Gable. A Poem by Brian Johnstone (video)
Posted on 12. Feb, 2011 by Birdsong in Arts, Hotel
On location in the penthouse at Roger Smith Hotel. Shot/cut by John Birdsong
The StAnza Festival was planned in 1997 by its founders, three St Andrews-based poets, Brian Johnstone, Anna Crowe and Gavin Bowd, the first two of whom are still involved in the organisation. The first festival took place in 1998, launching on National Poetry Day. StAnza continued to be held each October until its relaunch as a spring festival in 2003, from which time it has been held annually in March. All previous festival programmes can be seen in the past programmes section of the site Archives.
Highlights over the years have included the first appearance by Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney in 1998 and his return in 2010, a poetry & jazz performance by the current Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy in 2003, 2004′s Poetry & Art theme with historic vessel The Reaper as StAnza’s Poetry Boat plus the controversial Burns Out of His Box exhibition, the Scottish launch of the Poetry Archive by the then Poet Laureate Andrew Motion in 2006, the celebration in 2007 of ten years of StAnza and Alastair Reid’s ceremonial burning of his poem Scotland at the 100 Poets Gathering, 2009′s Distant Voices virtual festival webcast to 68 countries as a world first, and the festival’s launch by First Minister Alex Salmond as part of StAnza’s participation in Homecoming Scotland 2009, which led to the festival being shortlisted for a Scottish Thistle Award.
StAnza has now grown to be recognised as the major poetry event in Scotland, attracting audiences from across the country and beyond. It is one of the principal poetry festivals with a nationwide reputation operating in the UK and has been recognised as a major European festival of poetry through its involvement with the Berlin poesiefestival’s European poetry festivals conference. StAnza is also a member of Bookfestival Scotland, the professional association of Scottish literary festivals established in 2009.
