Poetry in Glasgow

The National Poetry Library (NPL) at the Southbank Centre in London was founded by the Arts Council and opened by poets TS Eliot and Herbert Read in 1953. It boasts the world’s largest public collection of modern poetry. The NPL is free to join for anyone across the UK. In addition to its physical collection in London, the library also has a large catalogue of ebooks and audiobooks which are available for members via the Libby app. The NPL website also offers an impressive list of current poetry magazines with short profiles and links. Library members also get access to digital copies of current and back issues of Banipal, Magma, Modern Poetry in Translation, PBS Bulletin, PN Review, Poetry London, The Poetry Review, Poetry Wales, and Stand via Exact Editions. Recommended are also the ‘Write & Publish‘ section of the website with some brilliant resources for poets, and the collection of free online poems that is searchable by topic. Well worth a visit at https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/venues/national-poetry-library/.

The Poetry Archive is a charity dedicated to the production, acquisition and preservation of audio recordings of significant poets reading their work aloud. Its archive includes over 2,000 free poems from 500 international poets. Search their archive at: https://poetryarchive.org/.

The Poetry Hour is a project by the Josephine Hart Poetry Foundation. On the Poetry Hour website, you can find recordings of many classic poems read by renowned British actors such as Dame Eileen Atkins, Simon Callow, Sinéad Cusack, Jeremy Irons, Lily James, and Felicity Kendal. The foundation also stages regular events at the British Library in London (where the collection is now based) and throughout the UK. Check out the full catalogue of poems at https://thepoetryhour.com/.

The Scottish Poetry Library (SPL) is a public library in Edinburgh specialising in contemporary Scottish writing in English, Scots and Scottish Gaelic. The library is free to join and houses a borrowing and reference collection of books, pamphlets and audio material. SPL hosts poetry events of various types including workshops and readings. Find out more at https://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/

UbuWeb was founded in 1996 by the American poet Kenneth Goldsmith. It is “a pirate shadow library consisting of hundreds of thousands of freely downloadable avant-garde artifacts”. As of 2024, the site is no longer being updated but remains online as an archive of a wide range of experimental poetry including visual, concrete and sound poetry. The archive includes vast amounts of text, sound and film files. Take a quiet afternoon (or a few dozen) and have a look around this absolute treasure trove at https://www.ubuweb.com/index.html.

Just Write is a Glasgow-based writing collective. They meet on the last Thursday of the month at Print Culture. The meeting usually runs from 6-8pm. To attend, book your slot via Eventbrite. More details on Just Write are also available via their Substack.

Community writing group in Glasgow’s West End. The group meets regularly about twice a month at the Dram on Woodlands Road. Details on upcoming meetings are published via their Instagram. Make sure to RSVP before you attend.

St Mungo’s Mirrorball is a network of poets and poetry lovers in Glasgow. The network has been around for 20 years. It runs a series of poetry events showcasing the work of emerging and established poets. St Mungo’s Mirrorball is dedicated to promoting all literary events across the city, and supports special poetry projects including Clydebuilt – an innovative mentoring scheme for developing poets of potential. Clydebuilt poets receive mentoring from experienced poets over a twelve month period. To find out more about the network pop over to their WordPress page or get in touch directly with Jim Carruth via email at jimcarruth63@gmail.com.

National Centre for Writing is a writing development agency based in Norwich but serving the whole country. The centre runs a year-round programme of events, festivals, residencies and activities for writers, literary translators and readers. Their website includes the ‘Writing Hub‘ which is an online repository with plenty of posts offering advice, insights, inspiration and interviews. Many of their events are available online, including readings, online courses and mentoring (for a fee). Their website is definitely worth a look: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/.

The Poetry Foundation is a US-based private foundation established in 2003. It evolved from Modern Poetry Association which was a literary organisation founded in 1941 to support the publication of Poetry magazine. The foundation provides awards, grants and fellowships for US organisations and writers. It also operates a digital archive of poetry which is a brilliant resource. A number of their poetry events are free and accessible online (albeit on US time).

The Poet’s Hardship Fund is volunteer-run and donation-reliant support programme for poets in the UK. The grants they offer are no more than £50 per month; however the organisation also publishes compilations to showcase the work of the poets it supports. Find out more at https://poetshardshipfunduk.com/.

