Our Story

StAnza, Scotland's first poetry festival, was conceived in 1997 by three poets based in St Andrews: Gavin Bowd, Anna Crowe and Brian Johnstone. It launched on National Poetry Day in October 1998, and in 2027 it celebrates its 30th year.

1997 to 2003

Founded by poets Gavin Bowd, Anna Crowe and Brian Johnstone, StAnza burst onto the Scottish festival scene in October 1998 with four days of poetry, music and art.

The first festival featured readings by John Burnside, Douglas Dunn, Kathleen Jamie, Roddy Lumsden and Edwin Morgan, highlighted Gaelic, Shetlandic and Esperanto poetry, showcased Gael Turnbull’s extraordinary Poetry Kalexitron and hosted late-night open readings at the legendary Aikman’s Bar. From the start, StAnza was spirited, open and international.

With events at the Crawford Arts Centre, Parliament Hall, St Mary’s College and venues across the town, StAnza was also firmly rooted in St Andrews as its home. The fledgling festival was driven by a determination to celebrate poetry in all its forms; a spirit that continues to this day. 

Brian will always be remembered as the man who made StAnza happen. From the very beginning he had ambitious hopes for what was to become StAnza (the cunningly spelled title was his idea). I was keen to make the festival international in scope, and he had the vision and energy to see how this could be achieved.

Anna Crowe, co-founder, on Brian Johnstone (1950-2021)

Timeline

This timeline is part of our StAnza at 30 archive project and a work in progress - we'll keep adding to it. If you have a memory, photo or programme to share, share your StAnza memory.

1. 1997Conceived by three poets based in St Andrews: Gavin Bowd, Anna Crowe and Brian Johnstone. The cunningly spelled name was Brian's idea.
2. 1998The first StAnza launches on National Poetry Day in October - Scotland's first poetry festival.
3. 1999Seamus Heaney reads at the Buchanan Theatre.
4. 2003StAnza moves to March, its home in the calendar ever since, kicking off the festival season each year.
5. 2007StAnza celebrates its 10th anniversary with the 100 Poets' Gathering. Alastair Reid reads his most famous poem, Scotland, and burns the text on stage, vowing never to read it again.
6. 2009Festival events are webcast to 68 countries - a world first.Theme: Homecoming and Burns 250
7. 2017The 20th festival, with Jackie Kay and Alice Oswald among the poets.Theme: On the Road
8. 2021StAnza wins the Saboteur Award for Best UK Literature Festival for its first fully online festival.Theme: Make It New
9. 2022The 25th festival and our first hybrid, live in St Andrews and online, with 165 poets and artists from 39 countries.Theme: Stories like Starting Points
10. 2023Poets in Residence begins, with the Edwin Morgan Trust.Theme: WILD: forms of resistance
11. 2024The Times calls StAnza "the country's leading poetry festival".Theme: Warp and Weft
12. 2027StAnza turns 30.

Browse the programmes and photos from past festivals on Past Festivals.

Leadership

StAnza today

StAnza today still finds its home in the Byre Theatre and takes place over the second weekend in March each year. Alongside our remit to bring the best of the world's poetry to Fife at our annual festival, we recognise the importance of using our thirty years of experience and reputation-building to invest in the future of poetry both at home and beyond. We offer professional development programmes for emerging writers, but also for the next generation of programmers and producers. We also lead the newly formed UK Poetry Festivals Network, working with and learning from our peers across the four nations to strengthen and support the sector.

In 2027, we will also be holding our first international cultural summit - Common Verse - that will see us bring together cultural and third sector organisations from across Scotland, along with representatives from four international poetry festivals, for two days of cultural exploration and exchange, with poetry at its heart.

We look forward to sharing more with you about our upcoming plans in the coming months, so please do keep an eye on our Festival and News pages, or join our newsletter to hear all the updates first.