The festival runs 22 to 24 November and includes a range of exciting workshops and talks, exploring three urgent themes for the times we’re living in - ‘Disrupting the Narrative’, with special events in connection with the historic anniversary celebration Edinburgh 900, ‘Bearing Witness’, and ‘Living Water’.
Celebrated in Scotland for making waves in the poetry, literary, and music worlds, Push The Boat Out 2024 will bring a dynamic and vibrant multi-genre programme of performances, workshops, and discussions to a range of inspirational spaces across the city. For the first time, and in response to an unexpected venue change, this year’s festival will unfold across Dance Base, the Scottish Storytelling Centre, Pleasance and Dovecot Studios.
Across a packed weekend of eclectic and exciting events, audiences will engage with poetry and music and performance from artists including incoming Edinburgh Makar Michael Pederson; Scottish legend Alexander McCall Smith; electric contemporary poets Ella Frears and Caroline Bird; an online workshop from acclaimed Trinidadian-British T.S Eliot prize- winner Roger Robinson; Scottish poet and social media sensation, Len Pennie; and a landmark festival event celebrating the life, art and activism of Benjamin Zephaniah, created in collaboration with Qian Zephaniah and Kadjia Sesay, with Salena Godden and Raymond Antrobus.
- Artists including Hannah Lavery, Niroshini Thambar, Jeda Pearl, Shasta Ali, Niall Moorjani, Alycia Pirmohamed, Lisa Williams and Kat Gollock offer fresh creative perspectives on how Edinburgh’s colonial history has shaped the city, its institutions and people in Disrupting the Narrative (part of the Edinburgh 900 programme)
- Multi-artform performances including the World Premiere of three new poetry performances commissioned in association with National Theatre Scotland featuring artists David McNeish and Ruxy Cantir, Tim Tim Cheng and Alexandra Shrinivas, and Raymond Wilson and Ross Somerville.
- Award-winning folk singer Iona Fyfe headlines a night of poetry-fused song and sound in Dovecot Studios, supported by Emma Capponi & Fionnbarr Byrne and Iona Lee & DJ Nikki Kent
- An eclectic programme of writing workshops taking inspiration from everything from mixology to tarot.
The celebrated, boundary-pushing Scottish arts and poetry festival Push The Boat Out has unveiled its 2024 programme line-up - exploring three key themes: Disrupting the Narrative, with a special series of events in connection with the Edinburgh 900 programme; Bearing Witness, and Living Water.
Taking place from 22 - 24 November, the festival programme will feature an eclectic breadth of in-person and online events, including performances, discussions, workshops, and exhibitions from exciting Scottish artists such as Hannah Lavery, Leyla Josephine, Michael Pederson, Len Pennie and Alexander McCall Smith, joined across the programme by UK and international artists Oksana Maksymchuk and Sasha Dugdale, Kadija Sesay, Hasib Hourani, Caroline Bird, Imtiaz Dharker, and Ella Frears. A free Development Day aimed at aspiring, early and mid- career artists will kick off the festival at Dance Base on Friday 22 November, offering networking, support, and new skills to those interested in publishing and performance.
Emma Collins, Director of Push the Boat Out said: “It's a joy to be part of Push the Boat Out - a unique, vibrant festival with poetry at its heart. We've crossed some choppy seas this year to get to the point of sharing our 2024 programme - and I'm so excited to be able to reveal it. We're looking at poetry through a range of thematic lenses which try to address some of the big challenges facing us today - the environment, inequality and conflict. We also continue to try to diversify poetry - through cross art form pollination, the voices we platform and who feels welcome as artists and audiences. We’re disappointed not to be presenting on the iconic stages of Summerhall this year - and our thoughts are with the organisation, its staff and other artists affected as we hope for a swift, positive outcome for this vital cultural institution. However, we've been overwhelmed with support from across the arts sector and we’re delighted to be working with four new partner venues - Scottish Storytelling Centre, Dovecot Studios, the Pleasance and Dance Base."
Alan Bett, Head of Literature & Publishing at Creative Scotland said: "Push The Boat Out 2024 once again presents a strong and varied programme, celebrating both established and emerging voices from Scotland and around the world. The festival not only offers a platform for powerful performances, but also fosters meaningful discussions on the pressing themes of our time. The programme challenges the boundaries of artistic form, bringing together poets, musicians and multidisciplinary artists to engage a diverse and expansive audience, further cementing Edinburgh’s reputation as a creative city with a global outlook."
On Friday 22 November, Disrupting the Narrative will close out the evening with a collection of performances, directed by Hannah Lavery and set to music by Niroshini Thambar, by poets Hannah, Jeda Pearl, Shasta Ali, Niall Moorjani and Alycia Pirmohamed, that explore Edinburgh’s colonial heritage and how that has shaped the city, its institutions and people today.