The Poetry Society is a membership organisation founded in London in 1909. It runs an education and commissioning programme and organises a range of events and competitions. They also run 1-2-1 Feedback sessions (for a fee), if you are looking to get your work looked at ‘professionally’. Their events are open to all (not just members). PIG does not feature most of the society’s competitions as they require an entry fee. Check out their website for more poetry-related information and resources: https://poetrysociety.org.uk/

Founded in 1790, the Royal Literary Fund (RLF) is a UK charity that helps writers in financial need. They annually deliver over £5 million in grants, education, and outreach programmes. Their focus is on professional writers and students. In addition to their support programmes, the RLF website offers a wide range of resources for writers. Have a look at: https://www.rlf.org.uk/.

The Scottish Book Trust is Scotland’s national charity dedicated to literature, reading and writing. Founded in 1998, it invests £3 million annually into promoting reading and writing in Scotland. Among a wide range of programmes for literacy, the charity supports writers (including poets) with their annual New Writers Awards, the Ignite Fellowships and the Next Chapter Awards. The website also offers a treasure trove of resources for writers. Have a look around at: https://www.scottishbooktrust.com/

StAnza is Scotland’s annual International Poetry Festival, held in St Andrews each March. The festival offers multiple days of readings, exhibitions, creative workshops, open mic events and much more. Check out their website at: https://stanzapoetry.org/.

Verve is an annual five-day festival in Birmingham featuring poets and spoken word artists from all over the country. The programme includes readings and performances as well as a range of workshops. In 2025, the festival also offers online festival passes for the first time which allow people to livestream a wide range of events from anywhere in the UK. The festival usually takes place in mid-February. Find out more about Verve Festival via: https://www.vervepoetryfestival.com/.

Beyond Form is an organisation offering online workshops and courses, study and practice cohorts and mentoring programmes. Their focus is particularly on innovative or experimental writing as well as on writers who are marginalized, excluded or harmed by capitalist, white supremacist,  cis-heteropatriarchal and/or ableist institutions and writing cultures. Their workshops are offered on a sliding scale between £0-100 per workshop according to people’s personal cirumstances. Full details on their programme of workshops and courses are available via https://www.beyondformcreativewriting.org/.

Poetry School is a UK arts organisation providing tuition and opportunities for poets. They were established in 1997 with teaching mostly based in England. However, they also offer video (Zoom) and online courses as well as a pretty engaging blog on loads of interesting topics. Courses cover a wide range of topics and can be one-off sessions of 2-3h or programmes over multiple days/weeks. Multi-session programmes are usually around £80. For details, visit https://poetryschool.com/.

Write like a Grrrl is a collective of writers who support women and other marginalised genders to develop their writing craft and confidence. The organisations offers online courses and workshops as well as writing retreats. Some events are also offered in Glasgow. Most courses follow a five-week or one-day format. There are also two-hour workshops on a range of subjects. Prices are on a sliding scale according to personal circumstances and are set at between £10 for writing workshops and £130 for multi-day courses and retreats. Check their website for details: https://www.writelikeagrrrl.org/

Writers’ HQ runs affordable creative writing courses, retreats and workshops. A number of their online events are free. Writers’ HQ also offers bursaries to support marginalised or disadvantaged writers. The bursaries offer a free 12-month membership. Standard memberships are £20 per month, although ‘Freebie’ memberships with limited access are also available. More details here: https://writershq.co.uk/.

Antiphony is an American quarterly digital and print poetry journal and small press. The journal accepts submissions all year around. Simultaneous submissions are also accepted. More details on: https://www.antiphonypress.com/submit

The Glasgow Review of Books (GRB) is an online journal that has been running since 2013. Its focus is on critical reviews, essays and interviews. It publishes reviews of poetry collections and the occasional report on literary events. The GRB also issues call-outs or commissions for original creative work, mostly short fiction, poetry and hybrid/visual forms. PIG will be sure to report on any call-outs. In the meantime, have a look around the GRB website at https://glasgowreviewofbooks.com/.

Gutter is Scotland’s leading literary magazine, publishing new fiction, essays and poetry. Submissions are open twice a year in spring and autumn. PIG will report on any forthcoming submission windows in the ‘Opportunities‘ section. Gutter also commissions reviews and critical essays for its website and print magazine. You can suggest this type of work on a rolling basis. Make sure to check out the Gutter website and grab the latest copy of the magazine.

