PIG UPDATE #41
13th of September 2026
Summer is officially over and so is the annual summer lull. In fact, we have loads to get through, so let's jump right in!
Events (14 to 27 September 2026)
Your poetic fortnight opens on Tuesday (15 September) with the weekly Poet's Corner open mic at Hillhead Bookclub. This week's theme is '5 minutes' - what can you write in 5 minutes? Do you have an exactly-5-minute poem? What does it feel like to spend 5 minutes hugging, waiting, crying? Whatever your interpretation, the mic is yours. Slots are 5-10 minutes and you just show up to sign up.
Wednesday, 16 September is full of virtual delights. Wordsworth Grasmere's online reading series 'Go to the poets, they will speak to thee' returns at 7:30pm with a reading by Helen Mort from her fourth collection Stepmother, which revisits myths, fairy tales and cultural archetypes. Host Kim Moore has set an open mic theme to match: myth and fairy tales. Open mic slots are limited and must be booked in advance. Tickets are £7. Also on Wednesday evening, Anamot Press is hosting an online workshop dedicated to poem-rituals and spells with Ching-In Chen from 6pm. The workshop will draw on the anthology Poetry as Spellcasting. Writers, organisers and spellcasters of all kinds are welcome. Tickets are on a sliding scale from £15. At midday, StAnza Poetry Festival and Open Book are hosting the next iteration of their Well Versed Programme with Vicki Feaver. The free online event sees the poet read and talk about her work before opening up for questions. If the lunchtime slot doesn't suit, sessions are also recorded and posted to YouTube afterwards.
On Friday, 18 September, the University of Strathclyde is throwing a big party at The Ramshorn on Ingram Street. The StrathWrites Gala Day offers a free afternoon celebrating creative writing at Strathclyde. There will be workshop taster sessions led by Maria Sledmere, Steven Veerapen and Ameek Gilhotra, a zine fair, the launch of the inaugural StrathWrites anthology, the launch of the new MFA Creative Writing programme, and a headline reading from acclaimed poet Michael Mullen. Tickets are free and you can drop in and out across the afternoon.
I am particularly excited about the return of the WaterWings reading series on Saturday, 19 September. After a year's hiatus, Waterwings Press is back with a brilliant line-up of poets. From 4:30pm you get to hear work by Tessa Berring and Kate Paul as well as Nasim Luczaj and Roberto Salvador Cenciarelli who are celebrating the launch of their joint dual pamphlet Diptych I by Oblique House. The event is hosted at The Plane School at Templeton Court just off Glasgow Green and entry is free. Earlier in the day, Seahorse Publications is hosting the launch of Graham Fulton's new collection Snuff Bus at Paisley Central Library from 11:30am. The collection draws on Paisley itself as inspiration, capturing the people, places and spirit of the town. There will also be additional readings by Morag Smith and Lesley Benzie who is launching her new collection Love's Rhyme, Reason, Revolution. No booking required - just drop in.
The weekly Poet's Corner is back at Hillhead Bookclub on Tuesday (22 September). As always, check the organisers' Instagram ahead of time to find out this week's theme. Slots are 5-10 minutes and you can sign up at the door.
Wednesday, 23 September brings the StoryTree Fringe Highlights Poetry Show to The Bungalow in Paisley from 7pm. Hosted by Georgia Francis, the evening showcases Fringe sets from a stellar line-up: India de Bono, TJ Poetry, Dean Tsang, Beth Rose, Tere Bertucci, Sarah Heitler, Ross Wilcock, Spencer Mason and Ross McFarlane. Entry is free with the option to donate, and any donations are split equally among the performers. A great chance to catch some of this year's best Fringe spoken-word shows if you didn't manage to see them in August.
The following evening, Thursday (24 September), Not A Salon! is back in the backroom of Rufus T Firefly on Hope Street. This month, it's a Back to School Special. This is going to be a fun-packed (slightly cringy) trip down memory lane. Still have access to your Tumblr archives, ancient LiveJournal site or dusty piles of melodramatic teenage notebooks? Bring them along! Participation in nostalgia-fuelled mutual public shaming is not mandatory, but highly encouraged. Slots are five minutes and entry is free. The hilarity starts at 8pm.
Friday, 25 September sees Mount Florida Books host the launch of Oscar Nite's new album Music for Limousines from 7:30pm. The evening combines music, poetry and performance art, with support from Esyllt Angharad Lewis and Rory Spencer. Entry is free.
There is a fascinating online event on Saturday, 26 September. The Japan Association of Translators is hosting a webinar with translator Corey Wakeling on Natsumi Aoyagi's Done Being Nurtured at 7am (UK time - the session runs on Japan Standard Time). Wakeling discusses Aoyagi's nonstandard Japanese and the unique architectural challenges of rendering Sodatsu no wo yameru into English for Spite Press. JAT members attend free; non-members pay 2,000 yen (ca. £10). A recording will be available until the end of October.
