It’s raining – and possibly even hailing (and snowing) – poetry! You might need to muster your brolly, bunnet and mittens to get there – but, sure, it’ll sharpen ye. And once you’re safely up the stairs in The Waverley, the unrelenting outdoor skies will soon be forgot and you’ll be pleasantly ensconced in the little snowglobe of our Feb event. With readings from Jay Whittaker and Stewart Conn, plus open mic performances and music from cellist Clea Friend, you’re guaranteed to have an excellent evening, and to head home full of cheer and ready to face whatever the Scottish spring might throw your way. (Bring it on, Scottish spring!) Further details below … 🎻⛄✨
The When & the Where:
Thursday 26th February 2026
7.15pm – 9pm (doors open 7pm)
The Waverley Bar, 3-5 St Mary’s St, Edinburgh EH1 1TA
Admission: Our standard entrance charges are £7.50 (waged) and £5 (concession). This includes one raffle ticket, which will also be your receipt of entry. For those keen to increase their chances of a raffle win, we’ve also introduced a Golden Ticket: at £10, this covers entry plus five raffle tickets. Entry is payable by either card or cash, but it’s worth bringing the latter so as not to miss the opportunity to buy a book from one of our readers.
The Readers:
JAY WHITTAKER
Jay Whittaker has lived and worked in Edinburgh since 1995 and Scotland is very much home, though she grew up much further south, in Devon and Nottingham. Jay prioritised her writing in her mid-40s after her civil partner died and she started cancer treatment. Now a full time writer, she is represented by the Jenny Brown Agency, and working on her third poetry collection and a prose memoir. Jay’s work is published in many journals and anthologies and she is author of two full length poetry collections, Sweet Anaesthetist (2020) and Wristwatch, which was named Poetry Book of the Year in the Saltire Awards (2018). She is a co-host of the Graveyard Shift, a grass roots poetry night in EH11’s iconic pub The Athletic Arms (aka the Diggers). https://jaywhittaker.uk
STEWART CONN
Poet and playwright Stewart Conn lives in Edinburgh. From 2002-2005 he was the city’s inaugural Makar, and he preceded Tom Pow as Shore Poets’ honorary president. His publications range from The Touch of Time: New & Selected Poems (Bloodaxe) to Aspects of Edinburgh (Scotland Street Press) and, most recently, Out of the Blue (Mariscat Press); and, as editor, Other Worlds: Scottish Island Poems (Polygon). In 2025 he received the Saltire Society’s Fletcher of Saltoun award (Arts & Humanities).
Signing up for the Open Mic:
We have four open mic spots each month. These are booked in advance. To request an open mic spot in the future, please email us at shorepoetsedinburgh @ gmail.com (remove the spaces)
The Raffle:
Entry includes a raffle ticket; additional tickets are also available to buy when you arrive, should you wish to increase your chances of winning this month’s scrummy lemon cake. Or you can boost the odds of snaffling that piece of home-baked glory by purchasing one of our Golden Tickets (further details above, under ‘The When & the Where’). The raffle also frequently boasts other no less wonderful but definitely less edible prizes, in the form of pamphlets or books.
See you there!
Shore Poets 
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