Broadcaster and writer Lesley Riddoch was the special guest at the launch of StAnza: Scotland’s International Poetry Festival.
The launch took place in St Andrews on Wednesday night, where Lesley was joined by StAnza’s director Eleanor Livingstone and some of the poets who will be appearing at the festival. These included Gillian Clarke, national poet for Wales, Alvin Pang, from Singapore and the Canadian poet Ern Moure, poet-in-residence.
The first event, RiverRun, a multimedia celebration of Dublin, followed.
Lesley said: “While journalists must tackle political and daily realities with workmanlike prose, poets can and must soar.
“They can make connections other wordsmiths cannot. They can damn or inspire and help us consider aspects of life beyond the humdrum.”
Eleanor said: “We are now at that exciting moment where the programme on paper comes to life around St Andrews.
“Among our events, I’m especially excited about the launch of our Digital Poetry Trail around St Andrews, and I also can’t wait to see poetry dresses being taken on a catwalk tour of the town’s dress shops by local fashion models.
“But for me the climax of every day is always that moment when a hush falls and a major world poet walks onto the StAnza main stage it’s magic every time.”
StAnza runs until Sunday at the Town Hall and other venues in and around St Andrews, with more than 100 events featuring 78 poets and a host of writers, artists, film-makers and musicians.
For more information visit www.stanzapoetry.org