Festival 2019 »

Talks & Conversations

Photo: Dave Vallis

Each festival is launched by a public figure with a connection to one of the festival’s themes or with an interest in poetry or the arts in general. The long-running In Conversation events focus on a single poet or writer and are an opportunity to encounter them in a more informal setting. Each event features a discussion of their life and writing – often focusing on one of the festival’s themes – and includes readings of a few poems – either the writer’s own or a selection of their personal favourites. The StAnza Lecture has been running since 2002 and has, over the years, sparked controversy, inspired reappraisals and highlighted new approaches. An innovation since 2008, Poetry Breakfasts offer a relaxed start to the day with a group of poets chatting about their poetry and the poetry scene with which they are familiar, finding some things in common, some differences, and reading one or two poems - an ideal introduction to the poets and their poetry.

Metaphors of Displacement Colloquium »

Identity and migration as expressed through the written word

Wed 6 March | 11:00 - 12:30 | free / ticketed | The Byre Theatre, Abbey Street, Studio Theatre

Festival Launch Extravaganza »

Enjoy a sneak peek of some of the highlights of StAnza 2019

Wed 6 March | 18:30 - 20:45 | free / ticketed | The Byre Theatre, Abbey Street, Auditorium

Meet the Artist »

Meet Nichola Martin, the artist behind the Off the Shelf exhibition 

Thu 7 March | 13:40 - 17:00 | FREE | The Byre Theatre, Abbey Street, Café Bar

Meet the Artist »

Hear from Anna Chapman Parker on her exhibition ‘I sat till I could see no longer’

Thu 7 March | 13:40 - 14:10 | FREE | The Town Hall, Queens Gardens, Fife Contemporary Foyer

Special Past & Present »

A rare encounter with treasures from the University of St Andrews Library’s Special Collections

Thu 7 March | 15:00 - 16:00 | free / ticketed | Napier Room, Martyrs Kirk, North Street

The StAnza 2019 Lecture: John Burnside »

‘The state of the world calls out for poetry to save it’

Thu 7 March | 15:30 - 16:30 | £4.50/£3.50 | The Byre Theatre, Abbey Street, Auditorium

Meet the Artist »

Hear poems from Lisa Fannen and discuss her installation, Plants, Politics and Power

Thu 7 March | 16:00 - 16:45 | FREE | The Preservation Trust Museum, North Street, The Old Chemist’s Shop

In this cold’s tending time (II) »

Check out the daily outcomes from this performative installation

Thu 7 March | 17:30 - 18:00 | FREE | The Byre Theatre, Abbey Street, Level 2 Foyer

Poetry in Conversation: Taking Poetry Off the Page »

Claudio Pozzani and Jay MillAr read and discuss their work

Thu 7 March | 18:50 - 19:30 | free / ticketed | The Byre Theatre, Abbey Street, Conference Room

Breakfast at the Poetry Café: Another Place »

THIS EVENT WILL BE WEBCAST LIVE

Enjoy your breakfast sunny side up at the festival’s Poetry Café

[This link will be live once the event starts, with all the poetry and chat, but alas not the pastries!]

https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/livevideo/

Fri 8 March | 10:00 - 11:10 | £4.75/£3.75 | The Byre Theatre, Abbey Street, Studio Theatre

Round Table »

Join Ishion Hutchinson for this intimate reading

Fri 8 March | 11:30 - 12:15 | £6.50/£4.50 | Fraser Gallery, South Street

Jill Abram presents Stablemates »

Jill Abram introduces a poetry salon with a trio of HappenStance poets

Fri 8 March | 11:30 - 12:30 | £4.50/£3.50 | The Town Hall, Queens Gardens, Council Chamber

Past & Present »

Menna Elfyn on Eluned Phillips, Emma Jones on Christina Rossetti

Fri 8 March | 14:15 - 15:15 | £4.50/£3.50 | The Town Hall, Queens Gardens, Council Chamber

Meet the Artist »

Hear from Hamish Whyte, publisher of Mariscat and curator of Cat's Whiskers

Fri 8 March | 14:30 - 15:00 | FREE | The Preservation Trust Museum, North Street, Upstairs gallery

In this cold’s tending time (II) »

Check out the daily outcomes from this performative installation

Fri 8 March | 17:30 - 18:00 | FREE | The Byre Theatre, Abbey Street, Level 2 Foyer

Poetry in Conversation: Story Café »

Glasgow Women’s Library bring their Story Café to StAnza

Fri 8 March | 18:50 - 19:30 | free / ticketed | The Byre Theatre, Abbey Street, Conference Room

Breakfast at the Poetry Café: Off the Page »

THIS EVENT WILL BE WEBCAST LIVE

Start your weekend with poetry and pastries!  

[The webcast link will go live when the event starts - you'll get all the poetry and chat, though alas not the pastries!]

https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/livevideo/

Sat 9 March | 10:00 - 11:10 | £4.75/£3.75 | The Byre Theatre, Abbey Street, Studio Theatre

Past & Present »

Jacqueline Saphra on Edna St Vincent Millay; Caroline Bird on James Tate

Sat 9 March | 11:30 - 12:30 | £4.50/£3.50 | The Town Hall, Queens Gardens, Council Chamber

Meet the Artist »

Poets read from Magma’s Climate Change Issue

Sat 9 March | 11:30 - 12:15 | free / ticketed | The Byre Theatre, Abbey Street, Conference Room

Meet the Artist »

Meet the husband-and-wife team behind A Melody of Sorts

Sat 9 March | 11:45 - 12:30 | FREE | The Byre Theatre, Abbey Street, Level 4 Gallery

Past & Present »

Merle Bachman on A.C. Jacobs, Tom Pow on Alastair Reid

Sat 9 March | 14:15 - 15:15 | £4.50/£3.50 | The Town Hall, Queens Gardens, Council Chamber

Meet the Artist »

A chance to discover more about Arne Rautenberg's visual poetry

Sat 9 March | 14:40 - 15:10 | FREE | Public Library, Church Square, Meeting Room

Round Table »

An intimate reading with Caroline Bird

Sat 9 March | 15:45 - 16:30 | £6.50/£4.50 | The Green Room, St Leonards Quad, St Leonards School, South Street

In this cold’s tending time (II) »

Check out the daily outcomes from this performative installation

Sat 9 March | 17:30 - 18:00 | FREE | The Byre Theatre, Abbey Street, Level 2 Foyer

Breakfast at the Poetry Café: A Conversation in Translation »

THIS EVENT WILL BE WEBCAST LIVE

Poets and translators discuss how translation works as conversation

[The link will go live once the event starts, with all the poetry and conversation]

https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/livevideo/

Sun 10 March | 10:00 - 11:00 | £4.75/£3.75 | The Byre Theatre, Abbey Street, Studio Theatre

Meet the Artist »

Talk to poets and artists behind the Polyphonic filmpoems

Sun 10 March | 14:15 - 15:00 | free / ticketed | The Byre Theatre, Abbey Street, Conference Room

Poetry in Exile - a Conversation »

Ghayath Almadhoun and Mustafa Abu Sneineh in conversation

Sun 10 March | 15:30 - 16:30 | £5.50/£4.50 | The Byre Theatre, Abbey Street, Auditorium

In this cold’s tending time (II) »

Check out the daily outcomes from this performative installation

Sun 10 March | 17:30 - 18:00 | FREE | The Byre Theatre, Abbey Street, Level 2 Foyer

Poetry in Conversation: Absent Friends »

A time to remember, through poetry, those we have loved and lost

Sun 10 March | 18:50 - 19:30 | free / ticketed | The Byre Theatre, Abbey Street, Conference Room