PIG UPDATE #35

21st of June 2026

It's summer solstice, the astronomical start of summer and (coincidentally) also the start of another spell of brilliant sunshine in Glasgow. In a nutshell: summer is officially here and there's no excuse to hide indoors! Get yerselves out to the park, to the beer garden, to an open mic night, to a book launch - the choice is yours and PIG is here with plenty of reasons to get out of the house. Also included today: a special on the Edinburgh International Book Festival to help you plan the rest of the summer (and secure your tickets in time), plus a recommendation for the podcast to listen to on your way to the park/beach/roof terrace/venue.

Events (22 June to 5 July 2026)

The fortnight kicks off on Monday (22 June) with the second edition of Crisp Packet Poetry's Peelers performance scratch nights. The Summer Peelers feature exciting performances by RTJM (Robert Thomas James Mills), Alice & Leah Feeney, and TMI with TIM as well as a series of video poems curated by the Crisp Packet team. The genre-bending night of experimentation starts at 7pm at McNeill's Bar on Torrisdale Street on the Southside and as always, it's free to attend. Wordsworth Grasmere's online Discover Poetry reading group is also back on Zoom from 7:30pm the same evening. The monthly night is hosted by poet Polly Atkin and gives you the relaxed opportunity to explore and discuss a selection of classic and contemporary poems.

The weekly Poet's Corner open mic night at Hillhead Bookclub has moved from its usual Wednesday slot to a Tuesday and is now back on Tuesday (23 June) - but don't worry, everything else stays the same: you still get the same lovely relaxed atmosphere, the same 5-10 minute reading slots and weekly themes.

The monthly Poetry Experiment open mic at The Alchemy Experiment on Byres Road is back on Wednesday (24 June). Ross Wilcock's inclusive, welcoming night opens its doors at 7pm, with the show starting at 7:30pm. As always, tickets are £5 and performers get a free drink - just sign up on the night.

Thursday (25 June) is a particularly busy day. In the afternoon, the Obsidian Black Poetry Lectures online series kicks off with Session 1: American Poetry with Roger Robinson, from 1pm to 2:15pm. The series explores the rich canon of Black poets across Africa, the Caribbean, the UK and the USA - with further sessions in July, August and October. Tickets are £10. In the evening, the Poetry Society is hosting the online writing workshop, The Singing of Things with Claudine Toutoungi, From 6:30pm, Claudine will explore how the abstract and material come together in a poem, and guide participants through work by Mary Ruefle, Wisława Szymborska, Henri Cole and others. Tickets are £27. Also on Thursday evening, the Bhopal Medical Appeal is hosting Unprecedented Negligence: Creative Responses to the Bhopal Disaster, a free online poetry workshop. Facilitated by poet Hazel Stewart and featuring a reading by guest poet Avaes Mohammad, the workshop uses writing prompts to explore the ongoing legacy of the world's worst industrial disaster. But it's not all just online on Thursday. Your reason to get out of the house comes in the shape of Not A Salon! The monthly open stage is back in the backroom of Rufus T Firefly on Hope Street from 8pm with its usual mix of poetry, prose, and everything in between.

On Friday (26 June), there's a great double bill of community events. The Open Mic at the Base returns to Maryhill from 7pm - a free, alcohol-free open mic night welcoming poetry, spoken word, music, comedy, storytelling and more at The Base on Glenavon Road, hosted in partnership with City Writes. Free snacks and refreshments are included, and there's no pressure to perform if you'd rather just soak up the atmosphere. Over on the Southside, the seventh Acid Cabaret takes over The Glad Cafe on Pollokshaws Road from 7pm. Glasgow's "utopian variety night" returns with the theme 'Hens, femmes, poets and thems', featuring folk from Mima Merrow, hip-hop from Raj Mahal and electronica from Post Coal Prom Queen. Tickets are tiered so everyone can come along regardless of circumstances.

Poetry @ Inn Deep is back in its underground lair on Great Western Road on Monday (29 June) from 7:30pm. The regular poetry, spoken word and performance night features open mic slots of 5 minutes each - make sure to contact Sam on Instagram if you want to perform.

On Tuesday (30 June), Cheltenham Poetry Festival's online poetry workshop series continues with Begin your Poems with a Bang, a two-hour workshop on the fine art of the first line, led by poet Anna Saunders. For £25, you get to explore new ways to write openings that startle, surprise and intrigue. Naturally, the weekly Poet's Corner is also on at Hillhead Bookclub from 7:45pm. You know the drill: check the theme, bring your poems, grab the mic, have a good time.

