StAnza Poetry Festival Returns to St Andrews

The award-winning StAnza Poetry Festival once again returns to St Andrews. Held annually in St Andrews since 1998, the festival runs between 14 and 16 March, offering the biggest names in international poetry and budding creatives alike a chance to explore this year’s central theme, ‘How We Feel’. Headliners include winners of international poetry prizes, former Scottish Makars, and collaborations with local communities and art groups.

Dubbed by The Times as “the country's leading poetry festival”, StAnza will bring colour to various venues in town. The Byre Theatre will host headliner shows in the auditorium, and a series of creative writing workshops will be held both in-person and online. For those interested in a more visual experience, rolling poetry films will be screened as part of a competition, and there will be an exhibition in the Byre Theatre.

Parliament Hall will host a poetry marketplace with exhibiting poetry presses, magazines, and artists. The North East Fife Community Hub will also host a sharing event, where people are invited to bring their own poems along. Wardlaw Museum will host poets responding to the latest exhibition in the museum, while the Town Hall will offer bookbinding workshops.

Furthermore, various open mic events will be organised, welcoming new and emerging voices from Scotland. On Saturday night, following the ‘Stupid Sexy Poem Show’, there will be an open mic event, where students can share their work.

There will be a wide online range of free and ticketed events, with special offers for students.

Ryan Van Winkle, the second-time Artistic Director of the festival, has invited everyone to expect “a festival of feeling” with a program packed full of skilled authors engaging in "a range of emotions in poetry and conversation”. Van Winkle also drew light on the presence of “sensory elements” throughout the festival, stating: “We don’t just get moved by words, but also have our senses tingled by sound, touch, and scent.”

Image by StAnza Festival