Podcasts about Scottish Poetry Library

The Written World was the Scottish Poetry Library's London 2012 project. To mark the Olympics, we launched a scheme to find a poem for each of the 204 countries taking part, which were then broadcast on BBC Radio. In October 2012, with the project over, we took the chance to look back on The Written World with its project manager Sarah Stewart. We also talked to Richard Price, whose poem ‘Hedge Sparrows' was chosen to represent Team GB, and William Letford, who the SPL asked to write a poem marking the end of the tournament. A trio of poets is rounded out by Mariama Khan, a poet representing Gambia at Poetry Parnassus, another international event linked to the Olympics.

'How we feel' was the theme for the 2025 StAnza international poetry festival, and the Lantern Live team were on stage, bringing all the feels!Kathleen Jamie and Ally Heather were joined by award-winning performance poet Charlotte Van den Broeck, and Nuala Watt, whose first collection - The Department of Work and Pensions Assesses a Jade Fish - is a must-read for the austerity age. To access poetry for free in person, via post, or online, please find details at the Scottish Poetry Library website here.The Lantern Scottish Poetry podcast is produced by Bespoken Media, and is supported by the National Lottery through Creative Scotland.

Best Scottish Poems is the Scottish Poetry Library's annual online anthology of the 20 Best Scottish Poems, edited each year by a different editor. Bookshops and libraries – with honourable exceptions – often provide a very narrow range of poetry, and Scottish poetry in particular. Best Scottish Poems offers readers in Scotland and abroad a way of sampling the range and achievement of our poets, their languages, forms, concerns. It is in no sense a competition but a personal choice, and this year's editors, the novelists Louise Welsh and Zoë Strachan, checked and balanced each other's predilections. Their introduction demonstrates how widely they read, and how intensely. All the Best Scottish Poems selections are available on the SPL website. This special podcast features readings by established voices and emerging talent. With readings by Kathleen Jamie, Liz Lochhead, Robin Robertson, John Burnside, and many more.  Photo by Jen Hadfield.

In this extended version of Nothing But The Poem Kevin Williamson interviews Donny O'Rourke, editor of Dream State - The New Scottish Poets which was published in 1994 and remains the gold standard of poetry anthologies, and, arguably, the most visionary poetry anthology ever published in Scotland. Dream State's contributors were all aged under 40 at the time and were assembled by fellow poet and broadcaster Donny O'Rourke. Only 6 of these poets - John Burnside, Carol Ann Duffy, Kathleen Jamie, Jackie Kay, W N Herbert and Robert Crawford had appeared in The New Poetry - Bloodaxe's high profile generational anthology - the year before. Donny O'Rourke had his finely tuned ear to the ground, and, as well as the 6 poets listed above, he brought together another 19 Scottish poets under the age of 40, all overlooked by the Bloodaxe anthology. These included Don Paterson, David Kinloch, Meg Bateman, Richard Price, Graham Fulton, Robert Alan Jamieson, Maud Sulter, Alan Riach, and a 28 yer old - and as yet bookless poet - Roddy Lumsden. Donny O'Rourke was no ordinary editor. He was a visionary with an agenda who not only hoped to achieve a "gathering of forces' but wanted an anthology with zero fillers and, crucially, for the anthology to be a vital energetic snapshot of all aspects of Scottish life at a time the country had entered a tumultuous phase in its history. Dream State's ambition was huge: poetry as "news that stays news" as Ezra Pound once wrote. Popular culture, street smart wit, political tensions, scientific discoveries and radical re-imaginings infuse every page. O'Rourke was no narrow nationalist, as is stated in the introduction, but drew upon Edwin Morgan as the anthology's outward looking internationalist and hyper curious guiding spirit. Dream State was egalitarian in its sense of purpose from the outset. From Alasdair Gray came the inclusive definition of Scots as anyone who lived in Scotland, or who was from Scotland and left. Dream State was relatively balanced gender-wise too (for the 1990s). 15 male poets and 10 female poets. The New Poetry, despite its vitality and excellence, on the other hand had just 17 women poets out of its 55 contributors. We also hear the words of many working class poets in Dream State, perhaps abandoned by much of the politics of the time, making their voices heard. In this podcast Donny O'Rourke sits down in the Scottish Poetry Library with Kevin Williamson (who was publishing and editing Rebel Inc magazine at the same time) to revisit the creative riot that was the early 1990s. They discuss Dream State and the time and place which gave birth to it. Dream State The New Scottish Books was published by Polygon.

Into Poetry is an exciting new outlet for poetry in both print and online based in Scotland. In the run up to its launch its editor, David Cameron, dropped into the Scottish Poetry Library to chat with Samuel Tongue about the ideas behind the project, its origins and remit, its international reach, including how to submit work and what to expect. Into Poetry is part of the artistic hub Into Creative which was established in 2013 by Stephen Cameron and can be found at https://intocreative.co.uk  The website also features articles on Music, Art, Movies and Books. The imprint, Into Books, was established in 2019 with a view to publishing one or two titles per year; with the remit of being "imaginative, challenging and accomplished titles".

