Fife author Val McDermid to open StAnza 2020

Kirkcaldy crime writer Val McDermid will launch this year’s StAnza festival.

Scotland’s international poetry festival in St Andrews will be officially opened by the popular author on Wednesday, March 4.

Val will also share her favourite poetry at StAnza’s first ever Desert Island Poems event.

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Eleanor Livingstone, festival director, said: “The countdown is now definitely on for this year’s festival, with the stage set for another fantastic few days celebrating poetry in its many forms.

“We’re thrilled to have a wonderful programme which is bursting with some of the best and newest poetry talent and look forward to welcoming our special guest Val McDermid to launch the festival.”

Tickets are now on sale for the five-day festival, which runs from March 4 to 8, with a line-up including internationally acclaimed poets from across the globe.

A gala performance featuring a selection of headline poets reading and performing, intertwined wtih music, film and art, will kick start the 2020 events.

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Among the headline voices performing at the festival are Jen Hadfield, the youngest ever winner of the T S Eliot Prize; American poet, editor and human rights advocate Carolyn Forché; recent winner of the 2019 Juan E. Méndez Book Award for Human Rights in Latin America and Anthony Anaxagorou, winner of the 2019 H-100 Award for writing and publishing. They are joined by British writer, artist, film programmer and activist, Jay Bernard and BBC Edinburgh Fringe Slam Champion 2019, Birdspeed.

Other poets performing at StAnza include Wendy Cope, Michael Longley, Cecilie Lǿveid, Mimi Khalvati, Johan Sandberg McGuinne, Gerry Cambridge, Daisy Lafarge and many more.

StAnza traditionally focuses on two themes which interweave with each other to give each annual festival its own unique flavour. This year’s themes are Coast Lines and Due North which fit with Scotland’s Year of Coasts and Waters 2020.

Another highlight for 2020 is a Nordic language focus with poets from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden speaking Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish and Sámi. They will take part in a range of readings, performances and other events.

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StAnza will also host New Dutch Writing presented by the Dutch Foundation for Literature featuring Flemish poet Charlotte Van den Broeck and Dutch poet Jan Baeke.

Viccy Adams, literature officer for Creative Scotland added: “As StAnza gears up to open the doors to the world of poetry in Fife this March, the 2020 programme showcases the myriad of ways in which poetry can be experienced and celebrated in the 21st Century. This is set to be a braw celebration of words and poets.”