Hello again, dear PIG readers! Glad you stuck around for edition number 2.
It’s been a whirlwind of activity ever since I started this little project and seeing the level of interest from people has been amazing. Turns out, Glasgow’s poetry scene is full of hidden gems and sparkling diamonds. I love to see it.
I am also excited to announce that work has begun behind the scenes to upgrade the PIG website to improve its design and usability (especially on mobile). Hopefully, I can report on the launch of the new website in time for the next PIG Update, so watch this space.
Events (3 to 16 March 2025)
Monday (3 March) is going to be packed with poetry! Around lunchtime, you can join the UofG Creative Writing team for a conversation (and reading) with Tessa Berring. Tessa recently published her new collection ‘Joke Book’ with the Silent Academy. The event is also livestreamed via Zoom, if you can’t make it down to the uni campus in the middle of the day. In the evening, you have the choice between two Southside Open Mic events: Words and Music are on at Milk (at their new location on Cathcart Road), and from 7:30pm, the monthly Candlelight Open Mic is happening at the Old Toll Bar in Govan.
More reading opportunities are also available on Tuesday (4 March) at McChuills for the monthly ‘Flourish’ Open Mic. The poetic fun starts at 7pm.
On Wednesday, 5 March, the team at Mixed Fruit Jam are celebrating International Women’s Day. It’ll be a mix of music, comedy, spoken word, poetry, and performance art, hosted at The Bungo on the Southside.
Two outstanding women poets are the focus of an online reading event on Thursday, 6 March. The Poetry Hour is hosting an evening dedicated to Sylvia Plath and Emily Dickinson, read by renowned actors including Joely Richardson. Tickets are £6.50 (£3.25 concession) to join online.
But the International Women’s Day celebrations don’t end there. Mono on King Street are running an exhibition to celebrate the talent and creativity of women and gender non-conforming artists in Scotland. During the opening night on Friday (7 March), you’ll get a fabulous mix of art, music and spoken word. Tickets are free.
On Monday, 10 March, you can get your poetry fix at the weekly Open Mic at Hillhead Bookclub in the West End.
The monthly Open Mic at Inn Deep on Great Western Road is back on Tuesday 11 March. This month, the night will include the book launch of ‘Fainting Girl’ by Georgia Francis. Exciting things are also happening at King Tut’s: Inside Voices, an evening of spoken words, vocal melodies with improvised percussive grooves and organic ambient undertones, are back. They recently secured funding by Creative Scotland, so we can enjoy this auditory delight for free.
On Wednesday (12 March), you have once again the choice between joining the Crisp Packet Poetry crew at Third Eye Bar for their monthly poetry night, or head to Glasgow Zine Library on the Southside for their Open Mic. Crisp Packet allocate reading slots ahead of time, so make sure to contact them if you are interested in reading.
From Friday to Sunday (14-16 March), the annual StAnza Poetry Festival is back. A stunning, diverse array of readings, performances and workshops will take over several different venues in St Andrews. But a whole range of events are also available to view or attend online. Check the StAnza website for full details and to book tickets.
Opportunities
Today’s pick from among the long list of opportunities currently on the PIG website:
Freshly open is the submission window for the biannual poetry magazine by Shearsman. Shearsman is a major player in contemporary poetry and like me, you’ll probably have quite a few of their publications on your shelf. Their poetry magazine has reading windows in March and September each year. Submissions can be made via email or hardcopy. Responses might take up to three months though.
Another heavy-weight in the poetry market, Magma, are also open for submissions again in March. Magma 93 will be edited by Isabelle Baafi, Sohini Basak and Tim Tim Cheng, and its thematic focus will be on the topic of ‘Liberation’. Think: liberation as protest and emancipation; as authenticity and self-actualisation; as holding on or letting go; as moving past, moving through, moving towards. Poems are accepted via Submittable or by post.
You have another week to submit to the next anthology by the Dutch indie poetry press Sunday Mornings at the River. The topic of the call is ‘Capitalism is a Death Cult’. Pretty sure, we all feel some way or another about that one. Submissions close on 9 March.
The English small press Paper Swans is also planning a new anthology. It’ll be on the topic of ‘The Generation Game’ – all about the diverse experiences, thoughts and feelings of different generations. At the same time, Paper Swans are looking to issue a new expanded edition of their very first anthology. You can submit to this one as well, which is dedicated to the theme ‘The Darkest Side of Love’. The deadline for both is 30 April.
Leeds Poetry Festival is currently looking for performers, hosts, workshop facilitators and general volunteers. The festival is on from 1-10 August. You have until 15 April to respond to the call.
PIG Spotlight
This section is designed to shine a spotlight on a particular website, organisation or feature. For each Update, I’ll pick something new – either because it is plain awesome or because it’s new or really topical.
Today’s spotlight is on the Scottish Book Trust. Based in Edinburgh, the Scottish Book Trust is a charity dedicated to literature, reading and writing. Apart from an extensive literacy programme with a focus on young people, the Trust also supports writers with a number of different programmes such as the annual New Writers Awards, the Ignite Fellowships and the Next Chapter Awards. Obviously, PIG will report on any Scottish Book Trust programmes when they open for applications. The website also offers a treasure trove of resources for writers with guides on how to get published and an overview of third-party opportunities. A browse is highly recommended.
PIG’s Poetry Pick
With International Women’s Day coming up this week, Annie decided to stick with the theme and pick out some brilliant work by two women poets: a classic and a recent one.
A Woman Speaks
by Audre Lorde
Moon marked and touched by sun
my magic is unwritten
but when the sea turns back
it will leave my shape behind.
I seek no favor
untouched by blood
unrelenting as the curse of love
permanent as my errors
or my pride
I do not mix
love with pity
nor hate with scorn
and if you would know me
look into the entrails of Uranus
where the restless oceans pound.
I do not dwell
within my birth nor my divinities
who am ageless and half-grown
and still seeking
my sisters
witches in Dahomey
wear me inside their coiled cloths
as our mother did
mourning.
I have been woman
for a long time
beware my smile
I am treacherous with old magic
and the noon’s new fury
with all your wide futures
promised
I am
woman
and not white.
Courtesy of the Poetry Foundation. You can watch her read the poem in 1984 via YouTube.
The second poem is by Cara Thompson, it’s called ‘Hydraulic Woman’ and you can watch Cara perform it at I Am Loud in 2024 via YouTube.
That’s it from me today. See you in two weeks!
Love,
Annie