In this episode, Andi explores Edinburgh with her longtime friend Sandra Walker. They visit the Scottish Poetry Library, delving into the rich literary traditions of Scotland and discussing the importance of poetry in Scottish culture. Andi and Sandra reflect on the intertwining of politics, rebellion, and art in Scottish history, and how it resonates with their own experiences. The pair also explore Sandra's connection to Edinburgh, uncovering a remarkable family history tied to the very building Sandra now calls home. From Burns Night celebrations to the preservation of Edinburgh's architectural heritage, get ready for cultural insights, and the enduring power of words in shaping Scottish identity. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How important is a sense of place when it comes to poetry? Two very different parts of Scotland are represented on this episode of Lantern.Shane Strachan from Aberdeenshire and Hugh McMillan from Dumfries and Galloway join host Ally Heather and Scotland's Makar, Kathleen Jamie in the Scottish Poetry Library. To access poetry for free in person, via post, or online, please find details at the Scottish Poetry Library website here.The Lantern Scottish Poetry podcast is produced by Bespoken Media, and is supported by the National Lottery through Creative Scotland.

'Memory is unreliable, and a creative practise in itself'...Memory and nostalgia are powerful, evocative experiences that have inspired some of the greatest literary works. Joining Scotland's Makar, Kathleen Jamie, and host Ally Heather for this episode, and sharing their own poems inspired by memory, are poets Iona Lee and Kevin P Gilday. To access poetry for free in person, via post, or online, please find details at the Scottish Poetry Library website here.The Lantern Scottish Poetry podcast is produced by Bespoken Media, and is supported by the National Lottery through Creative Scotland.

'Nothing is yet in its true form'... Poetry is not just about human forms or emotions. Across history, other species have inspired art and literature - and that is our theme for this episode. Examining animal spirits and creatures from the 'more than human' world with Ally and Kathleen, at the Scottish Poetry Library, Em Strang and Garry McKenzie.To access poetry for free in person, via post, or online, please find details at the Scottish Poetry Library website here.The Lantern Scottish Poetry podcast is produced by Bespoken Media, and is supported by the National Lottery through Creative Scotland.

Jen Hadfield (winner of a 2024 Windham Campbell Prize for Poetry) joins Michael Kelleher to wade through Annie Dillard's dense yet rewarding classic, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. They discuss difficult reading experiences, poetic attempts to unlock the ineffable and immense, the book's intense relationship to the natural world and how that has impacted Hadfield's own work, and more. Reading list: Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard • Walden by Henry David Thoreau • Storm Pegs by Jen Hadfield • "An Transparent Eyeball" by Ralph Waldo Emerson For a full episode transcript, click here. Jen Hadfield is a poet, bookmaker, and visual artist. She is the author of four poetry collections, including most recently The Stone Age. Her second collection, Nigh-No-Place (2008) received the T. S. Eliot Prize. Hadfield earned her BA from the University of Edinburgh and MLitt in creative writing from the University of Strathclyde and the University of Glasgow. Her awards and honors include a Highland Books Prize (2022), an Edwin Morgan International Poetry Award (2012), the Dewar Award (2007) and an Eric Gregory Award (2003), as well as residencies with the Shetland Arts Trust and the Scottish Poetry Library. In 2014, she was named by the Poetry Book Society as one of twenty poets selected to represent the Next Generation of poets in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Hadfield currently lives in the Shetland Islands, where she is Reader in Residence at Shetland Library.

What happens when traditions get broken? When there is a movement in a family, or within a culture? Exploring the feminist tradition of picking up on lost female voices, Gerda Stevenson and Marjorie Lotfi explore this topic through their own work, guided by Kathleen Jamie and Ally Heather. To access poetry for free in person, via post, or online, please find details at the Scottish Poetry Library website here.The Lantern Scottish Poetry podcast is produced by Bespoken Media, and is supported by the National Lottery through Creative Scotland.

Poetry enables elagy and helps us remember the past, and those who have passed. What does this mean in public and private spheres? Attitudes of memory and memorial are integral to the work of poets Catherine Wilson Garry and Alec Finlay, and they join Kathleen Jamie and Ally Heather to explore this evocative theme. To access poetry for free in person, via post, or online, please find details at the Scottish Poetry Library website here.The Lantern Scottish Poetry podcast is produced by Bespoken Media, and is supported by the National Lottery through Creative Scotland.

250 years since he died, Robert Fergusson is still revered and respected by the Scottish literary community. Exploring his life and work in more detail, Kathleen Jamie and Ally Heather are joined by another Robert - Robert Crawford - to learn more about his life, and untimely death. To access poetry for free in person, via post, or online, please find details at the Scottish Poetry Library website here.The Lantern Scottish Poetry podcast is produced by Bespoken Media, and is supported by the National Lottery through Creative Scotland.

Scots are rightly proud of their literary heritage, but how can past work - or the canon - impact writers today? Presenters Kathleen Jamie and Ally Heather are joined by poets Titilayo Farukuoye and Alycia Pirmohamed to discuss the relationship between the canon and a fresh generation of young writers. To access poetry for free in person, via post, or online, please find details at the Scottish Poetry Library website here.The Lantern Scottish Poetry podcast is produced by Bespoken Media, and is supported by the National Lottery through Creative Scotland.

A short audio recording to accompany the Moon Tell Me Truth exhibition at the Scottish Poetry Library.

