These are probably the last days of summer in Glasgow and I admit, my brain is slightly melted from too much sun. So this edition of PIG is going to be short and sweet. Enjoy - and then go out and make the most of the gorgeous weather!

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Events (18 to 31 August 2025)

Byres Road is your destination on Monday, 18 August. As always, the weekly Poet's Corner open mic at Hillhead Bookclub beckons. But there's more. Curler's Cosy Corner open mic is back, brought to you by Ross Wilcock - freshly returned from his Fringe show - and featuring a special reading by Michael Mullen.

The open mic at Inn Deep returns after a little hiatus on Tuesday, 19 August. From 7pm till late, Sam is back to present a diverse line-up of poetry and spoken word. If you are keen to get behind the mic, make sure to contact Sam to reserve your 5-minute slot ahead of time.

You have loads of options to pick from on Wednesday, 20 August. Naturally, Time for One Poem at Sweeney's on the Park is back with the monthly open mic from 7:30pm. But there's more: the writing group at Mount Florida Books is back in session from 6pm (make sure to book before you show up) and Gutter are celebrating the launch of the latest Issue at the Alchemy Experiment on Byres Road from 7pm. The brilliant line-up includes George Miller, Finola Scott, Megan Cunningham, Lynnda Wardle and Craig Coyle, and will be hosted by Cal Bannerman and Sean Wai Keung. At the same time, the Strathclyde Review is organising an evening of readings, performances, and entertainment to mark the release of 'Ur Bones', a self published anthology of poetry, prose, non-fiction, screenplays and more, written by the MLitt Creative Writing students at the University of Strathclyde. The event with a special appearance by Heather Parry starts at 7:30pm at Mono on King Street. If you are free during your lunch break, you can also join the first part of the Well Versed Series: an online programme of poetry discussions organised by Open Book in collaboration with StAnza Poetry Festival. The Well Versed events feature headline festival poets as well as new voices. This week's event brings you Niall Campbell. Simply join via YouTube from 12 o'clock.

After such a crazy Wednesday, the whole poetry scene gets a few days off. We are back in session on Monday, 25 August with the weekly Poet's Corner open mic at Hillhead Bookclub.

On Wednesday (27 August) Ross Wilcock's Poetry Experiment is back for a lovely, friendly and inclusive open mic night at the Alchemy Experiment. That same night, a special poetry event with a focus on mental health is coming to Inn Deep. The organisers of the 'Speakin' Oor Mind' series by mental health charity See Me Scotland is teaming up with Kirsty Crawford Creative and Postpartum Poems for a spotlight on mental health and motherhood. It's a free open mic event and you can sign up on the night. If that isn't your cup of tea, you can also enjoy some poetry from the comfort of your home: Carcanet are launching a new series of online book launches and the first one will feature Hal Coase's collection 'Eccolo'. Audience members pay £2 to join the Zoom event but the cost is redeemable against the cost of the book at the end of the night.

It's a busy day at Glasgow Women's Library on Thursday, 28 August. At 1pm, you can join a special poetry event to celebrate women's football with poet Julie McNeill and historians Fiona Skillen and Karen Fraser, who will be sharing poems and stories from their book 'A Most Unsuitable Game'. In the evening, an artist-led writing workshop gives participants the opportunity to explore life writing as a tool for reflection and creative practice.

A colourful night of music, comedy and poetry is on offer at the Glad Cafe on Saturday, 30 August. It's the return of the Acid Cabaret. Tickets are on a sliding scale from £5.

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Opportunities

Today's pick from among the long list of opportunities currently on the PIG website:

You still have a few more days to submit to the poetry open call by the indie poetry press 'Sunday Mornings at the River'. Their call is looking for poetry that's loosely seasonal with a connection to either spring, summer, autumn or winter. The selected poems will be featured in the publisher's 2026 diary. The submission deadline is 20 August.

Scottish BPOC Writers Network (SBWN) and We Are Here Scotland (WAHS) are seeking creative responses from Scotland-based BPOC writers. The project asks them to critically examine and reimagine the physical, psychological, and/or cultural dimensions of space. Submissions can take various forms including essays, poetry, short fiction or hybrid forms. The deadline for submissions is 31 August.

Glasgow Women's Library is currently running it's annual 'Bold Types' writing competition. This year's theme is 'friendship'. Submissions are open to women who were born in Scotland or live or have lived in Scotland at any time. The deadline is 15 September.

One of the major opportunities for emerging writers in Scotland by the Scottish Book Trust is now open as well: The New Writers Award. The award comes with a prize sum of £2,500 and offers winners a tailored programme to support their future career. There are categories for poetry as well as spoken word, and English, Scots and Gaelic submissions are accepted. The application window is now open until 24 September.

The US-based literary magazine Chestnut Review, is currently open for their winter issue. They are looking for beautiful language and resonant imagery. The deadline is 30 September.

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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.

With weather as glorious as it is right now, I thought it might be nice to shine a spotlight on some interesting poetry podcasts - to enjoy in the park, on the beach, or maybe just on the way back to work on Monday. Here are my three recommendations: A Mouthful of Air by Mark McGuinness, Interesting People Reading Poetry by Brendan and Andy Stermer, and (albeit not solely dedicated to poetry) the LRB Close Readings series. Check them out. See what you think.

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PIG's Poetry Pick

For today's pick, I decided to choose something summery, something refreshing, something bright:

Ode to Kool-Aid

by Marcus Jackson

You turn the kitchen
tap’s metallic stream
into tropical drink,
extra sugar whirlpooling
to the pitcher-bottom
like gypsum sand.
Purplesaurus Rex, Roarin’
Rock-A-Dile Red, Ice Blue
Island Twist, Sharkleberry Fin;
on our tongues, each version
keeps a section, like tiles
on the elemental table.
In ninth grade, Sandra
employed a jug of Black Cherry
to dye her straightened
bangs burgundy.
When toddlers swallow you,
their top lips mustache in color
as if they’ve kissed paint.
The trendy folks can savor
all that imported mango nectar
and health-market juice.
We need factory-crafted packets,
unpronounceable ingredients,
a logo cute enough to hug,
a drink unnaturally sweet
so that, on the porch,
as summer sun recedes,
Granddad takes out his teeth
to make more mouth to admit you.

Via poets.org

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That's it from me today. See you in two weeks!

Love,
Annie

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