It’s hard being a poet. Whether you’re writing your first funding bid, looking to rent some office space, or trying to find a support network, it can be difficult to know where to start. Or, once you’ve started, what’s your next step? To help you on your way, we’ve invited guest speakers from Creative Scotland

Publishing: where to start, how to continue, and what are your contract rights? This event digs deep into the mysteries of poetry publishing, answering all your questions from where to submit your first poem, to where support can be found when reviewing contracts. Publishing Scotland (Vikki Reilly) will be revealing its insights on the dos

Have you ever wanted to become a full-time poet, but not known where to start? It can sound daunting, at first: learning how to make a living from your writing, how to use your poet-skills to generate income, and where to start looking for your first, and next, job. At ‘The Business of Being a

From exposing the power of big tech companies, to debates around machine learning, artistic authenticity and the politics of digital communication, Dr. Pip Thornton uses poetry as a tool to examine the big questions of today’s increasingly digital society.

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