Wednesday (1 July) is an exciting one. Agora Press is launching the first edition of its new magazine at Mono Cafe Bar in the city centre from 8pm. Come browse the magazine at the reading table, take in the accompanying exhibition featuring work from Séania Strain, aj duncan and annabee, and pick up a copy from the shop on the night. It's free to attend. Over on the Southside, Poetry at Sweeney's is on at Sweeney's On The Park from 7:30pm. Sarah Heitler hosts this warm and welcoming monthly open mic with 5-minute reading slots for poetry and prose alike. Beginners and first-timers are always warmly encouraged. There's now also an online sign-up sheet if you want to make sure you definitely get a reading slot.

Friday (3 July) is a night for celebrations. Disobedient Magazine is launching its Issue 2 - seven years after Issue 1 - at Stereo on Renfield Lane from 7pm. Expect live poetry, a craft table to make your own mini Disobedient, copies of Issue 2 on sale and plenty of like-minded creatives to chat to. Admission is free. But that's not all for Friday night: SPAM Press is throwing its 10 Year Anniversary Party at the Poetry Club at SWG3 from 7pm. The cyber rave-themed birthday bash brings together a truly massive line-up of poets including Iphgenia Baal, Denise Bonetti, Helen Charman, Anjeli Caderamanpulle, Colin Herd, Maria Sledmere, Dan Power, Calum Rodger and many more, alongside bands King Wine and Texture Texture, DJs, and an audiovisual work by Taylor Stewart. Tickets are £8 in advance (£10 on the door). Get down early - poets will be reading straight away from 7pm, with the party running until 3am.

On Saturday (4 July), Loud Poets returns to Civic House with its Glasgow Showcase. Scotland's premier spoken word night will be hosted by Kevin Mclean and gives you unmissable performances by Diz Undone, Dean Tsang and Kate Bradley, plus music from Jack Hinks. There will also be six open mic slots available to sign up for on the door. Tickets are £12.

Opportunities

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

Renard Press is currently running its annual poetry competition . The project invites poems exploring people and nature under the broad theme of 'Regeneration' - from rewilding success stories to darker reflections on ravaged landscapes. Entry is free, open to all, and the first prize is £200. The deadline is 28 June.

Another free competition with just a few more days to submit is the Gerard Rochford Poetry Prize 2026. The event is run by Mist and Mountain in memory of the distinguished Aberdeen poet and invites submissions on the theme of 'Journey'. The winner receives £200. The submission window closes on 30 June.

Also closing on 30 June is issue 149 of Poetry Ireland Review. The triannual publication publishes poems, articles and interviews from people in Ireland and beyond in both Irish and English. Issue 149 will be edited by Colm Tóibín. You can send in up to four poems but feedback may take up to five months.

If you want to get your work into one of Britain's most well-respected and long-running poetry magazines, you might also consider submitting to PN Review until 30 June. The journal accepts submissions each year during the last week of June. The editors are rather old-school and only accept postal submissions - unless you are a PN Review subscriber, then you can also send your work in via email.

Edinburgh's International Poetry Festival, Push the Boat Out is still open until 6 July for its 2026 Commissions Call. The organisers are looking to support the creation of three new poetry-led performance pieces, responding to this year’s festival theme The Space Between. The call is open to artists or groups of artists living and working in Scotland and selected artists will be paid £1,500 to develop and present their work in November 2026.

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.

This PIG Spotlight is dedicated to this year's Edinburgh International Book Festival. The full programme is now available and tickets go on sale on Thursday, 25 June. You all know how quickly some sessions sell out, so even if the event doesn't start until August, I thought I'd give you a breakdown of this year's poetic highlights.
NB: The ticket prices shown below are full price, there are concessions for students and under 30s etc).

Poetry Workshops

Poetry Readings & Performances

  • Loud Poets Grand Slam Final
    Saturday 15 August, 15:30–17:30 (£10)
    Ten qualifying poets compete in a heated, electrifying slam poetry competition for a cash prize and the title of Slam Champion.

