Between and Beyond Stage and Page: Documenting Spoken Word

Between and Beyond Stage and Page: Documenting Spoken Word runs at The Pleasance Edinburgh on Thursday 12 November, from 10.30am to 11.30am. It's a conversation between Mark Gallie, of the spoken word collective I Am Loud; Charlie Roy, from Stewed Rhubarb Press; and writer and artist Julie Laing, with RJ Hunter leading the discussion.

The session starts with a question a lot of poets run into: spoken word is often how they first get into writing and sharing poetry, but by its nature it's ephemeral—it exists in the moment it's performed and then it's gone. The conversation looks at what happens when a spoken word piece is meant to live on after the performance, and what to think about when you move that work into written form. It's a practical look at the gap between the stage and the page, and how to bridge it without losing what made the piece work in the first place.

The session is part of Push The Boat Out, Edinburgh's first and only poetry festival, and one of only two in all of Scotland. It's an award-winning festival run by Push The Boat Out Poetry, which describes itself as a unique and vital part of Scotland's arts ecology. The festival works to increase the diversity of poetry in Scotland in terms of form, cross-artform pollination, the voices it platforms, and the audiences it welcomes, and it's known for a strong community ethos and a growing year-round programme. This session fits right into that—bringing together a spoken word collective, a small press, and a writer and artist to talk about the craft of poetry across different mediums.

It's free to attend, though you'll need to book your place in advance. The session runs from 10.30am to 11.30am at The Pleasance Edinburgh, 60 Pleasance, Edinburgh South EH8 9TJ.