Here’s what I’d like to see at the StAnza Poetry Festival. In practice, I doubt I’ll manage all of this. But I’m about to prioritise and book tickets for the ones I least want to miss.
Of course, if anyone reading this is coming, don’t forget my spot on Sunday 18th March at 11.30am-12.30pm, along with Lyn Moir and Diana Hendry.
Wednesday 14th
2.15pm Translated Poets: Italy: Vivian Lamarque, Marco Fazzini
5pm Reading: Polly Clark, Jen Hadfield
8pm Reading: Sean O’Brien, Mimi Khalvati
10.30pm Open Mic
Thursday 15th
11am Showcase: Eric Gregory Awards: Fiona Benson, Retta Bowen, Frances Leviston, Jonathan Morley, Eoghan Walls
2.15pm Meet the Artist: Jill Turnbull and Roy Fisher (Gael Turnbull exhibition)
3.30pm StAnza lecture: George Szirtes
5pm Reading: Jenny Jospeh, Michael Laskey
8pm Reading: Gwyneth Lewis, Roy Fisher
10.30pm Open Mic
Friday 16th
10am Discussion, Homelands and Exile: Ruth Padel, Jackie Kay, Gwyneth Lewis, George Szirtes
11.30am Dead Poets Session: Alastair Reid reads Robert Graves, Mimi Khalvati reads Elizabeth Bishop
2.15pm Meet the Editors: Magma, David Boll, Tim Robertson, Laurie Smith
8pm Reading: Ruth Padel, George Szirtes
Saturday 17th
10am Masterclass: George Szirtes
12.30pm onwards: Poetry Pamphlet Fair
3pm Poetry Film: Bye-Child
3.25pm Meet the Artist: Bernard MacLaverty
5pm Reading: Mario Petrucci, Pascal Petit
Sunday 18th
10.15am Poetry Film: Poets against the Bomb
Afternoon until 4.30pm: 100 Poets Gathering
5pm Reading: Imtiaz Dharker, Jane Yeh
8pm Reading: Mark Strand, Jorie Graham
10.30pm Festival Finale: The Tuberians (world music)
9 comments:
I'm coming on the wednesday, and I'm doing the Lamarque?Fazzini, the Spence/Lee, I like Spence's work very much and my friend is a musiciian and she loves Lee, and the Clark and Hadfield. I bought an anthology recently at the SPL and really admired Hadfield's work. Don't know why but Canadians seem to have a great facility with language.
I can't stay until late, but I think it should be a good day, I hope to go to Cambo gardens in the morning.
Sounds excellent - there's an awful lot packed in there.
ooh jealous, I assume this is all taking place in the capital
Oh no, not the capital - St Andrews. Hence the clever name, StAnza.
Oh great. Two of America's most corrupt poets "together" again. Wink wink.
Well, poets don't need to be angels to write good poetry. I don't know the work of either of these poets well. Mark Strand's poems look interesting to me. Jorie Graham's I find very hard to warm to. But it's credit to StAnza that it has become a genuinely international event, bringing poets from various parts of the world to Scotland, and I'm looking forward to seeing the Italians, the Americans etc.
Of course, if there had been any hard evidence of corruption against these poets (I only know of the allegations against Jorie Graham vis-a-vis competition judging. I don't know anything about allegations against Mark Strand - a consequence of being on this side of the Atlantic, I guess), one would have thought court action would have been the answer, rather than a spot of gossip on the Internet.
Wowee, lookit the literati! :-)
Don't miss Jen Hadfield*. And make sure you see the Gregory lot - I had them all to read in London a few months back - an interesting contrast this year.
There's one event on your list I'm aching to tell you to miss, but I shall button my lip and see if you report it as being as bad as I imagine!
*Jen, by the way, isn't Canadian. She's from Cheshire, though her mother is Canadian and she has recently been spending time there.
Roddy, I read a few poems from Jen Hadfield's book at the SPL and thought it looked good. I won't even guess at the event you think I should miss! I only hope it isn't one of the most expensive ones.
Ivy, I saw you tagged me to fix my top 10 movies in order. I've a feeling this will be impossible for me, but I won't give up quite yet.
Post a Comment