With nineteen events to choose from, Saturday 23 November is set to welcome in the weekend with an eclectic and varied day full of performance, workshops, discussions, exhibitions and music. In performance highlights, immersive part-performance and part-writing experience There is a Tide: Writing the Ocean Wild with Paperboats will explore how literature can be used as an inspirational force for change through oceanic sounds and stories of ecological rewilding. Also exploring place, Open Book: No Such Thing As Lost will see Open Book’s community of writers share their latest pamphlet to take audiences on a tour of Scotland - from Shetland to Stranraer, Portree to Perth and many other places in between - whilst Takeover: Glasgow Women's Library will see shortlisted writers from their Bold Types creative writing competition take to the stage.
Talented duo Double Bill: Len Pennie and Lorde Fuhl will bring some of the freshest Scottish and Irish poetry to the stage and talk about how the internet has impacted their careers; and the Loud Poets Slam Series returns for its third year with the Edinburgh Heat, featuring current Edinburgh Champion Heather Rose, for two hours of performance from top Edinburgh poets as they compete in the first of 10 heats across the UK. Leyla Josephine will bring improvisational performance Poetry Jam with Leyla Josephine to the stage, joined by collaborators and friends, fiddler Laura Wilkie and harpist Gillian Dawson, with the chance to read your own poetry out alongside two of Scotland’s best musicians. Cocktail Hour with RJ Hunter will combine poetry with cocktails, sharing a poem and story with each drink.
Finally, the festival’s iconic Saturday gig returns with Push the Boat Out Presents: Iona Fyfe and Friends, where the award-winning folk singer and Scots Language activist will headline an unforgettable night of poetry-fused song and sound supported by Emma Capponi & Fionnbarr Byrne and Iona Lee & DJ Nikki Kent. Iona Fyfe and friends will take place on the balcony of Dovecot Studios, offering an intimate and unusual setting for this live performance.
As part of Disrupting the Narrative, each day will see a Black History and Poetry Walk depart from the Scottish Storytelling Centre, led by Lisa Williams. Lisa will share specially written poetry and explore the little-known histories of the areas that surround the Royal Mile, and of Edinburgh’s many visitors and residents of African, African American and Caribbean heritage.
Discussion events on Saturday 23 November include renowned author Alexander McCall Smith discussing A Life of Poetry; Kathleen Jamie’s The Keelie Hawk explores the celebrated writers newest collection; In On Fatherhood, Raymond Antrobus and Niall Campbell reflect on their own journeys as parents and how it shows up in their work; Hannah Lavery hands over the baton of Edinburgh Makar to Michael Pederson in Makar-athon. Between Two Forms will discuss the blurring, or otherwise, of the boundaries between novel-writing and poetry; Breaking Ground Ireland looks at Speaking Volume’s landmark project showcasing over 90 writers and illustrators from ethnic minority backgrounds living in Ireland, with featured poets Christie Kandiwa, Neo Gilson and Lorde Fuhl, who can all be seen elsewhere across the weekend too. Behind Disrupting the Narrative will discuss the decolonisation of Edinburgh’s past with Curator of Discomfort at the Hunterian Museum Zandra Yeaman alongside Founder of the Edinburgh Caribbean Association Lisa Williams, joined by Shasta Ali and Hannah Lavery.
With over 20 exciting events throughout the day, live performance on Sunday 24 November will kick off with Double Bill: Sasha Dugdale and Oksana Maksymchuk, exploring how poetry can bear witness to unimaginable things; Kadjia Sesay and Neo Gilson come together share poems and discuss poetry as activism in Double Bill: Activism, Poetry and James Baldwin. Birds / Humans / Machines / Dolphins will fuse together poetry and music with the acoustic recordings of dolphins and birds with poet Genevieve Carter and composer Lucie Treacher. Imtiaz Dharker: Shadow Reader will see the internationally acclaimed poet and artist read from and speak about her collection, accompanied by projections of her own striking illustrations.
Rock the Boat - the festival’s long standing, monthly open mic welcomes rapid-fire feature poets James Steadman, Natalie Elizabeth and Shondra Riley. Air An Aon Ràmh (On the Same Oar), hosted by award-winning poet and singer, Marcas Mac an Tuairneir, brings together some of the best contemporary and traditional Gaelic poetry and music. Sunday Takeovers from St Mungo’s Mirrorball - Scotland’s leading community of poetry writers, readers and listeners - will bring exceptional Scottish poets to the stage, and GUBSMACKED, a live showcase of poetry in all its glorious forms will be presented by Leyla Josephine and Colin Bramwell.
Closing the festival are two landmark events. Living Water - New Poetic Performances sees the world premiere of three new poetry-led, cross disciplinary performances, in association with National Theatre of Scotland, with artists David McNeish & Ruxy Cantir, Tim Tim Cheng & Alexandra Shrinivas, and Raymond Wilson & Ross Somerville. And All Great Art is True: A Celebration of Benjamin Zephaniah sees Qian Zephaniah and Kadjia Sesay come together with incredible poets Salena Godden, Dean Atta and Raymond Antrobus to celebrate the unforgettable work of this multi-talented and much missed artist.
