So what were Rob Mackenzie’s 20 Moments from StAnza 2014? Why did time stop in the Undercroft for Helena Nelson? What did Tishani Doshi say about dogs, death and St Andrews in her column for the New Indian Express? And why did Ellen McAteer recommend attending StAnza as “the best thing you will do”.

As we approach the halfway mark between this year’s festival and next year’s, what better time to reflect on the popular and critical success of StAnza 2014, and as previously promised, the Afterword Page is now live on our website. As ever, there are multiple galleries of photographs online   – a mixture of programmed events and all the encounters and experiences which happen at StAnza in-between and around events – plus links to videos and podcasts from the festival and a wide range of articles and reviews, including those mentioned above. So if you were at this year’s festival, you can re-capture a flavour of it. Check out who was there, get a sense of the atmosphere and if you weren’t there – now you know what you missed!

I’ve very much enjoyed reading all that’s been written about the festival, the articles and reviews, and also your feedback via the questionnaire forms you obligingly complete for us. All your suggestions and comments are noted, and I love to read how StAnza was for you and to learn that it is a favourite festival for so many. ‘A vintage year’ people said, perhaps with reference to the contemporary circus show with which we opened this year, or maybe Paul Muldoon’s final reading of the festival, or even the party which followed. Here are just a few of the other comments made:
 
‘Wonderful event, warm, friendly, relevant, provocative and held in a beautiful place.’
 
‘The festival was fantastic, I can't imagine any better atmosphere for poetry than the one you so perfectly created.’
 
‘The breadth of vision of StAnza is good for us all!’
 
‘An annual treat - a feast of poetry in a wonderful setting.’
 
‘Truly international and an inspiring event. It's a really important part of the poetry calendar.’

And as well as reading about StAnza, you can listen to podcast interviews with some of the poets who took part, including Brian Turner and Tanya Shirley, or watch video interviews with artist Lucilla Sim and Gill Plain who spoke in March about women’s poetry from WWI.

Our strand of events in recognition of the centenary of WW1 included David Constantine’s lecture on The First World War at Home and Abroad, about which many of you commented. We are therefore very pleased now to have been able to include a link to the text of this on the Afterword Page on our website.

And don't forget, next year’s StAnza takes place 4-8 March at St Andrews.

Best wishes,

Eleanor

Eleanor Livingstone
Festival Director
www.stanzapoetry.org
list@stanzapoetry.org