Jackie Kay's adoption as a baby, and investigation into her birth parents — a Nigerian father and Scottish mother — give her an original take on Scotland and cultural identity. Jackie Kay talked about her uncomfortable discoveries upon meeting her birth parents, as well as her two books, Wish I Was Here and Darling: New and Selected Poems, when she met with Eleanor Wachtel at the Scottish Poetry Library in Edinburgh in 2007.

Traversing through time and space, and through humanness to the beyond, listening is a powerful and underrated practice. So says author, educator, and cultural activist Christian McEwen. She prefers to use the word "listening" not simply for the work of our ears, but as an extended metaphor for openness and receptivity - less actual than symbolic, less physical than metaphysical - rippling out from the self-centered human to the farthest reaches of the non-human world. In her latest work, In Praise of Listening (2023), she offers many accounts of listening as a pathway to realities forgotten and hidden, ranging from intimate anecdotes about family and friends to transformational social narratives from researchers, healers, activists, and more. The book tracks the endangered practice of listening through literature, Buddhism, nature writing, science, and sociology, including interviews with writers and therapists, naturalists, storytellers, and musicians. Christian's latest work might be seen as a cousin to her earlier, popular book, World Enough & Time: On Creativity and Slowing Down (2011), now in its second edition. "From the beginning, I was concerned with how slowness might intersect with happiness, and then again with creativity," Christian writes in World Enough. "Like the English composer Brian Eno, I wanted to find a way of living in 'a Big Here and a Long Now.' It was obvious from the start that this would not be easy." Strewn with a delicious assortment of quotes on slowing down - ranging from Lily Tomlin to Gandhi to Rumi - World Enough also gave rise to a separate book of quotes celebrating slowness, aptly titled The Tortoise Diaries. Growing up in the Scottish countryside, perhaps it was the quietude of her childhood - or its contrast with the fast-paced life in New York she witnessed as a young adult - that drew her life to dedicate her life to listening. Even in her early work as a poet, listening was key to expressing what is experienced beyond the immediately visible. Her writing draws attention to minute everyday subtleties and deeply felt personal experiences. Pausing to listen to a snail as it munches on a leaf, or to a hyacinth growing loudly in its pot, she brings together many different stories of people who've learned to listen and attune. Her work grapples with a range of topics, including gender. In 2004, she co-produced a video documentary titled Tomboys! that celebrates "tomboys of all ages" - highlighting real-life stories of feisty girls who grew up to be spirited women. At the start of the documentary, you can hear Christian's crisp, enchanting voice, "When I was a child, I was what people called a tomboy. The word itself seemed magical to me: fiery, disobedient, gloriously untidy." She's also written a play Legal Tender: Women & the Secret Life of Money (2014), based upon personal interviews with more than fifty women about their relationship with money - intended as a creative catalyst, modeling courage and honesty for its listening audience, both through the play itself and through a linked project known as "The Money Stories" workshops. Christian's thesis as a writer and producer is simple: stories give rise to other stories, and courage and clarity inspire more of the same. She has edited four anthologies, including The Alphabet of the Trees: A Guide to Nature Writing and Sparks from the Anvil: The Smith College Poetry Interviews, based on a series of interviews she conducted with visiting poets. She has written for The Nation, The Village Voice, and numerous other journals, including The Edinburgh Review of Books and the Shambhala Sun. Growing up in the Borders of Scotland "in a big old-fashioned house" with "beautiful shabby rooms and scented gardens" and "a perpetual drone of adult anxiety about school fees and taxes and the latest heating bill," Christian first came to the United States on a Fulbright Scholarship. She has taught poetry and creative writing at a number of venues, including Williams College in Massachusetts, the Zen Mountain Monastery in Upstate New York, and the Scottish Poetry Library in Edinburgh. She has also worked as a writer-in-the-schools for ALPS and the Teachers & Writers Collaborative. Christian has been a fellow, several times, both at the MacDowell Colony, and at Yaddo. In 2011, she received a grant in playwriting from the MA Cultural Council. In all her work, she continues to encourage the reader to take a moment to stop and listen. "In a world of racket and distraction, generous, expansive listening is increasingly under siege. But it remains a skill worth honoring, worth passing on...Many an old story begins with the words, 'Long ago, when animals could speak....' Perhaps the corollary would be just as good an opening.... 'Long ago, when people could listen.'" Join us for a slow conversation with this ardent listener, as we co-create a circle to reclaim this ancient medicinal practice.

'Me and my Dad will just about manage a handshake'. Is male emotionality a barrier we have to break down? And are male friendships changing generationally? Poets Andrew Greig and Michael Pedersen join Scottish Makar Kathleen Jamie and Alistair Heather to examine, through their own work, how relationships between males are depicted in Scottish writing. To access poetry for free in person, via post, or online, please find details at the Scottish Poetry Library website here. The Lantern Scottish Poetry podcast is produced by Bespoken Media, and is supported by the National Lottery through Creative Scotland.

Multi-award winning poet Niall Campbell joins Scottish Makar Kathleen Jamie and host Alistair Heather on stage at the Push The Boat Out poetry festival 2023. Our theme is inheritance and tradition. To access poetry for free in person, via post, or online, please find details at the Scottish Poetry Library website here. The Lantern Scottish Poetry podcast is produced by Bespoken Media, and supported by Creative Scotland.

