PIG Update #25
1st of February 2026
Instead of succumbing to the seasonal urge to hop unto the Valentine's Day bandwagon, PIG is all about Gray Day instead - which is (and this is a fact) anything but grey! There are so many intriguing facets of Alasdair Gray's work to discover, be it in his illustrations and murals, his fiction books or his poetry. I am also always super excited to see the different projects and events the Alasdair Gray Archive (AGA) is presenting, many of which showcase new and exciting voices and ideas or bring Gray's work to life in a new way. Even if you know his work well already, I dare you to take another look and uncover a new, strange, unfamiliar point of view.
But first, let's see what else is on in Glasgow in the next two weeks.
Events (2 to 15 February 2026)
Your poetic week begins around midday on Monday, 2 February, with Creative Conversations. The regular event is held during term time by the University of Glasgow's Creative Writing department and this week, they have invited queer poet, writer and spoken-word artists Michael Mullen to join the conversation. You can come along in person or join via Zoom from 1pm. In the evening, Ross McFarlane is organising the latest edition of the Candlelight Poetry Slam. Registrations to participate are already closed but there is still one more wildcard slot available on the night. Or you can just come to watch. Cheltenham Poetry Festival's online programme is continuing with an online reading and open mic event featuring Eve Ellis and Isabelle Baafi. Tickets start at £3.
If you have a few hours to spare on Tuesday (3 February) morning and fancy a little writing inspiration, why not join the Open Book writing session at Glasgow Women's Library led by Kathrine Sowerby? Each session focuses on a different theme – such as Home, Grow and Transform, or Garden – and use poetry and short stories as prompts for your own creative writing. And they are free to attend. In the evening, you can take your pick of three poetry events: There is an open mic night on at The Argosy in Hillington; at the Cherry Tree Pub in Wishaw, you can join a brand new poetry writing night lead by Fanny Grant; and Autumn Voices are presenting an online reading event with Sukhema/Larry Butler as part of their 'Letting Go' programme of creative writing activities for older people.
The weekly Poet's Corner open mic night at Hillhead Bookclub is back on Wednesday, 4 February. As always, I'd recommend to check the organiser's Instagram page to confirm the weekly theme. Slots are 5-10 minutes and you can just show up and sign up at the door.
On Thursday (5 February), you can join the Dove Cottage Poets' hybrid writing sessions organised by Wordsworth Grasmere. The sessions are pretty informal and member-led, you will have to book in advance though.
A new week, a new Creative Conversation: on Monday, 9 February, you can experience a reading by Matthew Rice from his new collection plastic. The collection brings together memoir, ekphrasis and satire, as it reflects on Matthew's experience of working in a plastic moulding factory for ten years. Colour me intrigued. But there are more exciting poetic delights for you in store the very same evening. AFK is returning with its 8th poetry reading nights at the Doublet. The line-up this time includes Al Anderson, Gloria Dawson, Fuck This (pardon my French), Dom Hale, Oli Hazzard, Daisy Lafarge and Alex MacPhail. If that's not your vibe, you are also cordially invited to the regular open mic night at Inn Deep.
Wednesday (11 February) is another busy night for poetry in Glasgow. In addition to the weekly Poet's Corner open mic at Hillhead Bookclub, you can also join the monthly open mic at Glasgow Zine Library, or attend an online workshop with Anna Saunders via Cheltenham Poetry Festival. The workshop is all about poetry that explores the self.
Considering the recent closure of the CCA, I am fairly certain that the St Mungo's Mirrorball Showcase scheduled for Thursday, 12 February is sadly not going ahead. It was supposed to include readings from Anthony V. Capildeo, James McGonigal, David Ross Linklater, Charlie Gracie, Mairi Murphy, and Donal McLaughlin. I can only hope it gets rescheduled! Definitely going ahead is the new poetry writing group for writers of colour organised by the Scottish BPOC Writers Network and delivered by Hannah Lavery. The full programme runs over several months from February to June and is open to Black writers and writers of colour based in Scotland.
City of Poets is organising a new poetry reading club at Knightswood Park Pavilion on Friday, 13 February. The event is designed to offer a relaxed, thoughtful space where people gather to read poems aloud, share interpretations, and learn from one another. Members can sign up for £10 (non-members pay £15).
Opportunities
Today's pick from among the long list of opportunities currently on the PIG website:
The Offing is an offshoot of the Los Angeles Review of Books (LARB) with a focus on work that challenges, experiments and provokes. The online literary magazine is open now for submissions for its next issue until 8 February. Contributor's receive a fee of $25-$100.
A particularly exciting opportunity that is still open for applications until 9 February is the 2026 Dr Gavin Wallace Fellowship. The year-long opportunity offers one Scotland-based, established writer the chance to develop new work in collaboration with local communities in Scotland. The theme for this year is 'Unfolding Scotland' and the residency will be based at DG Unlimited, a creative and cultural network for Dumfries & Galloway. In addition to support from DG Unlimited, the fellow also receives a stipend of £24,000.
Radiophrenia, Glasgow's artist run FM radio station is still seeking soundscapes, spoken word pieces, radio experiments, found sound, innovative approaches to drama and documentary, and radical and challenging new programme ideas as part of their latest call. You have until 14 February to submit your work for broadcast in September.
Did you publish some of your previous work in a journal that subsequently became defunct? Here's your chance to get your work out into the world again. Doubleback Review is exclusively dedicated to previously-published work which is now no longer available online or in active print circulation. The current submission window closes on 15 February.
Glasgow-based slow press Cutwife is preparing for its second issue which will have the theme 'yolk'! The editors are looking for your weirdest, loveliest, yolkiest writings. The deadline for your egg-inspired entries is 18 February.
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.
Welcome to the Alasdair Gray section of the PIG Update: there's plenty to see.
In the run-up to Gray Day, the annual celebration of Gray's work organised by the Alasdair Gray Archive (AGA), there are plenty of events, newly commission work and resources to experience and explore. This year's big Gray Day celebration also marks 45 years since the publication of Gray's Lanark, one of the most influential works of modern Scottish literature. AGA has put together a fabulous line-up including Josie Long, Alan Bisset and Rachelle Atalla. There will be a showcase of four newly commissioned animations inspired by the brand new audiobook of Lanark, narrated by Alan Cumming. All of this is happening on 25 February at Òran Mór.
There will also be several more events organised by AGA including free tours of the archives and multi-disciplinary workshops aimed at writers and non-writers alike, such as 'Expanding your Practice through Clay' and 'Expanding Your Practice with Quick-Response Drawing & Writing'. At the same time, AGA is celebrating Queer History Month with a month-long digital screening of ‘Of Us & Others’ – the result of The Alasdair Gray Archive’s inaugural visual art Creative Commission with Maya Rose Edwards. You can view the work until the end of the month via YouTube.
If you are new to Alasdair Gray's work, you might find this general overview on the Scottish Poetry Library's website helpful. There are also two amazing interactive websites that offer audiences a new way to explore Gray's most well-known novels: Lanark and Poor Things. I recommend taking a grey winter afternoon to dive into the colourful word of Alasdair Gray.
PIG's Poetry Pick
Today's poetry pick is naturally one of Gray's poems.
Awaiting
by Alasdair Gray
He was, and educated, and became,
residing and remaining and intending,
then on became in, and again,
and later and later again.
He still is, and hopes, and intends,
and may
but is certain to –
one day.
That's it from me today. See you in two weeks!
Love,
Annie