Stanza is a world renowned poetry festival that takes place in St Andrews in Fife, annually in March. This year it will feature Nobel Literature Prize winner, Seamus Heaney. On Saturday 20th March, at 2.15pm in the Byre Theatre, there will be an event entitled Rhythms of Shetland.
The event, already sold out, will feature Christine de Luca, Lise Sinclair and Christie Williamson and will include performances of poetry and music. Christine de Luca is of course an established voice on the Scottish literary scene. She has had four collections of poetry published, Voes & Sounds (1994), Wast Wi Da Valkyries (1997), Plain Song (2002) and Parallel Worlds (2005) (selected works published in Shaetlan, English and French), for which she won the poetry Prix du Livre Insulaire 2007.
Appearing with her is musician and poet Lise Sinclair. Lise writes in Shetlan and English, and her poetry has been translated into seven languages. Her most recent work includes the pamphlet, Here, published by North Idea in 2006, the CD Ivver Entrancin Wis (shetlandmusic, 2007), Empty Ocean (broadcast on Radio 3’s Between the Ears in 2009), and a recording in Iceland for the SPL and Literature Across Frontiers.
Completing the trio for what promises to be a marvellous afternoon of poetry and song, is Christie Williamson. Christie who now lives in Glasgow was brought up in Yell. His poems have appeared in magazines and anthologies across Scotland and have been commended in competitions. In 2008–9 he was one of four mentees in St Mungo’s Mirrorball’s inaugural Clydebuilt mentoring scheme. Arc o Möns, translations of Federico Garcia Lorca’s poetry into the Shetland dialect was published in 2009 by Hansel Co-operative Press.
Also appearing at the festival will be Shetland resident Jen Hadfield, whose second collection, Nigh No Place won the TS Eliot Prize in 2008. Ms Hadfield will give two readings on Sunday 21st at 11.30, in St Mary’s Hall and at 2.15pm in the Undercroft.
For more details visit www.stanzapoetry.org
