Stewed Rhubarb: Summer Poetry Party

Stewed Rhubarb Press are having a summer poetry party in the Lighthouse Books garden, in the heart of Edinburgh, where many a literary delight has taken wing.

Six Stewed Poets and a poetry band will share their words, their thoughts and journeys. Join us a we celebrate some of Scotland’s most exciting contemporary poets.

Featuring:

Olivia Thomakos

Olivia Thomakos is an Ohio-born writer, teacher, and editor. Her poem 'What You Wish For' won the 2022 Grierson Verse Prize. She is Poetry Editor of Origin Stories: An Anthology of Beginnings and Managing Editor of Tiny Flames: Voices from Ukraine, both with Forest Publishing. Her debut poetry pamphlet "Love & Other Cancers" was released this year with Stewed Rhubarb Press. Her poetry can be found in Gutter, Berfrois, Dreich Magazine and elsewhere. oliviathomakos.com

Linden McMahon

Linden McMahon is a writer, performer, and arts and nature connection facilitator. Their pamphlet of ecopoetry, All the plants I have half-grown, is out now on Stewed Rhubarb Press. They have been an artist in residence at Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, co-created a trail of poems and stories through the community gardens of Bethnal Green, and run creative writing clubs for young people at Ministry of Stories in Hoxton. They also like baking elaborate desserts, making pots, and reading sci-fi novels. You can see more on their website: https://lindenkatherinemcmahon.org

Ian Macartney

Ian Macartney is a multidisciplinary writer from West Lothian. He has been featured in over fifty publications including The Poetry Review, PROTOTYPE, #untitledthree (Polygon), The Scotsman and The Guardian. In 2020 he was commissioned by BBC Scotland to create two filmpoems in collaboration with director Matt Gibb. He runs the small press sincere corkscrew, makes electronic music as adios nervosa and FORSYTH, is one third of spoken-word dance-punk band Texture Texture. He can be found online at ianmacartney.scot.

Catherine Wilson Garry

Catherine Wilson Garry is a poet and writer. Her debut poetry pamphlet Another Word for Home is Blackbird was published in 2023 by Stewed Rhubarb Press. Her work has been featured by BBC Radio 4, the British National Gallery, Extra Teeth, Gutter and elsewhere. She is a member of The London Library’s Emerging Writers and the Push the Boat Out Festival team.

Alec Finlay

Alec Finlay (Scotland, 1966-) is an artist & poet whose work crosses over a range of media and forms. Finlay was awarded a 2020 Cholmondeley award for services to poetry. Much of Finlay's work considers how we relate to landscape and ecology, including place-awareness, hutopianism, rewilding, and disability access. He is currently artist in residence with Paths for All. In 2021 Finlay was appointed as the designer for Scotland’s Covid Memorial.

Hannah Lavery

Hannah Lavery is a Scottish short story writer, poet, playwright and performer. Her poetry and prose has been published by Gutter Magazine, The Scotsman newspaper, 404 Ink, and others. In September 2021 she took on the role of Edinburgh Makar.

Live Music!

Improvisational poetry-band Codrach, no line up or performance the same! This iteration consists of Rebecca Sharp (mini-harp), Stewart Sanderson (guitar), Emil Thompson (cura saz) & Rosalind Sanderson (double bass).