As well as a shared belief in a fairer, more equal Britain, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and trade unionist Len McCluskey share a love of poetry. In this special event, they share poems from their new co-edited anthology Poetry for the Many and talk about why poetry is for everyone.
Catrìona NicÌomhair Parsons is a native Gaelic speaker who moved from Lewis to Cape Breton in the 1970s; Beth Freiden crossed the Atlantic in reverse, from the US to Scotland. Both of them now write in Gaelic. Tune in to hear them read and discuss ideas of home and place, language and identity with Peter
Spit It Out takes over PTBO for an afternoon of powerful poetry and spoken word from Jj Fadaka, Bobby Sayers, Éadaoín Lynch, Inga Dale and Ravideep Kaur. Expect unique perspectives on life, love and community, from black feminist worldmaking to queerness, masculinity and class.
A double bill from two page poets at the top of their game. Scottish-Canadian poet Patrick James Errington’s poems are rooted in fire-haunted landscapes, tracing the brittle boundaries between cruelty and tenderness. Acclaimed Irish poet Jane Clarke’s third collection A Change In The Air pays homage to our beautiful, fragile world.
In this poetry workshop with poet Cath Drake, we will ask what meaningful Progress in the Anthropocene could look like? We will read poems and write about ideas of forwards and backwards and discover new meanings of Progress in the context of environmental crisis.
Rapper, songwriter and raconteur Dizraeli brings his new book Animal Noises to the Push the Boat Out stage. Drawing together a collection of lyrics, diary entries, experimental writings and surreal illustrations from the margins of his notebooks, he takes a searingly honest look at the mess of human creation, and it bursts with life. In
Red Bean Poetry shines a light on the work of East Asian diaspora poetry throughout the UK and beyond. Tim Tim Cheng, Anna Cheung, Lady Red Ego and Cynthia Miller, four poets with connections to Scotland, will all read from their work before a lively discussion chaired by Glasgow-based poet and performer Sean Wai Keung.
Ready for a festival Saturday cocktail? We can’t think of better company for it than the legendary Joelle Taylor. Ruma mixologists will shake a heady mix of delectable drinks, while Joelle offers some stirring words to accompany each one. Ticket price covers the cocktails (and poetry) at this workshop.
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
