Liz Lochhead returns for StAnza's 21st anniversary festival

The milestone event takes place in St Andrews from March 7-11, and will bring some of the biggest names in poetry to the Kingdom.

Firmly established as Scotland’s international poetry festival, Stanza’s big names include Sinead Morrisey, Liz Lochhead.

Last week, Morrisey won the prestigious Forward Prize for Poetry and is a former Belfast Poet Laureate and T.S. Eliot prize winner.

Lochhead is one of Scotland’s most loved poets and writers.

Scotland’s former Mackar will be joined by jazz musician Don Paterson who will be in conversation with Marie-Elsa Bragg, daughter of Melvyn Bragg.

Also on the programme for 2018 are Gillian Allnutt, who was awarded The Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry earlier this year, Tara Bergin, winner of the Seamus Heaney First Collection Prize in 2014 and up and coming Scottish poet William Letford.

Eleanor Livingstone, StAnza festival director, said: “We’re delighted to be welcoming some of the biggest names from the literary world and friends of StAnza old and new to St Andrews to celebrate our special anniversary year. Over the last 20 years we have endeavoured to bring together a diverse mix of well known talent with new, up and coming poets to create a programme which is fresh and vibrant.

‘‘This year we have pulled out all the stops to put together a programme which is truly fitting of such an exciting year, and we look forward to revealing more names over the coming months.’’

The themes for 2018 will be Next year’s themes are The Self and Borderlines.

StAnza will also have a focus on young people as part of Scotland’s Year of Young People.