StAnza International poetry Festival starts in ten days!

Stories like starting points... #stanzainternationalpoetryfestival -7-13 March

In just over a week, the gorgeous Fife town of #standrews will come to life with words as our friends at StAnza International #poetry Festival host another international celebration of verse. In its 25th year, and new #festival Director Lucy Burnett's first at the helm, StAnza will explore the role of narrative in #poetry in a week-long hybrid #Event welcoming wonderful wordsmiths from across the UK and around the world, from Monday 7 to Sunday 13 March. Click below to dive straight in to this year's #festival programme, or read on for our picks and tips.

StAnza is known for bringing the best and brightest of world #poetry to the #standrews stage, and this year's programme is packed with award winners and nominees, famous faces and future superstars.

From a #poetry masterclass with TS Eliot Prize shortlistee Jack Underwood to a round table reading with Costa Book of the Year winner Hannah Lowe, meet some of the most vibrant voices working in verse today. Beloved novelist Colm Tóibín discusses his first #poetry collection; James Tait Black Prize winner George Szirtes shares poems from a five decade long career; and Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Muldoon joins other guests in a series of Events exploring TS Eliot's The Waste Land and the legacy of Modernism.

Not sure where to start at StAnza? The #poetry Centre Stage series acts as a nightly headliner slot: join in-person or remotely for nourishing readings from Vahni Capildeo, Emily Berry, Robin Robertson, Forward Prize shortlistees Kayo Chingonyi and Holly Pester, and more. There's even a Festival Finale featuring words and live music with Forward Prize Best Collection winner Luke Kennard alongside New York Times bestseller Maria Dhavana Headley and folk musician Kim Edgar. 

StAnza is going full-steam ahead with a hybrid in-person and #digitalEvent. Soak in the atmosphere in #standrews, watch along at home, or both. 

From Edinburgh, travel to #standrews by road or rail (via Leuchars station) is quick and simple, so you can pop up for an evening of Events or spend a weekend enjoying the sights and sounds of StAnza and #standrews by the sea. From stunning sandy beaches to mediaeval ruins, an historic university campus to brilliant cafes, bars and bookshops, there's plenty to see and do around the town in between Events. #festival co-founder Anna Crowe's poetry walking tour of the town offers the perfect introduction for first-time visitors.

Can't make it to #standrews, or not ready for in-person Events yet? Much of the #festival programme is available to enjoy online, so there's no need to miss out. In fact, the first three days of StAnza are digital-only, so you can get a taste from your front room!

StAnza is taking a new approach to programming this year, with an intention to 'intervene' in #poetry. This year, #festival poet Holly Pester provides a prompt – 'stories like starting points' – for an exploration of the role of narrative and storytelling in #poetry in Events through the week. Join #festival Director #lucyburnett as she gets to the heart of the idea with Gail McConnell, Glyn Maxwell and Ian Duhig; enjoy a performance of Deep Wheel Orcadia adapted from Harry Josephine Giles' latest superb book; or delve into all the ways we can use #poetry to explore stories, from Alternative Environmental Narratives with JO Morgan and Claire Crowther, to The Contemporary Epic and beyond. 

Like #standrews itself, a blend of local and international has long been at the heart of StAnza's identity, and this year there's plenty to enjoy from Scotland and around the world. A Festival Launch Extravaganza brings some of Scotland's top talents together, including new Makar Kathleen Jamie, Don Paterson, Roseanne Watt and Hannah Lavery; while a collection of writers and musicians celebrate the centenary of Orkney poet George Mackay Brown. The world comes to Fife in a Round the World programme thread packed with talents from every corner of the globe, while the StAnza staple of poetry-in-translation Events continues, providing everything from a focus on Flanders to the Epic of Gilgamesh.

StAnza International #poetry #festival takes place from 7 to 13 March 2022, live in-person in venues around #standrews as well as online. Find out more about the #festival, including Covid and travel information, on their website: http://stanzapoetry.org