Anna Percy, who launched her first collection, Livid Among The Ghostings last month, is among the line-up of 24 performance poets competing for the BBC Poetry Slam title this year at Edinburgh, at BBC@Potterrow. The line-up of 12 women and 12 men also includes Scotland’s makar, Liz Lochhead. The 2013 slam, hosted by former Scottish slam champion, Young Dawkins, takes place over five nights - four heats followed by a grand final. The timetable is:  

Monday 12 August, 8pm: Anna Percy, Ross Sutherland, Paula Varjack, Robin Cairns, Cat Brogan, Colin McGuire. Tuesday 13 August, 8pm: Rachel McCrum, Martin Daws, Liz Lochhead, Dan Simpson, Michelle Madsen, Bram Gieben. Wednesday 14 August, 8pm: Jenny Lindsay, David Lee Morgan, Rachel Amey, Jim Monaghan, Lucy Ayrton, Harry Giles. Thursday 15 August, 8pm: Deanna Rodger, Tim Turnbull, Stephanie Dogfoot, Stephen Ferguson, Sophia Walker, Graeme Hawley. Saturday 17 August: Grand final, 8.15pm.
The events are all free. The Monday-Thursday heats are unticketed, but you need to apply for tickets for the final, and can do so here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/shows/date/events/edfest_exclusives_20130817b

Shows to look out for at the Edinburgh fringe include Chris Redmond's Tongue Fu  at midnight from Wednesday to Sunday throughout August at the Gilded Balloon, Teviot - Wine Bar, with a different line-up each night. There’s an all-female cast of spoken word stars promised at Other Voices: Spoken Word cabaret, hosted by Fay Roberts, from 3-26 August at the Banshee Labyrinth.  

 

 

AUGUST

Stratford-upon-Avon poetry festival, until 4 August 

Edinburgh festival fringe, 2-26 August

Edinburgh book festival, 10-26 August 

Shambala festival, near Market Harborough, Northamptonshire, 22-25 August 

Arran, McLellan arts festival, 30 August – 8 September 

 

SEPTEMBER

Wigan Diggers’ festival, 7 September 

King’s Lynn poetry festival, 21-23 September 

Wigtown book festival, Dumfries and Galloway, 27 September - 6 October 

 

OCTOBER

Essex poetry festival, 2-5 October

Ilkley literature festival, 4-20 October, 

Morley literature festival, Leeds, 5-13 October

North Wales international poetry festival, Clywd theatre, 7 October ,

Manchester literature festival, 7-20 October 

Marsden poetry jam, jazz festival, Huddersfield, 11-13 October

Sheffield Off the Shelf festival of words, 12 October- 2 November 

Ryedale book festival, Malton, North Yorkshire, 19 October 

Torbay festival of poetry, 24-28 October

 

NOVEMBER

Aldeburgh poetry festival, 8-10 November 

 

Organisers, send us links to your festivals at news@writeoutloud.net, and we will endeavour to list them here, if they include poetry events. You can also upload individual festival events yourselves on our renowned Gig Guide.