd All Great Art Is True: A Celebration of Benjamin
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Benjamin Zephaniah is one of the greatest poets, activists, and musicians in living memory, so in celebration of his life, art, and activism, and in collaboration with Qian Zephaniah and Kadija Sesay, we welcome Raymond Antrobus, Salena Godden and Dean Atta to share what they most loved about Benjamin and how his life touched theirs.
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BSL interpreted.Living Water- New Poetic Performances
7:30 pm - 8:45 pm
Join us for a special evening as we present premiere three new poetry-led performance commissions in association with National Theatre of Scotland. Join David McNeish and Ruxy Cantir, Tim Tim Cheng and Alexandra Shrinivas, and Raymond Wilson and Ross Somerville, as they present inventive cross-disciplinary work from clowning to electronica on the theme of Living Water. BSL interpreted.
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