Stanza Poetry Festival
Poetry festival in St. Andrews, Scotland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
StAnza is a poetry festival that takes place annually in March in the university town of St Andrews, Scotland.[1] The Times newspaper referred to StAnza as "the country's leading poetry festival" in 2024.[2]
Described by The Guardian as a "flaming good poetry festival",[3] StAnza has run every year since its inception in 1998, barring 2020 when it was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.[4] In 2021, StAnza ran as an online-only festival due to ongoing COVID restrictions,[5] and now continues to offer both in-person and online events as part of an ongoing hybrid programme.[6]
The festival uses as a hub the Byre Theatre in St Andrews, and regularly programmes events in other venues around the town.[7]
History
From 1998 to 2002, StAnza was held in October of each year. However, in 2003 the festival changed to a regular March fixture.[1]
In advance of the 2024 festival, a Moroccan poet who had been booked to perform was denied a visa by the Home Office.[8] Soukaina Habiballah was due to appear as part of "Resilient Voices: Celebrating Middle Eastern Women in the Arts", but was initially blocked entry to the UK, on the grounds that she could be considered a flight risk.[9] The Home Office revised their decision shortly before the festival, after coming under pressure from public figures.[10]
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