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Discover
Poetry
in the world's leading resource for Scottish poetry

Find poems

Search from over 3,000 selected poems on this site or explore our full collection in our online catalogue

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Find out about our latest resources, projects and events

Highland Cow in a moorland

Best Scottish Poems 2022

Our guest editors' selections of the Best Scottish Poems of 2022 in English, Scottish Gaelic and Scots.
Read and listen to the poems
Kathleen Jamie

People's Address to World Leaders

From lines submitted by the public, our national Makar Kathleen Jamie has produced The Scottish People's Address to World Leaders
Read and watch here

What rhymes with chlorophyll?

During October and November of this year, Edinburgh Napier University and the Scottish Poetry Library, embarked on an innovative journey. ‘Science Communication through Poetry‘ was not just an educational programme; it was a bridge connecting two worlds.
Read on

Remembering John Byrne at the SPL

In 2004 John Byrne selected his favourite poems from our shelves and wrote an essay discussing his choices. Click below to open the PDF.
Read more
Photo of author Kei Miller

Nothing But The Poem - Kei Miller

“Kei Miller is a poet who tells his stories in the haunting voices of Jamaica’s underprivileged. His tales are stories that haven’t been told; they call out from the pages to be heard by Caribbean readers and by the wider world.”
Hear here

Pamphlet Fair 2023

Come along to browse and buy poetry pamphlets, periodicals and zines from some of Scotland’s incredible independent presses. A unique selection of Christmas gifts you cannot buy anywhere else!
Find out more
Makar, Kathleen Jamie standing on the balcony at Scottish Poetry Library

Makar's Library Tour

Kathleen Jamie launches The Bonniest Company: Makar's Library Tour
Read about the Makar's Tour
Young man with brown hair and short beard, sitting on stone steps with iron railings behind him.

Events in the library

Our programme of readings and workshops has something for every lover of poetry.
See more
Poet Ghazi Hussein sitting on a bench

Refuge: National Poetry Day theme

This year's theme for NPD was Refuge. We commissioned Roxana Vilk to produce a short film on Palestinian-heritage poet Ghazi Hussein, who came to Scotland in 2000 seeking political asylum from Syria.
Watch the film
Douglas Dunn

Nothing But The Poem - Douglas Dunn

In this Nothing But The Poem podcast, regular host Sam Tongue and the NBTP group appraise 3 of Douglas Dunn’s poems. The poems span almost 5 decades: from Terry Street in 1969 to his most recent collection in 2017.
Hear here
A classroom with young people raising their hands to answer a question

New lesson plans for schools

We commissioned teacher and poet Aoife Lyall to produce poetry lesson plans for secondary schools in Scotland
Find out more
Scottish Poetry Library new exterior by Lighthouse Photography

A virtual tour of the poetry library

A tour and potted history of the Scottish Poetry Library. Learn about our founding in 1984, along with the invention of vegetarian haggis.
Watch the film
Helping Hands by bellmon1, under a Creative Commons licence

Poetry for wellbeing toolkits

Find out how easy it is to run a poetry workshop with our free toolkits. Written in collaboration with poets John Glenday and Marjori Lotfi.
Find out more
Painting of famous Scottish poets as 21st-century characters in a pub.

Join our Friends scheme

Our membership scheme is a fantastic gift for someone who loves poetry and Scotland’s literature
Support the SPL
Our online book shop

Buy as well as borrow

The SPL has an online bookshop. We have curated a selection of new releases, familiar favourites and anthologies covering a broad range of poetic styles and themes.
Browse and purchase online
Hai-àidh! logo

Hai-àidh! #3

Am mìos-sa tha Meg Bateman agus Pàdraig MacAoidh a’ còmhradh air ‘Aig an Fhaing’ le Anna Frater agus ‘Duan an Dannsair’ le Flòraidh NicPhàil.
Hai-àidh! #3

Podcasts

Our audio programme of poets, poems and news for you to listen to.
Listen Now

Newsletter

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Share our poem of the moment...

black and red berries on a branch in front of other trees and shrubs.
Under an arch o’ bramble
/ Saftly she goes,
/ Dark broon een like velvet,
/ Cheeks like the rose.
Continue reading In Glenskenno Woods
More from Helen Cruickshank
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Image by Siala from Pixabay

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Mon-Thu 10am to 3pm & Fri 10am-1pm.
The Library has free spaces available for work and study.

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Scottish Poetry Library
5 Crichton's Close, Canongate
Edinburgh EH8 8DT
Tel: +44 (0)131 557 2876
© Scottish Poetry Library 2023.
The Scottish Poetry Library is a registered charity (No. SCO23311).
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Scottish Poetry Library