StAnza is Scotland’s annual international poetry festival, which takes place in March in St Andrews. 2022 was a hybrid festival, making the most of StAnza’s experience online in 2021 while encouraging and re-establishing the open and welcoming atmosphere of its in-person festival.

Through The Second Life Award scheme, the Edwin Morgan Trust supported a new initiative, Scotland’s Young Makars, appropriately, as Morgan was the first poet to be appointed Scots Makar (national poet). This programme encouraged young people across the country to develop their poetry-writing interests and skills, with online workshops offered by lively and experienced poetry tutors. Those judged to have produced the best work over the course of the programme were invited to read at StAnza.

I’m thrilled to be launching a pilot of our Scotland’s Young Makars programme this year with the support of the Edwin Morgan Trust, Old Possum’s Practical Trust and Event Scotland. When I worked as a university poetry lecturer, I was always struck by how many new students would arrive in my class and hold their hands up in horror, proclaiming, ‘But I just don’t get poetry!’ Back then it became something of a mission for me to redress this gap, and Scotland’s Young Makars offers an even greater opportunity to enthuse and engage young people from all backgrounds in this most under-rated form! Last year demonstrated how useful digital means can be to reach new audiences, and this format will enable young poets from Lerwick to Gretna to participate.

Lucy Burnett, Festival Director

Recordings of the 2022 SYM workshops are available to watch on StAnza’s YouTube channel.