Into Glasgow today to listen to @creepingbent.bsky.social discuss their farewell tour at @lnfg.bsky.social HQ, followed by a short acoustic set. Douglas Macintyres book: ‘Creeping Bent: Leaping Into The Void’ can be bought from the link below. shop.lastnightfromglasgow.com/products/cre...

I wasn’t the only visitor to the Scottish Poetry Rose Garden in Shawlands this morning. Stunning green place, full of wonder… magpies, squirrels, and imagination.

Great to be back in Glasgow tonight to catch the wonderful VLURE at Glasgow School of Art. Particularly fond of this shot taken during support band Mercy Girl’s set.

Greatly enjoyable night discussing Glasgow’s spoken word scene, backstage with John Cooper-Clarke, & the absence of crime poetry in general on the Glasgow Sessions podcast. This isn’t available to listen to until early 2026 but you can listen to previous episodes below. glasgowsessions.podbean.com

🇯🇲 Poets Read for Hurricane Melissa Relief Fundraiser: November 19th. Organised by @outspokenpress.bsky.social hosted by Leone Ross with an introduction from Akala, such an amazing line up, please show solidarity, donate and share and repost! Thank you! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/poets-read...

AYE WRITE FESTIVAL Another Aye Write event this weekend that might appeal to poets: an Open Mic night at the Mitchell Library on Friday 7th Nov orgainsed by the Federation of Writers (Scotland). FREE although tickets should be booked through Aye Write website (£1.50)

Katy Lironi will be appearing at Aye Write/ Glasgow Book Festival on Thurs 13th Nov as part of the ACTION TIME VISION event. Grant McPhee & Douglas MacIntyre will also be appearing, alongwith Nicola Meighan to discuss DIY ethos from punk to present. Tix: www.glasgowlife.org.uk/event/1/acti...

I entirely support this movement. As the piece below articulates, these were people subjected to hokum & gossip which led to their lives being taken from them. I’ll be attending a workshop on this subject matter, & support any memorial being created in their memory. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

ACTION TIME VISION. Grant McPhee, Katy Lironi, Douglas MacIntyre, and Nicola Meighan will be appearing at Aye Write (Glasgow Book Festival) on Thurs 13th Nov at the Mitchell Library discussing the DIY music aesthetic 1976-present. TICKETS: www.glasgowlife.org.uk/event/1/acti...

Still time to get your tickets for this event at Glasgow's @AyeWrite festival on Friday 7th November - Bill Herbert and myself with some fantastic poetry! Just £6.72 for an evening's entertainment... www.glasgowlife.org.uk/event/1/word...

1 of 5 #scotsfoundedfootball Many of you will have noticed the media reports about the possible death of Hampden Bowling Club. Disclosure: I am one of the members who was present at the historic meeting. You need a little context. Bowling was invented by the Scots and was once extremely popular.

Outstanding night at Curlers in Glasgow last evening. Full room, wide range of subject matter, a wedding proposal, a reading of Poe’s ‘The Raven’, and an invitation to appear on a podcast as I walked out the door.

Dreadful news on such an important site. Fingers and everything crossed its future - and legacy - can be preserved.

Doing a set at Curlers (Glasgow West End) on Monday night (20 October). Curlers Cosy Corner has been running for three years and I’m ashamed to say this is my first appearance at the night, but looking very forward to seeing & hearing some very fine poets. 7.30pm start. Free entry.

Thanks to @dumbartonfc.bsky.social for some space in The Sons View match programme, covering last weekends exciting @nilbymouthscotland.bsky.social Poets & Penalties competition in Stow.

Thanks to the Border Telegraph for their coverage of the Poets & Penalties competition www.bordertelegraph.com/news/2554135...

Thrilled to win the Poets & Penalties competition on behalf of Dumbarton FC in Stow yesterday, organised by Nil By Mouth. Terrific bunch of lads representing clubs across the UK. ⚽️ ✍🏻

The Creeping Bent Organisation is delighted to announce two additions to the final Glasgow event by Creeping Bent to celebrate the endgame after 30 years of avant-pop agitation. Radhika & Future Pilot AKA and QUAD90 will be performing at Mono on 12.12.25. Tickets-Pop Mutations.

Since deleting Twitter I’ve noticed a big drop in my Bandcamp sales. If you’re a music fan, please repost this so people can find me here! I make weirdo alt pop, I hate nazis and love Etsy witches 🖤✨ elisabethelektra.bandcamp.com

Happy #NationalPoetryDay 📕 I have chosen the shortest poem in my book ‘Barbed Halo’ to share with you as it fits nicely with this most sinister of months. Viva October!

#OneDrop is a celebration of reggae through poetry accompanied by image and sound. #5 in the sequence is a celebration of Trojan Records, led by Mark Fiddes and his brilliant poem 'This Extraordinary General Meeting is brought to you by Trojan Records'. onedroppoetry.substack.com/p/one-drop-f...

FROM THE CARIBBEAN TO CALEDONIA Lorna Goodison, the former Poet Laureate of Jamaica, in conversation with Scotland's Makar, Peter Mackay. Recorded outdoors beside the River Nith at the Robert Burns Ellisland Farm & Museum. www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/podcast/from...

At the Edinburgh launch of Barbed Halo. By myself. With my one book for sale. * 😂🤣 *disclaimer - other people were there & other books were available for sale.

