Events this month at the Scottish Poetry Library

The Wikipedia Slam

16 February, 7pm, £5 Poets taking part in this month’s Wikipedia Slam will need to use wit, deception and Wikipedia itself. Contestants will take it in turns to recite their favourite Wikipedia entries – but is their information strictly accurate or are they being creative with the facts? The poets will be judged and scored and when the dust settles the first ever Wikipedia Slam Champion will be crowned. To enter, please send an email including the Wikipedia article you wish to slam to: poetry.as.f@gmail.com.

Workshop: Improvisation and Performance for Poets

17 February, 11.00am – 4pm, £25 Poets, have you ever stood before an audience and felt unsure about how to introduce yourself and your work? Increasingly, poetry is as much about your performance as what you put on the page. For those who are looking to improve their performance skills, this SPL workshop will provide solutions. The workshop, which takes all day, is built around relaxed group activities, improvisation exercises and writing games, and is led by improv and poetry facilitators Will Naameh (UK Improv Champion 2017) and Colin Bramwell (twice award-nominated poet, Prague Fringe 2016/17).

Edinburgh Villanelle: A Celebration of Muriel Spark with Elaine Feinstein and Alan Taylor

22 February, 7pm, £10 (£8 concessions) The Scottish Poetry Library is especially keen to celebrate Muriel Spark’s legacy in the year of her centenary, because, as is often overlooked, she began her writing career as a poet and poetry critic. In this special event, journalist Alan Taylor and poet Elaine Feinstein discuss Spark’s life and work, with an emphasis on her poetry.

In its first half, the event will be a conversation between Feinstein and Taylor about Spark and her memoir Curriculum Vitae; after a short break, the event with resume with Feinstein reading her own poetry. It promises to be a great evening remembering Spark’s life and her poems. n