It’s time to get crafty with your cover-up stories, poetry lovers, because you’ll want to write off the whole first week of March for Scotland’s 18th annual international poetry festival, StAnza. Check out 2016’s exciting new line-up of readings and events, as there’s something in the programme for everyone.

First on the to-do list, be sure to book your tickets for Poetry Centre Stage to glimpse appearances from some of Britain’s biggest names in poetry, including Don Paterson, Jo Shapcott, Lemn Sissay, Pascale Petit, Andrew McMillan and many more. Don’t wait too long, though, because events are selling fast!

Kick off your first evening in town with an AHRC hosted debate on the topic: Is British Culture a Myth? featuring the speakers Ali Ansari (Professor of History at the University of St Andrews), Robert Crawford (Professor of English at the University of St Andrews), and Murray Pittock (Professor of English Literature at the University of Glasgow).

If you’re an aspiring poet, sign yourself up for some workshops and masterclasses with the likes of John Burnside, Jo Bell, Matthew Sweeney, and Sean O’Brien.

Jazz up your StAnza evening on 2 March at 7:30 pm with Sea Treads/Sea Treeds, showcasing Tommy Smith’s jazz group Karma and Christine De Luca’s Shetlandic poetry. If spoken word and drama are more you style, don’t miss out on the StAnza Slam, MC’d by Mike Tyrrell, BBC’s Poetry Slam champion on 5 March at 9:15 pm.

If that’s not enough, there will be opportunities to talk to potters, painters, and poets about their artistic collaborations, the chance to take a look at Grant Snider’s poetry comics, and even a Poetry Apothecary multi-sensory workshop lead by Poet-Perfumer in Residence, Rebecca Sharp on 19 March from 10-4pm.

StAnza’s multi-media cross-art events promise to fire up the senses as well as the imagination with inspire sessions, meet the artists, open mics, poetry theatre, films and video projections, children’s events, collaborative performances, and a range of exhibitions and installations. And best of all, most of these events are free!

StAnza – Scotland’s International Poetry Festival is @ various venues, St. Andrews, from Wed 2 to Sun 6 Mar 2016