Langbahn Team – Weltmeisterschaft

Stanza Poetry Festival

StAnza is a poetry festival which takes place in March in the university town of St Andrews, Scotland. The Times newspaper referred to StAnza as “the country’s leading poetry festival” in 2024.[1]

It has run every year since its inception in 1998, barring 2020 when it was interrupted by the Covid pandemic.[2] 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.[3]

The Festival uses as a hub The Byre Theatre in St Andrews, and regularly programmes events in other venues around the town.[4]

History

From 1998 to 2002, StAnza was held in October of each year. However, in 2003 the festival changed to a regular March fixture.[5]

In advance of the 2024 festival, a Moroccan poet who had been booked to perform was denied a visa by the Home Office.[6] 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. [7] The Home Office revised their decision shortly before the festival, after coming under pressure from public figures.[8]

References

[1]