Ink Sweat & Tears is a UK based webzine which publishes and reviews poetry, prose, prose-poetry, word & image pieces and everything in between. Submissions are open continually but because of the high volume of submissions, it might take up to twelve weeks to hear back. For details, check: https://inksweatandtears.co.uk/submissions/.

Mslexia is a quarterly magazine and online platform for women who write. The organisation also runs annual competitions for single poems and collections. Throughout the year, there are multiple opportunities to submit work for publication as part of different types of ‘showcases’ as well as for the magazine itself. Get the full details at https://mslexia.co.uk/submit-your-work/poetry/.

Only Poems Magazine is an international literary journal based in the US. They are independently funded by memberships. The journal publishes emerging poets alongside established writers. They run two annual poetry competitions with cash prizes and a small entry free. They have free, open submissions for Poet of the Week (open all the time) and Poem of the Month (open for 7 days at the start of each month). Selected poets get paid a small fee. For more information, check out their website: https://www.onlypoems.net/

PN Review is a poetry journal that originally started as Poetry Nation in 1973. It appears every two months and features new poetry voices from the English-speaking world alongside some of the best-loved and most challenging poetic work. Also included are prose, interviews and features. There are normally two submissions windows a year for poetry, in December and June. For more details visit: https://www.pnreview.co.uk/ip001.shtml.

Poetry Magazine is a US-based monthly magazine that publishes contemporary poetry and prose, primarily in English, and translations from contributors all over the world. It is probably one of the most prestigious poetry journals and receives more than 150,000 poems in submissions each year. If you are interested to submit to Poetry, check out their Submission Notes. Submissions are open each year from 15 September until 15 June the following year (they have a summer break). The response time is about eight months.

The Rialto is one of the UK’s most established independent poetry magazines. It’s been running since 1984 and appears three times a year. It also runs the annual ‘Nature and Place Poetry Competition’ which offers a prize sum of £1,000 (fee to enter applies). Submissions to the magazine are accepted all year around via Submittable. Check for details at: https://www.therialto.co.uk/pages/about/the-magazine/submissions/

The Emma Press is an independent publishing house specialising in poetry, short fiction, essays and children’s books. It was founded by Emma Dai’an Wright in Winnersh, Berkshire, in 2012 and is now based in Birmingham. Emma Press publish poetry pamphlets and books, novellas and short stories, short essay collections, illustrated poetry books, and books for children. Submissions are open at regular intervals for short periods of time. PIG covers them in the ‘Opportunities‘ section whenever possible. Find out more about this publisher here: https://theemmapress.com/.

Fly on the Wall Press is a Manchester-based publisher for “unparalleled political fiction, evocative poetry, and genre-defying anthologies addressing urgent global concerns.” In 2025, submissions for poetry collections are open in July. Check the Fly on the Wall website for details.

Luath Press was established in Ayrshire in 1981. It takes its name from Robert Burns’ little collie Luath and is now based in Edinburgh. Most of its books have a Scottish connection, but new and innovative writing is encouraged. Submissions are open all year around. Find out more at https://luath.co.uk/pages/submissions.

Querencia Press is an independent publisher in the US. It focus particularly on overlooked voices. Querencia publishes poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and hybrid work. Submissions are open all year around for chapbooks and full-length manuscripts. The press also publishes quarterly anthologies. The anthologies have deadlines but any submission received after the deadline gets considered for the next anthology. Check out the details on https://www.querenciapress.com/submit.

Shearsman is a very active small press based in Oxfordshire, publishing mainly poetry. In addition to publishing around 50 books each year, they also run the biannual Shearsman Magazine. Manuscripts are accepted at any time from poets around the world. Shearsman also publishes poetry in translation. See their website for details and to get a feel for what type of work they publish: https://www.shearsman.com/shearsman-book-submissions.

Struggling to get the creative juices flowing? I absolutely adore this weird and wonderful list of ideas for writing experiments by the American poet Bernadette Mayer. Find the full list at https://writing.upenn.edu/library/Mayer-Bernadette_Experiments.html

Need a little bit of pressure to finally get something written? This silly little online tool is brilliant for rough-and-ready first drafts, stream-of-consciousness or automatic writing exercises. Set the duration of your writing session and keep typing. If you stop too long your text will disappear! It also includes a prompt generator (sadly geared more towards fiction). Check it out at https://www.squibler.io/dangerous-writing-prompt-app.