On Wednesday 27th September 2023 the acclaimed Haitian poet Bertony Louis visited the Scottish Poetry Library to speak at an event where he discussed how his poetry intersects with the situation in Haiti.   Before the event Bertony recorded a podcast with the SPL; speaking about his life and work. Bertony spoke in French, which was translated simultaneously.

Douglas Dunn is one of Scotland's most decorated poets - he has an OBE and a Queen's Medal - as well as one of Scotland's most loved poets. He is undoubtedly a major Scottish poet, editor and critic, whose Elegies (1985), is a moving account of his first wife's death. The book became a critical and popular success. His books – including 10 collections of poetry and 2 of short stories, and a translation of Racine's Andromache – are consistently well reviewed in the national press, while his work has been the object of much academic attention and has been extensively translated (there are editions in French, German, Spanish, Italian, Norwegian, Slovak, Armenian and Japanese, at least). In this Nothing But The Poem podcast, regular host Sam Tongue and the NBTP group appraise 3 of Dunn's poems. The poems span almost 5 decades: from Terry Street in 1969 to his most recent collection in 2017.  Dunn himself "once observed that much of poetry ‘depends on the exposure of the heart', and that ‘there should be no holding back'. This is true of his work, for all its formal restraint. Whether writing of civic society, mourning, or domestic contentment, Douglas Dunn gives us heart-felt witness that ‘life is the best thing that can happen to us'." - Dr Jules Smith The poems discussed in the podcast are TAY BRIDGE (1'10) and SECOND OPINION (7'35). Sam also reads a third poem THURSDAY (14'15). The texts for all 3 poems can be found here on the Scottish Poetry Library website.

Scottish Makar Kathleen Jamie and host Alistair Heather welcome two excellent poets to the Scottish Poetry Library. In this first episode, they share poems and discussion around the theme of reading. To access poetry for free in person, via post, or online, please find details at the Scottish Poetry Library website here. The Lantern Scottish Poetry podcast is produced by Bespoken Media, and supported by Creative Scotland.

Scottish Makar Kathleen Jamie and host Alistair Heather are joined by Don Paterson and Roshni Gallagher, to share poems and chat in the Scottish Poetry Library. Our theme for this episode is water. To access poetry for free in person, via post, or online, please find details at the Scottish Poetry Library website here. The Lantern Scottish Poetry podcast is produced by Bespoken Media, and supported by Creative Scotland.

Scottish Makar Kathleen Jamie and host Alistair Heather are joined in person by Brian Holton, and from Covid isolation, by TikTok poet Len Pennie. Our theme is time is solitude - in Fife and ancient China. To access poetry for free in person, via post, or online, please find details at the Scottish Poetry Library website here. The Lantern Scottish Poetry podcast is produced by Bespoken Media, and supported by Creative Scotland.

Scottish Makar Kathleen Jamie and host Alistair Heather welcome some of the most vital voices in Scottish letters to Edinburgh's Scottish Poetry Library. Produced by Bespoken Media, and supported by Creative Scotland.

In this LGBTQ+ History Month special edition of Nothing But the Poem, the Scottish Poetry Library's Toni Velikova is joined by Kirsten MacQuarrie, author and Membership Officer from CILIPS Scotland, to chat about three poems by three much loved Scottish LGBTQ+ poets. STRAWBERRIES by EDWIN MORGAN GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN by MAUD SULTER  BIOGRAPHY by JACKIE KAY The poems were discussed at an open-to-all meetup of Friends of the Poetry Library hosted by Toni and Kirsten. An enthralling chat ensued by all accounts! Have a look at our website to find out about becoming a Friend, and join us for the next Nothing but the Poem meet-up. Or simply enjoy this podcast and the excellent poems therein.

'S e pod-chraolaidh ùr Leabharlann Bàrdachd na h-Alba a th' ann an Hai-àidh! Air gach clàr bi dà phìos bhàrdachd air a thaghadh le dà bhàrd (neo cuideigin aig a bheil ùidh ann am bàrdachd). Sa chiad fhear thagh Pàdraig MacAoidh 'Anns an Dealachadh' le Deborah Moffat agus Màrtainn Mac an t-Saoir 'Chuala sinn losgadh' le Daibhidh Eyre Leughaidh Pàdraig agus Màrtainn na dàin mus bi iad a' còmhradh le chèile mun deidhinn.    Hai-aidh! is the Scottish Poetry Library's new Gaelic language poetry podcast. In each episode two Gaelic language poems are selected by two poets (or by guests who love poetry). In this episode Peter Mackay chose 'Anns an Dealachadh' by Deborah Moffat, and Martin MacIntyre chose 'Chuala sinn losgadh' by Daibhidh Eyre Leughaidh.  Peter and Martin read the poems and have a chat about them.    

In this podcast, Scottish Poetry Library's Sam Tongue introduces us to three poems by the late Scottish poet, Roddy Lumsden, whose influence continues to reverberate around contemporary poetry. Roddy's poems were read and discussed at January's monthly online meet-up of Friends of the Poetry Library hosted by Sam. In the podcast Sam reads the 3 poems and gives us his thoughts on them and the discussion they generated. Have a look at our website to find out about becoming a Friend, and join us for the next Nothing but the Poem meet-up. Or simply enjoy this podcast and the excellent poems therein. 