Sunday, 27 September is giving you a new twist to some of Glasgow's best-loved regular poetic events. Ross Wilcock is leading the Poet's Cosy Workshop at Curler's Rest on Byres Road from 5pm. The session offers a quiet space to write, with a prompt station where poems are read and discussed. The event is part of the Byres Road Book Festival, so make sure you book your free ticket asap. Later the same evening, Ross is also hosting a special edition of Curler's Cosy Corner at Curler's Rest. Ross has invited Chris McQueer and Kaci O'Meara for special readings in addition to the usual open mic. Again, it's free to attend but you'll need to book in advance. Meanwhile, over at Glasgow Film Theatre, SpeakEasy is staging Speakeasy: What Will Your Verse Be? - a poetic closing gala for the Glasgow Youth Film Festival following a screening of Dead Poets Society. There will be performances from RJ Hunter, Aditya Narayan and Fiona Jane, all backed by the SpeakEasy House Band. Tickets are £6.90 and include both the screening and the post-film event.
Opportunities
Today's pick from among the long list of opportunities currently on the PIG website:
Ampersand Poetry Journal is accepting submissions until 20 September for its current issue on the theme of 'Together & Apart'. The online journal offers ten writing prompts to get you started and accepts up to three poems per person.
Queer Glasgow Zine is open for Issue 4 on the theme of 'Queer Embodiment'. The editors invite you to explore how you create, mould, wear or display your queerness in text. Submissions of up to 500 words (including poetry) are accepted until 25 September.
Also closing on 25 September is Paperboats Zine, the Scotland-based nature and ecology collective, which is seeking submissions of up to 30 lines of poetry for Issue 8 on the theme 'Nature as Library'. Submissions in English, Scots or Scottish Gaelic are welcome from writers within and outwith Scotland.
A unique opportunity is currently on offer via UNESCO City of Literature: The Crossing Tongues programme is an international poetry exchange connecting poets from Scotland and Nigeria through translation, creative collaboration and cultural immersion. Scottish poets can apply for a week-long residency in Nigeria as well as participation in the Hausa International Book & Arts Festival (HIBAF) and a host of other opportunities for exchange and collaboration. In addition to covered travel expenses, the fellows also receive a fee of £750. Applications are still accepted until 30 September.
Other opportunities closing by the end of the month include And Other Poems, Gutter, The Berlin Review and the Hythe Review.
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 membership organisations for poets - because joining one (or more!) might be one of the best investments you make in your writing life. There are several options right here in Glasgow in addition to several more national organisations.
St Mungo's Mirrorball is a network of poets and poetry lovers that has been a vital part of the Glasgow poetry scene for over 20 years. It runs a series of events showcasing the work of emerging and established poets and supports special projects including the Clydebuilt mentoring programme. Membership applications are currently open and cost £25 for the year - though pay-what-you-can options may be available as well.
Glasgow also has City of Poets, a free-to-join non-profit society for poets with a connection to the city. Members benefit from regular publication opportunities, training and mentoring, a showcase on the website, and discounts - including on membership to the Society of Authors and at Waterstones. It is well worth a look if you haven't already.
There is also Kelvingrove Writers, a writing and community group with a broader literary focus. The group hosts free weekly writing sessions. They are also behind the Clockwork Orange Project and occasionally organise other creative workshops, literary events, sharing nights, donation drives, book swaps, and more.
At a Scottish level, the Federation of Writers (Scotland) is a membership organisation open to all writers based in Scotland, regardless of experience or publication history. The Federation campaigns for writers' rights, organises events and workshops, and offers a supportive community for writers of all kinds including poets. Membership is free.
At a national level, the Poetry Society is the big one. Founded in London in 1909, it is one of the most established poetry organisations in the UK and runs an education and commissioning programme, events, competitions and a 1-2-1 Feedback service for those looking to get their work seen by a professional reader. Membership comes with a quarterly newsletter, regular e-bulletins, as well as discounts, access to members-only events and the opportunity to connect to local Stanza poetry groups. The annual basic membership is £31.
PIG's Poetry Pick
Today's pick was prompted by the SPL obituary of Eunice Buchanan who passed away earlier this year at the age of 95. The Glasgow poet was particularly recognised for her poetry in Scots and won the UofG's McCash Prize for Poetry. Considering the focus on Scots and Gaelic poetry for the next Gutter issue, I thought it would be a lovely, inspiring pick.
Ariadne
by Eunice Buchanan
The threid that reeled him in
has brocht me oot –
oot o the nairra mask
o thirled weys
tae the clear licht o day.
I spied him wi the lassies,
dandlin them on his knee,
mou-mapplin thir breists
like the great bairn he is.
Braw suitor for the King’s dochter!
But heroes hae thir yuises.
I ticed him atween
cauld stane wa’s, doon
an doon tae the centre
o my black dreid.
Derkness like midden reek,
beast swite an bluid –
ae stroke o the bricht blade,
ae skirl tae split the wa’s.
The beast wis deid.
Noo I sit here on Naxos,
mangst myrtle an hinnied thyme,
an watch his black sail slide
awa doon the sun’s track
tae the warld’s end.
Barefit I’ll gang my ain gait.
The hairst is come.
Frae maumie vines
wild music springs –
an I wid learn a new daunce.
Via Scottish Poetry Library, where you can also hear her read the poem.
That's it from me today. See you in two weeks!
Love,
Annie