Push The Boat Out: International Poetry Festival

Pascale Petit’s latest (and eighth!) collection, ‘Tiger Girl’, was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best Collection in 2020. In the same year, debut poet Will Harris won Best First Collection for ‘Rendang’. With both collections out in year one of the COVID pandemic, Push the Boat Out couldn’t help but bring together these two

‘Truth Prevails’: Does this Czech motto still apply in our post-truth era? Do art and poetry speak truth to power and what truth would that be in a time of societal polarisation and political turmoil across Europe? Three Czech poets and three poets from Scotland discuss their perspectives and experiences as they meet face-to-face for

Due to unforeseen circumstances, unfortunately Nora Gomringer is no longer able to appear at Push the Boat Out. We look forward to hosting her in future editions; all tickets will be refunded.

This eclectic mix of poetry, dance, music, and DJing is an event not to be missed. Poet Janette Ayachi and movement artist Emma Snellgrove present their collaborative performance, SISTER_SIREN: an expression of words matched with expression through body, a platform achieving a magical tandem that harnesses a new language. Poet Anthony Anaxagorou brings his brand

Inspired by concrete poetry and retro games, participants will ‘adapt’ their favourite poems into videogame blueprints, ponder the interplay of memory, nature writing and virtual environments, and test out ways of injecting ‘interactivity’ into haiku, imagist, and lyric poetry. By experimenting with simple ways of creating digital poems, you can literally explore and take the

Eduardo C. Corral is a poet of many honours, awards, and residencies across America. A current teacher in the MFA programme at North Carolina State University, Corral is globally recognised for his harmonious blending of English and Spanish. Corral’s poetry is a tender exploration of history and sexuality, ensuring him a well-earned place on an

A poetic revolution has taken place and reclaimed the natural world. No longer is nature poetry confined to masculine mountaineering and wandering lonely as a cloud; poetry has burst that myth wide open, leaving our natural world free to be enjoyed by all. This panel’s poets are some of those working in the forefront of

Poets Denise Riley and Tom Pow have both enjoyed hugely successful careers which span decades of poetry, writings, and other arts-related projects. From Riley’s first collection ‘Marxism for Infants’, published in 1977, to Pow’s ‘The Village and the Road’, shown at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe, each poet continues to publish and create new and unparalleled

Joelle Taylor is a poetic force to be reckoned with. Her first book, ‘Holding Out’, was released in 1987, and since then Taylor has spent the decades touring on international stages, using poetry as a tool to educate and heal young people, and publishing widely in anthologies and collections. Now, with her book ‘C+nto and

Zaffar Kunial has long been established as one of the UK’s most essential voices in contemporary poetry. A guide across countries and cultures, histories and memories, Kunial is a Faber poet who not only anchors his readers to the earth, but sets them flying high, too. Andrés N. Ordorica’s poetry has exploded into the Scottish

If Jay-Z can confidently say that rap is poetry, then why can’t everyone? The line between the two has been steadily greying in contemporary times, as writers and critics begin to understand the artform that is rap. Slowly, we are acknowledging great writing where great writing takes place, no matter if it’s on the page

A beginner-level workshop on writing raps! This workshop will take participants through the basic building blocks of crafting written raps, learning how to use tools like rhyme, flow, punchlines, and rhythm. The vast majority of this workshop will involve sitting down and writing fun, lyrical exercises with a pen and paper, so there’s no pressure

Roger Robinson is one of the UK’s most-celebrated poets. After his success with the T.S. Eliot Prize-winning ‘A Portable Paradise’ in 2019, he’s now publishing the revolutionary ‘Home Is Not A Place’, a new book of poetry and photography, co-authored by photographer Johny Pitts. The book follows Robinson and Pitts as they tour the UK

Poets Seán Hewitt and Michael Pedersen come together in this event to talk about their recently released, and stunningly poetic, new memoirs. The texts are powerful creations by the authors, each delving deep into the poets’ experiences. In ‘Boy Friends’, Pedersen pays tribute to friendship, and a beloved and departed friend in particular, while in

Join Scotland’s leading literary magazine for an hour of poetry and writing with their friends from Scotland’s tenant union: Living Rent. Some of Scotland’s most exciting writers will share work that explores the poetry and politics of landlordism and leaky flats, and how where we live shapes our lives. Featuring Raman Mundair, Joey Simons, Oliver

Many wouldn’t think of poetry and football as likely pals, but Scotland has long been a country which celebrates the two side-by-side. In this panel event, we have some of the country’s most infamous football poets: Julie McNeill, who is the Makar for The Scottish Women’s National Football Team Poets Society; Hamish MacDonald, the Bankies

The UK’s poetry criticism landscape is often rife with rifts, challenges, and, of course, criticism. Who can forget the divisive and notorious article, ‘The Cult of the Noble Amateur,’ written by Rebecca Watts in the PN Review, 2018, where Watts begins by asking ‘Why is the poetry world pretending that poetry is not an art

Push the Boat Out has commissioned seven innovative poets to reimagine some of Scotland’s most famous and infamous mythical beasts for this event, A Poetry Feast of Mythical Beasts. Continuing a rich, global tradition of new writing which retells traditional takes of old, these fresh and dynamic perspectives pull our selkies and fairies into the

From award-winning and bestselling authors Amy Jeffs (‘Storyland’; ‘Wild’) and Seán Hewitt (‘Tongues of Fire’; ‘All Down Darkness Wide’), we present an hour of original songs, music and poetry inspired by the myths and landscapes of Britain and Ireland. We’ll roam through deep woods and glens, journeying through bitter winds and rain, moving across the

Brian Bilston is digitally appearing at Push the Boat Out in this highly anticipated, audacious poetry gig. He will be sharing work from his new, brilliantly funny and sharp collection, ‘Days Like These’, in which the Poet Laureate of Twitter guides his reader through 366 poems of wit, mundanity, Matt Hancock, and much more. Each