Bill welcomes award-winning slam poet Layla Josephine to the show. Leyla is a performance poet, theatre maker, screenwriter, facilitator and project leader. She won the 2014 UK National Poetry Slam at The Royal Albert Hall with Hammer and Tongue.  In 2019 she performed for the First Minister of Scotland and supported John Cooper Clarke on his Scottish tour. She has been featured on BBC Radio 4, BBC The Social, The Guardian Online, Buzzfeed, Huffington Post, Upworthy, The National and The Scotsman and the anthology Choice Words: Writers On Abortions alongside the likes Margaret Atwood, Audre Lorde and Gloria Steinem. The Scottish Poetry Library named her poem 'Good with our Hands' in The Best Scottish Poems of 2020.  Her solo shows Hopeless and Daddy Drag have taken the UK by storm, with sold out shows across the country; Hopeless was runner up for Saboteur's Best Spoken Word Show 2018. Daddy Drag won the Autopsy Award 2019, which celebrates artists making ground-breaking work in Scotland. It was also shortlisted for Filipa Braganca Award 2019, which honours solo female artists creating important work at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Her short film, Groom, was nominated for a Scottish BAFTA in 2022 (under Leyla Coll-O'Reilly). 

In the history of science, many individuals are honoured by having technical terms named after them. To modern sensibilities, this is sometimes regrettable. Poet Dr Sam Illingworth looks at the challenges of scientific terms named after people we perhaps wouldn't celebrate today. Who gets to choose them anyway? It's one thing to quietly change the name of a scientific prize, a research facility or a lecture theatre. But how would you rename an element or a famous equation? With a book, a record or a painting we can choose to leave them on the shelf if we so wish, but some scientific names seem as hard-wearing as concrete... Photo: The Pillars of Creation as captured by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope/JWST Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI Written and presented by Sam Illingworth Produced by Alex Mansfield With contributions from: Dr Emma Chapman, University of Nottingham author of "First Light" Sam Kean, historian of science and author of "The Disappearing Spoon" and "The Icepick Surgeon". Prof Natalie Bann, University of Victoria, British Columbia Derek Robertson, artist, co-author of "Bho Bheul An Eòin / From The Bird's Mouth" Derek's exhibition of the project is at the Scottish Poetry Library, Edinburgh until Dec 31st 2022.

Scottish Poetry Library's Sam Tongue runs a monthly online meet-up, where Friends of the Poetry Library get together to read and discuss a fresh poet and their poems.  In this podcast, Sam introduces us to the general style and format, and enjoys the work of Will Harris. Have a look at our website to find out about becoming a Friend, and join us for the next Nothing but the Poem meet-up. Or simply enjoy this podcast and the excellent poems therein. 

Scottish Poetry Library's Sam Tongue runs a monthly online meet-up, where Friends of the Poetry Library get together to read and discuss a fresh poet and their poems.  In this podcast, Sam introduces us to the general style and format, and enjoys the work of Hannah Hodgson. Have a look at our website to find out about becoming a Friend, and join us for the next Nothing but the Poem meet-up. Or simply enjoy this podcast and the excellent poems therein. 

In this podcast, Jennifer Williams speaks to Iain Morrison about poetry and art, being able to write about sex and identity, the influence of Emily Dickinson and much more. Iain has a frequently collaborative practice as a writer and performer, presenting within live literature and live art contexts. Recent projects have included a night of drag queen poetry at the Scottish Poetry Library in January 2016, and Subject Index a durational installation of the complete poems of Emily Dickinson developed in residency at Forest Centre+ and toured to Berlin's SOUNDOUT! New Ways of Presenting Literature Festival in May 2014. Publishing includes work in the forthcoming collection of Edinburgh poems from Freight, poem-responses to fin de siècle Vienna in the Austrian Cultural Forum's Kakania anthology, and writing in magazines such as Gutter, The  Burning Sand, HOAX, Soanyway and Scree.

In this goodbye podcast from Jennifer Williams, she shares her very first SPL interview, a previously unaired conversation with the American poet Eleanor Wilner. Jennifer first met Eleanor at the Scottish Poetry Library soon after she started, and Eleanor continues to be a friend and mentor for Jennifer in her life as a poet and person who believes that art can do good work in the world. With many thanks, always, to James Iremonger for the music in this podcast. If you would prefer to read, rather than listen to, our podcast with Eleanor Wilner, click here to see a transcript of the interview.

Hera Lindsay Bird is a poet from New Zealand. Her first poetry collection, also called Hera Lindsay Bird, was published in July 2016 by Victoria University Press and quickly sold out its first print run. A UK edition was published in November 2017. In August, when Bird was in Edinburgh to take part in the Edinburgh International Book Festival, she found time to come down to the Scottish Poetry Library. While in the Library, she spoke about hating wisely, what it's like when a poem goes viral, and why sentiment is nothing to be scared of.

