StAnza: News
Photo: Richard Cormack Last updated 1st May 2008
Future Announcements: StAnza 2009
Dates: 18-22 March 2009
Festival Themes for 2009:
The Homecoming
Poetry Centre Stage
Planning for StAnza 2009 is already underway - check the website for details on the following dates:
National Poetry Day: full list of participants
St Andrews Day: full list of events
Winter Solstice: full programme on web site
Twelfth Night: tickets go on sale
Burns Day: printed programmes available
100 Poets Anthology
On 18 March 2007 as part of the 10th anniversary celebrations at StAnza 2007, 103 poets gathered to read one poem each at what turned out to be a very special event. As a finalé, Alastair Reid gave what he said was the last ever reading of his much anthologised poem, Scotland, then set fire to it. There was much enthusiasm from those taking part for some kind of record of the event. Skein of Geese, a limited edition anthology of the poems read that day - except, of course, Scotland - is now available. The anthology was edited by StAnza's Artistic Director, Eleanor Livingstone, and designed by StAnza Committee Member, Jennifer Elliott. The image of geese on the back cover is from a lithograph, Skein iv by Alan Stones www.alanstones.co.uk. Copies will be for sale at StAnza 2008 for £5, and are also available from the Wordpower Book Shop in Edinburgh. From April 2008, copies can also be purchased by post from Eleanor Livingstone (email arts@stanzapoetry.org after 1 April for details) as long as stocks last.
Festival Previews
On 21 February at the Poetry Club at the School of Art in Glasgow, hosted by St. Mungo's Mirrorball, and on 22nd February at the National Library in Edinburgh, StAnza 2008 was previewed to capacity audiences. Adrian Mitchell, StAnza's Poet in Residence for 2008, read at both events, along with Tom Leonard in Glasgow and Robert Alan Jamieson in Edinburgh. As well as having an opportunity to hear these participants, and a further selection of poems by others who will take part in March, the audiences were treated to a slide show of festival highlights and some tracks from Lorca, a musical performance of which will feature at this year's festival. Copies of the printed programme, the cover featuring a sketch by Jenny Soep, Artist in Residence at StAnza 2007, of Dean Parkin's lunchtime reading, were distributed along with other festival material.
StAnza on Facebook
As an innovation from 2007, we have set up a StAnza Group on Facebook, the online communication network. Its purpose is threefold. Firstly, it will be a communication tool: we are aware that a growing number of people, including poets invited to StAnza, supporters and people interested in StAnza, use online networks such as Facebook as their first online communication method, and we hope it will enable us to communicate with participants and our potential audience ever more efficiently. Secondly, it will be useful as another outlet for publicising the festival and other StAnza events and projects. Finally, we hope it will become an online forum for StAnza, allowing for dialogue about the festival, before and after, with regard to practical details about programming, tickets, accommodation, events etc., but also on the themes, innovations etc - and of course about the poetry.
Anyone who has a Facebook account can join the StAnza Facebook Group at www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6671637420.