Want to try out your poetry in conversation with music? This event – part open mic, part jam session – gives you the opportunity to do just that. Bring a poem to share, liaise with the band about mood, rhythm and tempo, and then give it a go. Come to listen or perform.
Hamish Hawk’s gorgeous, poetic lyrics and luxuriously rich vocals have invited comparisons to Jarvis Cocker, Richard Hawley, Ivor Cutler, Rufus Wainwright and Scott Walker for their depth of storytelling and poetic imagery, so it’s only appropriate he will be performing a solo headline show at Push The Boat Out’s Saturday night.
Poet Rishi Dastidar has spent a lot of time in the company of Neptune, the Roman god of the sea. Join them for a Sunday morning stroll along Portobello Beach, where they will try and answer questions about the waves, species envy, the apocalypse, football managers, and much, much more
Join us for an exciting first performance by a group of Edinburgh’s BPOC young people. The culmination of a collaboration between Bee Asha, Push the Boat Out and SCOREscotland, this celebrates these young people’s experiences and perspectives as they share their first piece of work. Bee Asha is a rapper and spoken word artist characterized
In this unique workshop, choreopoet Safiya Kamaria Kinshasa will introduce you to her new performative writing technique that unites poetry and dance. You will be guided through exercises to help you navigate poetry in new ways. Open to all – just bring enthusiasm, an open mind and the tools you use to write.
Ever wondered about the difference between eggs and legs? Or the similarities between bees and knees? Legendary performance poet and musician John Hegley leads a fun creative workshop full of writing, drawing, songs and biscuits.
Suitable for children of all ages, but under 16’s to be accompanied by an adult.
Tishani Doshi shares work from her recent collection A God at the Door, alongside conversation with poet and researcher Theresa Muñoz. Tishani Doshi publishes poetry, fiction and essays. For fifteen years she worked as lead dancer of Chandralekha company in Madras, India. As such, the body has been a central preoccupation in her work—a vehicle
Chaired by Mónica Parle, Co-Executive Director of the Forward Prize, performance poet and Forward judge Joelle Taylor will share her work alongside insights into the art of delivering captivating poetry performance and discuss what’s exciting in contemporary poetry right now. This fascinating conversation will be followed by a reading from a Forward poet. Joelle Taylor
Rich imagery written in the vernacular characterises this compelling double bill featuring James Conor Patterson and William Letford. Both speak to the resilience of ordinary people as they adapt to strange and uncertain times. Part prose, part poetry, Letford’s ‘From Our Own Fire’ takes us into a not-too-distant future where artificial intelligence rules the world
Inspired by the Arena film, Hair, this workshop will explore how our individual poetic voices can come together to create a collective cultural memory which acts as an alternative history and document of our society. This hands-on workshop is for experienced writers and spoken word artists as well as beginners.
Translating poetry is as much a technical endeavour as it is an immersion into the feeling and context of the original work. Join poets Esa Aldegheri, Annie Rutherford, Peter Mackay and Nasim Rebecca Asl as together they attempt a live translation of At Eighty, the Edwin Morgan poem that our festival takes its name from.
Come with your bicycle, helmet and weather-appropriate gear for a two-part workshop inspired by cycling, starting with a leisurely jaunt around the Meadows, interspersed with short poetry readings by cyclist-poet-hosts Julia Sorensen and Zaki El-Salahi, and finish with tea & coffee and ride-inspired poetry writing in Summerhall.
Unfortunately this event has been unavoidably cancelled due to personal circumstances If you have purchased a ticket for this event a member of our box office team will be in touch What does it mean to be Jewish in modern Scotland? Poets David Bleiman and Ellen Galford explore their Jewish heritage and a common yearning
Don’t miss this fantastic show from Scotland’s award-winning spoken word night!From laugh-out-loud funny, through the wonderfully surreal, to the thoughtful and emotional – Loud Poets continue to prove that Spoken Word has something for everyone.
Understand the craft behind the bars in this panel with some of Scotland’s foremost rap and hip hop artists. Join Conscious Route, Queen of Harps and Dave Hook as they lift the lid on their lyrics, telling the backstory to their songs and explaining their process. Chaired by Arusa Qureshi. In association with The Skinny.
Please note that the line up for this event has changed from that originally advertised. Please note this event IS NOT BSL INTERPRETED as previously advertised. As much meditations on family, love and loss as burning elegies tackling the big issues of our time, Yvonne Reddick and Forward Prize winning Momtaza Mehri bring us their
Three new poetry-led performance pieces, commissioned by Push The Boat Out in association with National Theatre of Scotland. Featuring Imogen Stirling and Susan Bear’s drum & bass/spoken word piece inspired by the myth of Persephone; Ross McCleary’s AI-era reinvention of the Biblical tale of Legion; and an ecopoetic collaboration between poet Alycia Pirmohamed & choreographer Gwynne Bilski, these pieces are all breaking new ground. BSL interpreted.
Rock the Boat is PTBO’s monthly open mic night, hosted by vivacious poets Catherine Wilson and Julia Sorensen. Well-known and loved as a space to trial out new work, reintroduce old favourites, or maybe even take to the poetry stage for the first time, join us to read or listen.
Join Hannah Lavery and Caitlin Skinner as they host a one-off Quines Cast special. For this show, the theme is BELONGING, with poetry from RJ Hunter and an extract from a new work in progress by Hannah Lavery with music provided from a special guest. Come and find your place.
Inua Ellams – playwright, performer, poet, MBE, Nigerian-British wunderkind and polymathic award-winner – wants you to throw words at him. No, really. Welcome to Search Party, a magical, anarchic evening of reactive poetry created from his archive around whatever the audience suggest. Fresh from uproarious successes in London and NYC, Search Party is chaotic, exciting and always completely unique. Come ready to vibe.
The world renowned Edinburgh Ceilidh Club brings you the very best in Scottish ceilidh dancing, featuring Scotland’s top ceilidh bands. Brilliant live music and dancing for everyone, from complete beginners to experienced ceilidh dancers.
Director Tsai Ming-Liang’s debut feature is a masterful exploration of urban alienation and sexual malaise. Living a stifled existence, teenager Hsiao Kang becomes fascinated with petty thief Ah-Tze. Foregrounding themes of queer desire, the film introduced cinemagoers to Tsai’s signature minimalist style, and to his muse, actor Lee Kang-Sheng.
Hailing from Inverness in the Scottish Highlands, Katie’s candid songwriting ability and stunning vocals have already captured a global audience. Following the success of her viral hit Complex (demo) she released her stunning 5 track EP Songs Written from Piano at the end of 2022. Katie has already received support from BBC Music Introducing, Radio
In this sumptuous opera film, maiden Chu Ying-Tai disguises herself as a boy in order to attend school. There she meets the dashing Liang Shan-Po, with whom she falls passionately in love. The film made Ivy Ling Po an icon and was a huge hit in 1963.
