What a privilege to host the extraordinary Len Pennie this evening!

She held the audience in the palm of her hand, moving us from tears of sadness to laughter.  We could have stayed spellbound all night.

A formidable follow-up to her award-winning debut poetry collection, Len Pennie’s poyums annaw is just like her: defiant, angry and trailblazing.

In this new collection, Len confronts subjects such as the patriarchy, gender-based violence, domestic abuse and mental illness. She also speaks brilliantly about the roots of her work in the oral Scots tradition, rap and spoken word, and the importance to her of its accessibility to ‘non-poetry readers’.

Len is an outstanding performer, don’t miss this chance to hear her live.

“A poet who redefines what poetry is and who it is for” – LEMN SISSAY

“An unforgettable voice that takes on the power of English and Scots and lingers in the spaces in-between. These poyums made me wince, laugh, and marvel” – SUSIE DENT

“A challenging, funny, naughty, angry and exultant celebration of the Scottish language and of womanhood. I doubt it will find a match this year.” – Daily Mail

“The keeper and reinventor of the Scots language in the 21st century” – IAN MCMILLAN

“I think Lennie is brilliant. She has such talent and passion and joy” – MICHAEL SHEEN

“I adore Lennie’s poetry” – NIGELLA LAWSON

“Pennie already – in this first collection – shows an impressive command of poetic technique. … This intense and remarkable collection now marks her out as a poetic voice to be reckoned with – strong, tested, skilful, driven, and facing firmly towards the future – SCOTSMAN

This event was held at the Mainstreet Trading Company in the barn and can only be accessed by stairs.
Please read our accessibility guide for more information.