Beautiful but cold for outdoor poetry events during the winter, fortunately there is somewhere much warmer just around the corner…
Thanks to the National Portrait Gallery, (conveniently situated in York Place) the poetry garden is coming indoors for at least some of the winter, starting with a lunchtime event on Friday 19 December between 12 and 2pm. So that’s food, warmth, a chance to pick up some last minute presents plus the inspiration of poems chosen specially for you. What more could you possibly need?
Look for Lilias Fraser of the Scottish Poetry Library who will be sitting somewhere quiet in the beautifully Christmassy space of the Portrait Gallery ready to find a poem to suit your mood. (She’s gathering a suitably “festive and starry” store for the occasion). Ryan van Winkle, the library’s Reader in Residence, will also be there to bring poetry of all kinds to life.
Incidentally, the Scottish Poetry Library in the High Street is closed until early January but their website is still very much open for business – and now features the first of a poetry podcast series with readings and music chosen by Ryan.
Look out for more poetry events in the National Portrait Gallery in March – and we’re told the poetry garden committee are looking for other warm inspiring spaces close to St Andrew Square before returning poetry to St Andrew Square in the spring.
PS Apologies for blurry pictures: it’s too cold and dark for LOS photographer!