More thought provoking, and lively discussions will take place on Sunday, with events including Bearing Witness - a key theme for the festival - in which Alycia Pirmohamed curates a panel that asks how we create art while witnessing devastation, bringing together art, activism and community. Titans of Poetry: Caroline Bird and Ella Frears sponsored by the Forward Prizes for Poetry sees the two writers come together to discuss their latest collections and contemporary poetry. In (Poetry) Page to Stage - Adapting for Theatre, leading poet-playwrights Imogen Stirling, Hannah Lavery and Harry Josephine Giles discuss what what can be found - and lost - in the adaptation of poetry for theatre, with chair Stephanie Katie Hunter of Scissorkick.
Translation as a Political Act addresses the political implications of translation and writing in one's own or another language, and Songwriters Circle sees a panel of musicians discuss the backstory of their songs, chaired by Arusa Qureshi.
Artist development and discovery remains a key part of the festival, with workshops across the weekend exploring poetry in its many forms and inspirations. The Craft with Caroline Bird sees the celebrated poet help participants develop their practice; A Lighthouse Poetry Zine Workshop will show you how to bring your poetry on to the page no matter what stage you’re at and Francesca Beard will guide us through Creativity in the Cards: Inspired by Tarot considering how the rich symbolism of your tarot cards can act as inspiration.
Online Events
Passionate about inclusion, Push The Boat Out hopes its 2024 hybrid and online events will broaden access to the festival through a free live stream of Disrupting the Narrative, and a selection of live broadcasts and recordings in partnership with EHFM. The organisation also offers a range of online performances and workshops with world-renowned writers from across the globe.
On Saturday 23 November at 11am, Roger Robinson’s workshop 20 Ways to Be a Better Poet will give new skills and prompts to poets looking to refresh their poetry on the page and explore how we combine inspiration, commitment and productivity to balance earning a living and being an artist. At 2pm, Drag Poetry with Digital Diasporic Souls will see three immigrant poets and artists from China, Columbia and Cuba (Vic Fu, Jiaoyang Li and Metal) present a ghostly nocturne and a fictional panel, dressed as their speculative drag personas and digital projections of self, where ancestors in displaced genders speak of their fantasia.
On Sunday 24 November (11.30am), Kenyan poet, storyteller, artivist and Poetry Slam Slim Shaka, will lead you in a workshop to give you the confidence to tell your own story through poetry performance. In Conversation: Naomi Shihab Nye (2pm) will see Naomi Shihab Nye speak with Marjorie Lotfi about her poetry, inspirations, and how her decades-spanning eclectic work engages with her American-Palestinian identity and culture. At 4pm, poet and critic Michael Hofmann will dissect and explore the nuances of selected poems through an interactive Zoom masterclass, Fluid Words: The Poetry of Water, in partnership with the Goethe-Institut.
Background
Tickets can be purchased via pushtheboatout.org.
Join for the whole weekend with a Festival Pass. Priced at £50, there are a very limited number of passes which will give access to the majority of the programme free of charge - plus reduced price tickets for our higher priced and more intimate events. T&C’s apply. Individual event prices range from £0 to £25 Concessions are available, along with free companion tickets. A number of events are offered on a Pay What You Can (PWYC) basis with tiered pricing of £15, £10, £5 or £0.
Events will take place across four venues in Edinburgh - Dance Base, Dovecot Studios, Pleasance and the Scottish Storytelling Centre. After a last minute change of venues, Push the Boat Out is hugely grateful to these partner venues for offering their support.
About Push the Boat Out
Push the Boat Out was created to capture the vibrancy and dynamism of contemporary poetry, and to celebrate its ever-increasing influence. Our aim is to not only give poetry a new platform, but to create an environment where all variations of this vital artform are encouraged to grow, evolve and even collide. We want to explore fresh, inventive ways to bring poetry and audiences together by challenging perceptions of what poetry is and how and where it can be enjoyed. We seek to programme work which reflects and engages directly with the world around us in all its complexity and diversity; and to contribute to Scotland’s long legacy – and future – as a place where poetry and the arts are thriving. [email protected]
Year-round, we run regular online writing workshops, with renowned poets and special guests from around the world while Rock the Boat, our hugely popular open-mic night, takes place on the first Thursday of every month at Summerhall. Follow us online, take part and get in touch to see how you can play a part in our story.
Push the Boat Out Arts SCIO is Registered Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SC052742)
Principal Funders Creative Scotland, City of Edinburgh Council, Edinburgh 900, William Grant Foundation
Creative Scotland
Creative Scotland is the public body that supports culture and creativity across all parts of Scotland, distributing funding provided by the Scottish Government and The National Lottery. Further information at creativescotland.com. Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Learn more about the value of art and creativity in Scotland and join in at www.ourcreativevoice.scot
Media contacts
For images and all media enquiries please contact Premier Scotland. [email protected] / 07741316934