  • Our Many-Voiced Country
    Sunday 16 August, 18:00–19:00 (£15.50)
    Makar Peter Mackay weaves together a tapestry of multi-language poetry performances from Scottish poets working in English, Gaelic, Tamil, Arabic, Persian, and more. Featuring: Helena Fornells Nadal, Harry Josephine Giles, Marjorie Lotfi, Robbie Macleòid, Q Mannivanan, and Alycia Pirmohamed.

  • Scotland Through Poetry
    Monday 17 August, 18:30–19:45 (£15.50)
    Host Beth Cochrane presents a glittering line-up of Scottish poets ranging from Scots scrievers to Gaelic singers exploring themes from diaspora to desire. Featuring: Clementine E Burnley, Ceitidh Chaimbeul, Taylor Dyson, Hannah Lavery, Michael Mullen, and Andrés N Ordorica.

  • Edwin Morgan Trust: Poetry, Performance, and Prizes
    Tuesday 18 August, 18:45–20:00 (£15.50)
    Discover shortlisted young poets performing their work before the reveal of the year's winner, alongside the launch of a new collection of Morgan's multimedia poetry.

  • Simon Armitage: New Cemetery
    Tuesday 18 August, 20:30–21:30 (£15.50)
    UK Poet Laureate Simon Armitage discusses and performs from his latest collection inspired by a local graveyard, reflecting on grief, nature, and time.

  • Colin Bramwell & Ryan Van Winkle: Poetry in Practice
    Wednesday 19 August, 15:45 - 16:45 (£15.50)
    Colin Bramwell and Ryan Van Winkle share new work and discuss their practice of bringing poetry to wider audiences, both on and off the page.

  • Luke Wright: Later Life Letter
    Thursday 20 August, 18:15-19:15 (£15.50)
    Luke Wright presents his moving memoir-in-poetry that was championed by the likes of John Cooper Clarke and Lemn Sissay, and traces the journey of a social worker and an adopted child from birth to adoption.

  • GUBSMACKED: Flyte Nyte 2026
    Thursday 25 August, 20:30–22:30 (£15.50)
    Watch poets, rappers, and spoken word artists battle it out in a modern "flyting" competition using wit, verse, and extravagant verbal abuse to become the champion.

  • Hannah Lavery, Jennifer Wong & Nidhi Zak/Aria Eipe: Migratory Patterns
    Thursday 27 August, 15:45-16:45 (£15.50)
    Three extraordinary poets come together in conversation to discuss their practice and how they articulate the matter of human migration into poetry, song, and myth.

  • Sarah Howe, Rachel Long & Sarah Stewart: Lyric Memory
    Friday 28 August, 14:00-15:00 (£15.50)
    Join three poets exploring self, motherhood and loss as they discuss their latest work.

Open Mic

  • Rock the Boat: Poetry Open Mic
    Tuesday 18 August, 18:00–19:30 (Pay What You Can)
    Edinburgh's genre-bending festival Push the Boat Out hosts a vibrant open mic celebrating dynamic contemporary poetry, inviting audience members to take the stage.

The full programme is available via the festival website. Over the full festival period from 15 to 30 August there are over 600 events taking place. But you can also simply filter by 'Poetry' and bring it down to about 30.

PIG's Poetry Pick

I am currently really enjoying the new LRB podcast series on poetry hosted by Sarah Howe and Sandeep Parmar. The first episode came out on 10 June and was looking at poetry around the theme of work. It features poems by Valzhyna Mort, Robert Crawford and Romalyn Ante. I really loved Crawford's poem in its wonderfully weird surrealism, and also because (despite being published more than 30 years ago) it felt really relevant today as company's are cutting jobs left, right and centre in the name of AI-fuelled efficiencies...

Jesus Christ endorses the new Hillman Imp

by Robert Crawford

I was in our works canteen when a call
Came over the tannoy to watch him endorse the new car.
As he bent and touched it, he said,
‘This product will save your area
For another decade; it will be loved
Equally by US management
And families whom its air-cooled rear engine
Will power to school. I’m saying this
That you may take a pride in your work.’
Nervous execs whooshed him away
For a photo session.
I lost my job
In the first redundancies.
‘Does the daffodil have an income allocation model?
Will the company keep you safe
In a world downturn? Will you see this factory levelled?’
Hillmans have long gone out of production.
My launch brochures in a box upstairs
With his photo are greeny with damp.
We did good work, though. No regrets.
It was true what he said, standing up
Endorsing the new Hillman Imp.

Via the London Review of Books

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

Love,
Annie