Our latest podcast departs from our usual interview format. It's a recording of a reading held in the Scottish Poetry Library in March. The poets featured are Nina Bogin, Eoghan Walls and Beverley Bie Brahic. Nina Bogin (pictured) was born in New York City and received a B.A. degree from New York University. She has lived in France since 1976. She taught English and literature at the University of Technology of Belfort-Montbéliard in France, until her retirement in 2017. Graywolf Press published her first book of poems, In the North, in 1989. Two books of poems followed, The Winter Orchards in 2001 and The Lost Hare in 2012, both published by Anvil Press. Her latest collection, Thousandfold, is published by Carcanet. Eoghan Walls was born in Derry in Northern Ireland. He attended Atlantic College on the coast of South Wales and has lived and taught in Germany, Rwanda, Scotland and presently, northern England. He won an Eric Gregory Award in 2006. His first collection of poems, The Salt Harvest, was published by Seren in 2011 and was shortlisted for the Strong Award for Best First Collection. He teaches creative writing at Lancaster University. His latest collection is Pigeon Songs, which is published by Seren. Beverley Bie Brahic is a poet and translator. A Canadian, she lives in Paris and the San Francisco Bay Area. Her second poetry collection, White Sheets, was a finalist for the 2012 Forward Prize. Brahic's translations include Guillaume Apollinaire's The Little Auto, winner of the 2013 Scott Moncrieff Prize; and books by Jacques Derrida and Julia Kristeva. Her latest collection is The Hotel Eden, which is published by Carcanet.

Two poets, one podcast. Krystelle Bamford and Don Paterson are reading together at the Scottish Poetry Library at an event we're holding on Wednesday 23 November, 6pm. Tickets are £7 (£5). Seemed like a good time to interview them together. Bamford was born in the US but has been living in Edinburgh for over five years now. She completed an MLitt in Creative Writing at the University of St Andrews and has been published in The American Poetry Review and The Kenyon Review, and she has also won a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award. Two-time winner of the T.S. Eliot Prize for Poetry, Don Paterson more than deserves his reputation as one of Britain's foremost poets. His latest collection is 40 Sonnets (Faber). He hails from Dundee, and is living in Edinburgh these days. Both poets came into the SPL in July where the poets spoke about translations, sonnets and what sort of a character makes for a good poem. If you would prefer to read, rather than listen to, our podcast with Don Paterson and Krystelle Bamford, click here to see a transcript of the interview.

Towards the end of 2018, Don Paterson came to the Scottish Poetry Library to discuss his latest book, The Fall at Home: New and Collected Aphorisms, which is published by Faber. Winner of the T.S. Eliot Prize and Whitbread Poetry Award, Paterson is one of Scotland's most accomplished poets, not to mention a musician, and in recent years has published several volumes of aphorisms, which are brought together in The Fall at Home. During the podcast, he discusses the relationship between poetry and aphorisms, why the English-speaking world doesn't have a strong tradition of aphorisms, and what happened the time he attended an aphorists convention.

Winner of the 2017 Forward Prize, Sinéad Morrissey visited the Scottish Poetry Library to talk about her latest collection, On Balance (Carcanet). Morrissey grew up in Northern Ireland. At the age of 18, she won the Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award, an early indicator of future success. She's worked with schools, charities, prisoners, and while Laureate of Belfast, she met the Queen. Currently, she's living in Northumberland and working in the creative writing department at the University of Newcastle. During the course of the podcast, Morrissey talks about her fascination with engineering, her grandfather's communism, and why writing is a ‘spooky art'. You can buy On Balance online from the SPL Shop, if you click here.

Scottish Poetry Library's Sam Tongue runs a monthly online meet-up, where Friends of the Poetry Library get together to read and discuss a fresh poet and their poems.  In this podcast, Sam introduces us to the general style and format, and enjoys the work of Jay Whittaker Have a look at our website to find out about becoming a Friend, and join us for the next Nothing but the Poem meet-up. Or simply enjoy this podcast and the excellent poems therein. 

Scottish Poetry Library's Sam Tongue runs a monthly online meet-up, where Friends of the Poetry Library get together to read and discuss a fresh poet and their poems.  In this podcast, Sam introduces us to Daniel Sluman  Have a look at our website to find out about becoming a Friend, and join us for the next Nothing but the Poem meet-up. Or simply enjoy this podcast and the excellent poems therein. 

Scottish Poetry Library's Sam Tongue runs a monthly online meet-up, where Friends of the Poetry Library get together to read and discuss a fresh poet and their poems. In this podcast, Sam introduces us to Daniel Sluman Have a look at our website to find out about becoming a Friend, and join us for the next Nothing but the Poem meet-up. Or simply enjoy this podcast and the excellent poems therein. 

Scottish Poetry Library's Sam Tongue runs a monthly online meet-up, where Friends of the Poetry Library get together to read and discuss a fresh poet and their poems. In this podcast, Sam introduces us to the general style and format, and enjoys the work of Jay WhittakerHave a look at our website to find out about becoming a Friend, and join us for the next Nothing but the Poem meet-up. Or simply enjoy this podcast and the excellent poems therein. 

