The only regular festival dedicated to poetry in Scotland, StAnza is
international in outlook.  Held annually in the ancient university town of St Andrews, the festival is an opportunity to hear world class poets reading in exciting and atmospheric venues. 

StAnza 2003 is the most wide-ranging and broadly based to date.  The
festival themes are Poetry & the Garden and Poetry & Song, with many
participants contributing to special events focused accordingly.  This StAnza will feature all forms of poetry: read and spoken verse, performance
poetry, poetry in exhibition, poetry workshops and children's poetry plus an extensive Education Programme supported by Arts & Business New Partners.

StAnza 2003 is headlined by Carol Ann Duffy and the Poet Laureate Andrew Motion, with the 2003 Poet-in-Residence being Matthew Sweeney.  The StAnza 2003 Lecture will be given by world renowned psychiatrist Kay Redfield Jamison and writer and former hostage Brian Keenan will talk about the place of poetry in his life.

Other poets lined up to add to the appeal of the festival are Patience
Agbabi, Michael Alexander, Moniza Alvi, John Burnside, G F Dutton, Elaine Feinstein, Andrew Greig, Tom Leonard, Gerry Loose, Sarah Maguire, Gordon Meade, Anne Stevenson, Gael Turnbull and Colin Will.  There will be special appearances from Edinburgh performance poetry group Big Word, singer/songwriters The New Makars Trust and Word From The World, a Scottish PEN supported group featuring refugee poets from Palestine, Sierra Leone & Afghanistan.

On top of this StAnza 2003 also includes exhibitions from poet & photographer Maud Sulter, artist's book maker Jean Johnstone and a collaborative group of local poets and artists; a demonstration of "kinetic poems" from Gael Turnbull; a programme of workshops and masterclasses; a number of musical performances in many different styles; and a community poetry & song ceilidh supported by main sponsors St Andrews Bay Resort.

Free programmes can be ordered (after 20.2.03) from Fife Council Arts
Development on 01592 414714 or by e-mail to arts.development@fife.gov.uk Tickets can be purchased (after 20.2.03) from The Byre Theatre box office on 01334 475000.

For further information or to join the StAnza mailing list e-mail stanza@st-andrews.ac.uk  A new web site is currently being developed and will be on line in mid-February.  Visit it for full programme details and participant's biographies at www.stanzapoetry.org