The month of the furry pumpkins is upon us! Sick of the sight of yours already, and looking for something less Halloweeny to do with your time? Join us for a PUMPKIN SMASHING* night of fabulous poetry and music at the October Shores, with readings from Billy Ramsell and Nasim Rebecca Asl, open mic performances, and music from The Self-Righteous Brothers.
* We don’t actually have any plans to smash pumpkins – and The Waverley’d likely not appreciate us doing so. But who needs or wants pumpkins when there’s poetry?!
** The Lemon Cake will still be made of lemon, despite its being the month of the pumpkin
*** Whatever happened to turnips?
Further details below … 🦇🎃👻🍋
The When & the Where:
Thursday 29th October 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:
BILLY RAMSELL
Billy Ramsell is a Cork-based poet and writer. He has published two collections of poetry with Dedalus Press, Complicated Pleasures in 2007 and The Architect’s Dream of Winter in 2013, the latter of which was shortlisted for the Irish Times Poetry Now Award and was recently published in Italian translation. He has been invited to read his work at many festivals and literary events around the world. A third collection, Render, a Poetry Book Society recommendation, was published by Banshee Press in June 2026.
NASIM REBECCA ASL
Nasim Rebecca Asl is a Glasgow-based poet. Her work has been widely published in magazines and anthologies. She’s been commissioned by and taken part in projects for the likes of the Rugby League World Cup, the Burrell Collection and the Poetry Translation Centre. Nasim was shortlisted for the 2024 Forward Prize for Best Single Poem (Performed). Her debut pamphlet, Nemidoonam, was published by Verve Poetry Press in 2023.
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!
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