1 poem published in the Morecambe Poetry Festival Anthology alongside the likes of Luke Wright, Henry Normal & John Hegley. ‘Akihabara Electric Town’ (Tokyo, Japan) was written after a discussion with a workmate who visited this wholly fascinating place. Thank you, Jamie! Publication- AND a badge!

There is an argument to be made for & against several of points highlighted about Scottish Poetry (+ all who live within it) by Hugh Mcmillan in the Spring issue of the The Poets Republic but I thought this was a fascinating article which raised matters of funding, ageism, ego-stroking, and purpose.

One of the many subject matters I write about in Barbed Halo, in case you were interested…..

We're delighted to be teaming up with Summerhall Arts this November for this special event! We're bringing together artists, producers & funders to explore the many routes into building & sustaining a career in spoken word poetry in Scotland. FREE, ticketed: www.summerhallarts.co.uk/event/career...

The crowd do their best seagull impressions during my turn at ‘Words With Seagulls’ in Falkirk this afternoon 😂

Falkirk launch of BARBED HALO takes place on Sunday (21 Sept) at Words With Seagulls in the Tolbooth Tavern. This runs from 2-4pm and is free entry with open mic (£3 donation for snacks/wraps). Some outstanding poets on the bill, and all welcome.

Falkirk launch of BARBED HALO takes place on Sunday (21 Sept) at Words With Seagulls in the Tolbooth Tavern. This runs from 2-4pm and is free entry with open mic (£3 donation for snacks/wraps). Some outstanding poets on the bill, and all welcome.

Snatched this picture in Dumbarton yesterday. The contrast between direction, light/shade, and lifespans all immediately caught my eye…. ….or it was simply a cool guy walking through a tunnel.

@asls.org.uk how about a little repost of the cover for my new poetry book HIGH BALL TO THE WEE MAN - in which I measure out my life in Scotland World Cup campaigns - out on 1st Oct and available for preorder in the usual places now???

This is an amazing book. A real testament to Dan Jennings interviewing style, making everyone (especially Paul Weller) feel completely comfortable and relaxed in recalling stories and events that bind them to the life-affirming impact Paul’s music has had, and continues to have.

Greatly looking forward to hitting Edinburgh on Friday 26th Sept for the joint-launch of Barbed Halo with Spencer Mason once more. Get it in your diaries !

Once a year, I allow myself the liberty of publishing one of my own poems in @nutmegmagazine.bsky.social. In Issue 37 (available to buy below), my poem “Sunday Morning At Mini Kickers” appears at the back of another incredible issue of Nutmeg. www.nutmegmagazine.co.uk/nutmeg/nutme...

Very happy to take a Highly Commended award for my poem ‘National Paperclip Day’ in this year’s Morecambe Poetry Festival competition The wonderful John Hegley was judge for this one so I had to enter, & glad to make it among the top choices of over 400 entries pandemonialists.co.uk/morecambe-po...

🇯🇲 One Drop Poetry has launched!!!! 🇯🇲 So busy was yesterday that I ran out of time to announce that Andy Jackson and I have finally created a Substack available for all to celebrate the 80th year of lifelong hero, Bob Marley. One poem per week for the next few months - remember to subscribe!

Co-headlined Balloch with the unrivalled Prince of Paisley, Graham Fulton tonight. What an absolute joy to read from ‘Barbed Halo’ alongside such a force of nature. Graham was headliner when I first ever stepped up to the mic in 2010. He continues to make my jaw drop. Wonderful writer.

Honoured 🙏 to be recognised in the Trophaeum magazine. @trophaeum1648.bsky.social Thank you very much for the feature and thoughtful write-up. I Hope it helps us achieve our goals.

Remember that the Balloch-leg of my ‘Barbed Halo’ book launches takes place tomorrow night (Mon 1st Sept) in the Balloch House Hotel. One of the hotel’s most famous visitors was Hans Christian Anderson so it will be fine company to be among literary types. 7.00pm. Free. Co-headliner Graham Fulton.

Barbed Halo - Stirling launch - tonight (Mon 25th August) at Stirling Central Library. 6pm start. I will be reading alongside the Wanderlust Women. Hosted by Charlie Gracie and entirely free. Do come along if you have nothing to do on a Monday night & fancy an hour out your house.

Reminder… The deadline for submissions to RC XV is tomorrow evening @midnight. We’re looking for more photography, so if anyone’s interested in submitting some work to us, it’d be greatly appreciated. In a word document ONLY to; [email protected] Many thanks and Best Wishes to you all. X RC ✊❤️

I will be reading from my new book ‘Barbed Halo’ alongside the fantastic Wanderlust Women in dear old Stirling town on Monday evening. Free event but note it is an early start (6pm). Looking forward to returning to Stirling, and the chance to air some more gothic poetry.

I will be reading from my new book ‘Barbed Halo’ alongside the fantastic Wanderlust Women in dear old Stirling town on Monday evening. Free event but note it is an early start (6pm). Looking forward to returning to Stirling, and the chance to air some more gothic poetry.

Poetry is dedicated to attempting to define stuff that's instrinsically indefinable. As a consequence, poems have no choice but to be heroic failures. And therein lies their value.

Oasisn’t

My review of April Four’s new album ‘Amendment’ is available to read at @intocreative.bsky.social below 👇🏻 intocreative.co.uk/into-music-a...

Thanks Peter 🙏🏻

Oasis at Murrayfield entirely living up to the hype in Edinburgh yesterday. Outstanding set (perhaps the best of the seven times I’ve seen them) and a really great crowd urging on the lads with an excitement akin to their 90’s zenith.