Today's guest is Brendan Lorber,  Brendan is a visual artist, poet, prose writer and editor, and his most recent book is entitled If this is paradise why are we still driving?  It is published by the Subpress Collective.   Recently, and as we discuss in this episode, the pandemic and in the process of seeking relationship, Brendan has found himself creating a series of hand drawn maps of the known poetic and musical universe.  Imagine what a map of Gertrude Stein, David Bowie, Gwendolyn Brooks and Madonna might look like.  The maps have found homes at the Museum of Modern Art, The Free Black Women's Library, Opus 40 Gallery, Artists Space, The Free Library of Philadelphia, The Woodland Pattern Center, The Scottish Poetry Library, and private collections in nine countries. He also teaches map-making classes online through  Uncommon Goods, and some of these classes help students explore and relationships, and in case you have yet to find that perfect gift for your valentine, see the links below in order to sign up for one of his classes. In this episode, we hear so much more about Brendan, his creativity origin story, amazing stories about his family, and we have a blast learning about how Brendan grabs his string and flies his kite. Enjoy.Brendan's Website - https://brendanlorber.com/index.htmlBrendan's classes at Uncommon Goods  - https://www.uncommongoods.com/artist/34798Instagram - @brendanlorberTwitter - @brendanlorberIf this is Paradise, Why are We Still Driving?     for purchase via Amazon Kites and Strings Website: https://www.kitesandstrings.com/​​Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kitesandstringspodcastTwitter:   @KitesandstringsInstagram:  @Kites_and_stringsemail: Kitesandstringspodcast@gmail.comKites and String's is produced and edited by Steve Ploum at Turning Stones Counseling, Inc.Our theme music is by Harrison Amer, and all other original music by purple planet music at https://www.purple-planet.com.  Our logo-design is by Cole Monroe at Blue Stag Creative.

Episode 14 of the Long Covid Podcast is a bit different - I am focusing on creativity and these wonderful people who have made something beautiful out of something horrible. Rather than having just one guest, today I am joined by a whole host of wonderfully talented people, all suffering from Long Covid. Artwork mentioned in the podcast, as well as links to visual elements are featured on this page on the podcast website  Brighid O' Dochartaigh – "Recovery Is A Long Time Coming" was published on the Scottish Poetry Library website hereJohn Kennedy - "Long Covid Rhyme" Twitter @j_b_kennedy Chiara Berardelli - "Tyrannosaurus" - see more of Chiara's work at www.chiaraberardelli.com and listen to her Long Covid experiences in Episode 3 of the podcast. Callum O'Dwyer – "Professional Time waster" can also be viewed as video hereRuby Engel - "The Ties that Bind" (poem) and "The Twelve Months of Covid" performed by Shaula Salathe (Instagram @ladyshaula ) and available as video here Emilie von Wijnbergen - Cartooning Long Covid Check out her cartoons on the Podcast Website Creativity page (Instagram @cartooninglongcovid )Shereen Smith - "Dear Me" - this poem was also featured in a documentary called "The Long Haul" and if you're interested, it can be watched for free Daphne in Stockings – “I Forgot” – see more of Daphne's work and her blog here. You can see the visual of her poem on the podcast website creativity page.The Long Covid Choir meet every week online and would welcome new members! Their contribution of “Stille Nacht” can also be viewed as video here Long Covid choir websiteHas your Long Covid experience inspired you to be creative? Please get in touch - it would be lovely to put another Long Covid Creativity episode together in the future. Join Facebook Support & Creativity group~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The Long Covid Podcast is self-produced & self funded. If you enjoy what you hear and are able to, please Buy me a coffee or purchase a mug to help cover costs.Share the podcast, website & blog: www.LongCovidPodcast.comFacebook @LongCovidPodcastInstagram & Twitter @LongCovidPodFacebook Support GroupSubscribe to mailing listPlease get in touch with feedback and suggestions - I'd love to hear from you! You can get in touch via the social media link or at LongCovidPodcast@gmail.com Support the show

