Stanza Poetry Festival

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StAnza is a poetry festival which takes place in March in the university town of St Andrews, Scotland. It has run every year since its inception in 1998, barring 2020 when it was interrupted by the Covid pandemic. [1] In 2021, StAnza ran as an online-only festival due to ongoing Covid restrictions, and now continues to offer both in-person and online events as part of an ongoing hybrid programme. [2]

Contents

The Festival uses as a hub The Byre Theatre in St Andrews, and regularly programmes events in other venues around the town. [3]

History

From 1998 to 2002, StAnza was held in October of each year. However, in 2003 the festival changed to a regular March fixture. [4]

In advance of the 2024 festival, a Moroccan poet who had been booked to perform was denied a visa by the Home Office. [5] Soukaina Habiballah was due to appear as part of "Resilient Voices: Celebrating Middle Eastern Women in the Arts", but was initially blocked entry to the UK, on the grounds that she could be considered a flight risk. [6] The Home Office revised their decision shortly before the festival, after coming under pressure from public figures. [7]

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References

  1. Article on tenth anniversary, Scottish Arts Council, UK.
  2. Smith, Craig (5 March 2021). "StAnza, Scotland's International Poetry Festival, goes online this weekend". The Courier.
  3. Mansfield, Susan (11 March 2024). "Festival review: StAnza, various venues, St Andrews". The Scotsman.
  4. Scottish Arts Council article on StAnza
  5. Elliards, Xander (6 March 2024). "Soukaina Habiballah: Home Office denies visa for poet's Scottish visit".
  6. Fergusson, Brian (6 March 2024). "Moroccan poet to perform at Scottish festival after Home Office visa climbdown". scotsman.com.
  7. "Home Office grant visa for award-winning poet's Scottish visit following backlash". The National. 6 March 2024. Retrieved 9 September 2024.

[1]


  1. "Moroccan poet to perform at Scottish festival after Home Office visa climbdown". Fife Today. 6 March 2024.