events
Photo: Peter Mason
Residential Writing Course: Poetry: Thawing creative blocks
Join award-winning poets Caroline Bird, Romalyn Ante, and guest speaker Kostya Tsolakis for a winter week to melt creative blocks and reignite your writing. Gain clarity, confidence, and new tools to move your poetry forward and leave inspired for your 2026 writing journey.
HYPERFOCUS - PARENTS, 3-4 February 2026 (online workshops: Tues 7-9PM UK)
How do you write about a difficult parent, a complex upbringing, new parenthood, or loss? In this Hyperfocus segment, poets Caroline Bird and Jack Underwood explore writing poems shaped by the layered experiences of having and being a parent.
The last stand of Mrs Mary Whitehouse
A wickedly funny new play by Caroline Bird, The Last Stand of Mrs Mary Whitehouse unravels the enigma of Britain’s self-styled moral crusader. Maxine Peake stars as Whitehouse in a tale of censorship, freedom, and one woman’s extraordinary cultural battle.
Stanza Poetry Festival
StAnza, Scotland’s International Poetry Festival, returns to St Andrews from 14-16 March 2025, marking the beginning of a new era under Artistic Director Ryan Van Winkle.
Medway River Lit
Caroline Bird headlined Medway River Lit 2024, an eco-conscious festival in November focused on climate change. As patron, Bird closed the event, showcasing her Forward Prize-winning career. Highlights included talks by Ben Okri and Bill McGuire, Friday Nights at Poetry Republic featuring poets like The Four Poets and Martin Figura with Helen Ivory, and a Big Trouble spoken word takeover with Richard Scott.
Push the boat out: Edinburgh’s International Poetry Festival
Push the Boat Out returned to Summerhall from 22-24 November with a vibrant celebration of language. The festival featured poetry readings, music, dance, workshops, and unique events like poetic cocktail-making, offering something for everyone and showcasing the many ways words shape our lives.
FESTIVAL GALA READING WITH CAROLINE BIRD AND IMTIAZ DHARKER - Poetry in Aldeburgh Festival 2024
Caroline Bird and Imtiaz Dharker delivered readings from their recent collections in an event co-sponsored by Aldeburgh Cinema. Simon Armitage praised Bird’s Ambush at Still Lake as "spring-loaded, funny, sad, deadly," while Jackie Kay described Dharker’s Shadow Reader as "witty, wise, profound, and moving."