Lindsay closes out our Scottish triptych with a three-course meal of ghoulish and ghostly urban legends sure to delight. The appetizer course discusses the Catman of Greenock, our main dish covers the curious case of the Gorbals Vampire, and for dessert, Lindsay touches on the ghosts of Crathes Castle. We know it's no longer Halloween, but if you want to learn more about rat-eating men, 7 foot tall vampires with iron teeth, and vindictive ghosts of old, we've got you.Find Twisted & Uncorked on your favorite social media or streaming platform at https://www.twistedanduncorked.com/ (https://www.twistedanduncorked.com/)To stay on top of all the latest from Pineapple Pizza Podcast, be sure to check out our website at http://www.pineapplepizzapodcast.com (www.pineapplepizzapodcast.com) where you will find links to merch, Patreon and a variety of ways to support the show, as well as detailed episode descriptions and regional specials. Help our show grow by leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pineapple-pizza-podcast/id1543640038 (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pineapple-pizza-podcast/id1543640038)Or on Podchaser at https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/pineapple-pizza-podcast-1568165 (https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/pineapple-pizza-podcast-1568165)You can also send mail to: Pineapple Pizza PodcastPO Box 341Wyoming, MN 55092Remember, no matter how you slice it, you're awesome and we love you.Sources:Cat-man2021 Ranker article titled “The Mysterious Catman of Greenock Has Been Creeping People Out for Decades” by Hugh Landman - https://www.ranker.com/list/catman-of-greenock/hugh-landman (https://www.ranker.com/list/catman-of-greenock/hugh-landman)2019 The Foundry blog post titled “The Catman of Greenock: The True Story” - https://www.thefoundrycast.com/single-post/2019/11/01/the-catman-of-greenock (https://www.thefoundrycast.com/single-post/2019/11/01/the-catman-of-greenock)2015 Sick Chirpse article titled “Meet The Rat Eating Cat-Man of Greenock (NSFL)” by Lazer Horse - https://www.sickchirpse.com/meet-the-rat-eating-cat-man-of-greenock-nsfl/ (https://www.sickchirpse.com/meet-the-rat-eating-cat-man-of-greenock-nsfl/)2015 Week in Weird article titled “Tracking Down the Legendary Greenock Catman, Scotland's Glowing-Eyed, Rat-Eating Mystery” by Greg Newkirk - http://weekinweird.com/2015/06/04/tracking-down-the-legendary-greenock-catman-scotlands-glowing-eyed-rat-eating-mystery/ (http://weekinweird.com/2015/06/04/tracking-down-the-legendary-greenock-catman-scotlands-glowing-eyed-rat-eating-mystery/)Catman documentary - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJRKwOnkYnc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJRKwOnkYnc)Catman's Facebook Fan Page - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Catman-of-Greenock/924376410927185 (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Catman-of-Greenock/924376410927185)Local Heroes Fandom Wiki - https://localheroes.fandom.com/wiki/Catman_of_Greenock (https://localheroes.fandom.com/wiki/Catman_of_Greenock)The Gorbals VampireBuzzfeed article titled “12 Creepy Scottish Urban Legends That Will Freak You Right Out” by Hilary Mitchell - https://www.buzzfeed.com/hilarywardle/scottish-creepypasta (https://www.buzzfeed.com/hilarywardle/scottish-creepypasta)Folklore Scotland article on The Gorbals Vampire by Rebecca Brown - https://folklorescotland.com/the-gorbals-vampire/ (https://folklorescotland.com/the-gorbals-vampire/)Glasgow Family History blog post titled “Vampire in the Southern Necropolis” - https://www.glasgowfamilyhistory.org.uk/blog/Pages/Vampire-in-the-Southern-Necropolis.aspx (https://www.glasgowfamilyhistory.org.uk/blog/Pages/Vampire-in-the-Southern-Necropolis.aspx)Scottish Poetry Library.org - https://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/jenny-wi-airn-teeth/ (https://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/jenny-wi-airn-teeth/)2020 blog post by Shirley Pettigrew on Studio XIII website -...

Welcome to the History Sideshow - my weekly podcast that runs in between the main Unearthed seasons. This week Ryan looks at another theory regarding the burial of Scotland's "worst poet", takes you down the rabbit hole of Scottish Faerie folklore, and delivers the week in Scottish History News! Interview clips from author and historian Charlotte Golledge and Colin Waters from the Scottish Poetry Library.

Today, we are joined with Alastair White, a Scottish composer and writer currently studying a PhD at Goldsmiths in London. Alastair has been shortlisted for a Scottish Award for New Music twice and has created work for the opera festivals Tete-a-tete and Opera in the City, The Scottish School of Contemporary Dance and The Scottish Poetry Library along with many others. In this episode we discuss Alastair's recent release with Métier Records, fashion-opera ROBE. "ROBE is a one hour opera about cities, virtual reality and artificial intelligence that combines fashion, contemporary dance, experimental theatre, design, poetry and virtuosic music to create multi-layered worlds within worlds. Scored for piano, flute and four singers, it tells the story of an A.I., EDINBURGH, that wants to become a living city.  Part elegy for a vanished past, part manifesto pointing the way into a heady, transhuman future, ROBE uses its multilayered form to dramatise the relationship between virtual reality, official history and raw, personal experience." With special thanks to performers: ROBE Clara Kanter (Mezzo-Soprano) Rosie Middleton (Mezzo-Soprano) Sarah Parkin (Soprano) Kelly Poukens (Soprano) Jenni Hogan (Flute) Ben Smith (Piano and Musical Direction) Ear to the Ground keeps you in the loop with interviews and gig alerts from Scotland's top-notch composers. Hosted by Aileen Sweeney and Ben Eames. Sound edited by Mia Eames. Website Links: https://www.alastairwhite.org/ https://www.eartothegroundscotland.com/  

It's anither special Scots Radio episode – foo o sangs, stories, music an guid company. We hear aboot fit's in the new online anthology ‘Best Scottish Poems 2019' fae the Scottish Poetry Library. An in an extended interview – writer, musician, producer, composer, Freeland Barbour guides us through the pages o his new book – […] The post Episode 69 | Freeland Barbour – The White Rose o Gask and Best Scottish Poems 2019 first appeared on Scots Radio.

Writing as you get older: thoughts from Vicki Feaver inspired by a commission from the Scottish Poetry Library. What does it mean to be creatively active for long enough to have a late style? 'Do not let me hear of the wisdom of old men', TS Eliot says, 'but rather of their folly'. Late Beethoven stared human extinction in the face and composed music of stark clarified beauty; late Rubens painted with a looser more sensuous brush stroke - was he remembering the flesh of his younger life or was his arthritis affecting his grip? Late style for writer might include a maturation of style, a relaxing into the wisdom of age and experience, but it might also mean struggling to hold onto your gifts, and writing through illness and through grief. A week of essays from three poets and two novelists. Producer: Tim Dee.