Lantern Scottish Poetry

'How we feel' was the theme for the 2025 StAnza international poetry festival, and the Lantern Live team were on stage, bringing all the feels! Kathleen Jamie and Ally Heather were joined by award-winning performance poet Charlotte Van den Broeck , and Nuala Watt , whose first collection - The Department of Work and Pensions Assesses a Jade Fish - is a must-read for the austerity age. To access po...

'Nothing is yet in its true form'... Poetry is not just about human forms or emotions. Across history, other species have inspired art and literature - and that is our theme for this episode. Examining animal spirits and creatures from the 'more than human' world with Ally and Kathleen, at the Scottish Poetry Library, Em Strang and Garry McKenzie. To access poetry for free in person, via post, or...

How important is a sense of place when it comes to poetry? Two very different parts of Scotland are represented on this episode of Lantern. Shane Strachan from Aberdeenshire and Hugh McMillan from Dumfries and Galloway join host Ally Heather and Scotland's Makar, Kathleen Jamie in the Scottish Poetry Library. To access poetry for free in person, via post, or online, please find details at the Scot...

'Memory is unreliable, and a creative practise in itself'... Memory and nostalgia are powerful, evocative experiences that have inspired some of the greatest literary works. Joining Scotland's Makar, Kathleen Jamie, and host Ally Heather for this episode, and sharing their own poems inspired by memory, are poets Iona Lee and Kevin P Gilday. To access poetry for free in person, via post, or online,...

What happens when traditions get broken? When there is a movement in a family, or within a culture? Exploring the feminist tradition of picking up on lost female voices, Gerda Stevenson and Marjorie Lotfi explore this topic through their own work, guided by Kathleen Jamie and Ally Heather. To access poetry for free in person, via post, or online, please find details at the Scottish Poetry Library...

Poetry enables elagy and helps us remember the past, and those who have passed. What does this mean in public and private spheres? Attitudes of memory and memorial are integral to the work of poets Catherine Wilson Garry and Alec Finlay, and they join Kathleen Jamie and Ally Heather to explore this evocative theme. To access poetry for free in person, via post, or online, please find details at th...

250 years since he died, Robert Fergusson is still revered and respected by the Scottish literary community. Exploring his life and work in more detail, Kathleen Jamie and Ally Heather are joined by another Robert - Robert Crawford - to learn more about his life, and untimely death. To access poetry for free in person, via post, or online, please find details at the Scottish Poetry Library website...

Scots are rightly proud of their literary heritage, but how can past work - or the canon - impact writers today? Makar Kathleen Jamie and co-host Ally Heather are joined by poets Titilayo Farukuoye and Alycia Pirmohamed to discuss the relationship between the canon and a fresh generation of young writers. To access poetry for free in person, via post, or online, please find details at the Scottish...

'Me and my Dad will just about manage a handshake'. Is male emotionality a barrier we have to break down? And are male friendships changing generationally? Poets Andrew Greig and Michael Pedersen join Scottish Makar Kathleen Jamie and Alistair Heather to examine, through their own work, how relationships between males are depicted in Scottish writing. To access poetry for free in person, via post,...

Multi-award winning poet Niall Campbell joins Scottish Makar Kathleen Jamie and host Alistair Heather on stage at the Push The Boat Out poetry festival 2023. Our theme is inheritance and tradition. To access poetry for free in person, via post, or online, please find details at the Scottish Poetry Library website here . The Lantern Scottish Poetry podcast is produced by Bespoken Media , and suppor...

Scottish Makar Kathleen Jamie and host Alistair Heather are joined in person by Brian Holton, and from Covid isolation, by TikTok poet Len Pennie. Our theme is time is solitude - in Fife and ancient China. To access poetry for free in person, via post, or online, please find details at the Scottish Poetry Library website here . The Lantern Scottish Poetry podcast is produced by Bespoken Media , an...

Scottish Makar Kathleen Jamie and host Alistair Heather are joined by Don Paterson and Roshni Gallagher, to share poems and chat in the Scottish Poetry Library. Our theme for this episode is water. To access poetry for free in person, via post, or online, please find details at the Scottish Poetry Library website here . The Lantern Scottish Poetry podcast is produced by Bespoken Media , and suppor...

Scottish Makar Kathleen Jamie and host Alistair Heather welcome two excellent poets to the Scottish Poetry Library. In this first episode, they share poems and discussion around the theme of reading. To access poetry for free in person, via post, or online, please find details at the Scottish Poetry Library website here . The Lantern Scottish Poetry podcast is produced by Bespoken Media , and supp...

Scottish Makar Kathleen Jamie and host Alistair Heather welcome some of the most vital voices in Scottish letters to Edinburgh's Scottish Poetry Library. Produced by Bespoken Media , and supported by Creative Scotland.