School is no longer out for summer, the haar has shown its face at least once already – and most importantly, Shore Poets is back! We have a HUM-DINGING season of poetry, music and general good cheer lined up for your delectation in the coming months, and we can’t wait to get things going again.
So, make sure and join us at the usual place and usual time of night on Thursday 24th September for our very first event of the autumn, featuring readings from Sarah Stewart and Todd Turner, open mic performances, and music from our house band, Dekoy. Also, of course, The Lemon Cake. Yes, fear not, that little beauty will be in the house. It wanted to be in bold for once, and why not, I said; just right, I said. There you go, Lemon Cake. Your name in lights!
Further deets etc. below … 🎂🍂🍁🍃🎂
The When & the Where:
Thursday 24th September 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:
SARAH STEWART
Sarah Stewart has been shortlisted for the Keats-Shelley Prize, the Wigtown Prize, and the Bloodaxe/Mslexia Pamphlet Prize and her pamphlet Glisk won the Callum Macdonald Memorial Award. Her debut poetry collection, Devour Everything, was longlisted for the 2026 Forward Prize for Best First Collection.
Sarah also writes fiction (as Sarah Forbes Stewart). Her novel Aren’t We Lucky was released as an Audible Original in 2025, and her second Audible Original, Dead to Us, will be released later this year.
TODD TURNER
Todd Turner is an Australian poet and master goldsmith. He is the author of three collections of poetry, including his latest, Breathwork, which launches at Keats House, London, in October 2026. His poems are anthologised and published widely, appearing in prominent journals such as Meanjin, Overland, Southword, and Poetry London. A co-winner of the Jean Cecily Drake-Brockman Prize, his debut collection was shortlisted for both the Dame Mary Gilmore Award and the Anne Elder Award. His work has also been highly commended for the Blake and Newcastle Poetry Prizes.
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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