The Luminate Slam

Young Dawkins at StAnza 2012

 It’s slam time in Edinburgh tonight (Sunday 14th). The beat poet Young Dawkins, one of our lunchtime cabaret poets at StAnza 2012, is MC in tonight’s slam as part of the Luminate Festival taking place this month, with StAnza’s Eleanor Livingstone as one of the judges.  The event takes place at Ghillie Dhu, 2 Rutland Place in Edinburgh and has a 7.30pm for 8.00pm start.  Tickets are available from The Traverse Theatre, and full details can be found online at http://www.luminatescotland.org/events/luminate-poetry-slam.

Andrew Lang Lecture, 2012

This year’s prestigious Andrew Lang lecture will be delivered by Jane Yolen, the hugely acclaimed and multiple prize-winning children’s writer and poet from the USA. Her topic will be “Folklore versus Fakelore: An Imagined Conversation with Andrew Lang”. The lecture, which is open to the public, will be delivered at St Andrews University on 1st November at 5.30 p.m. in Lower College Hall, St Salvator’s Quadrangle, North Street, St Andrews, and there will be a question and answer session at the end.

The first Andrew Lang Lecture was delivered in 1927 and previous lecturers have included John Buchan and J.R.R. Tolkien. Jane Yolen as the first woman ever to give this lecture is a very distinguished name to add to this list.

More details online at http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/news/archive/2012/Title,92664,en.html

Troubadour International Poetry Competition – 1st Prize, £2,500

Photo by John Starr

Bernard O’Donoghue, who made such a big impression at StAnza 2012, is one of the judges for the sixth annual Troubadour poetry competition run by Coffee-House poetry. His co-judge will be Jane Draycott, and both judges will read all the poems submitted to the competition sponsored by Cegin Productions.

With a top prize of £2,500, there’s a big incentive to submit. The second and third prize winners receive £500 and £250 respectively, plus there are 20 further prizes of £20 each and a prize-winners reading with the judges on Monday 3rd December.

The deadline for submissions is Monday 15th October, 2012, and full details can be found online at http://www.coffeehousepoetry.org/prizes