Poetry & Spoken Word

This year’s poetry and spoken word programme will showcase a diverse group of new and developing performers who are central to the Scottish poetry scene. Our poets responded to the call for ‘Environments’ in unique ways. Some focused on interior environments (such as the body or domestic spaces), others on exterior environments (whether social, cultural, or in the natural world). We also had poets who focused on Scotland and the isles in their work, and others who summoned landscapes outside of UK borders.

For every day of Hidden Door, you’ll find a mix of spoken word artists and page poets, both emerging and established, who will perform their variations of these four themes: Interiors, Exteriors, Scotland and Beyond. Each night will challenge, illuminate, and expand on our ideas of habitats and climates—those inside us, in the worlds that we move through, and the landscapes we carry with us.

We’ve got performances every night from 31 May – 4 June. Browse the line-up below or see the day-by-day breakdown.

Also see details of the visual art, music and The Environments.