Poyums Annaw: An Evening with Len Pennie

Join award-winning Scottish poet and activist Len Pennie for an introduction to her Sunday Times-bestselling sophomore collection, poyums annaw.

Moving deftly between English and Scots, these poems are at turns defiant, angry and beautiful, confronting patriarchy and domestic abuse but also embracing love and heritage. Lemn Sissay OBE has called Len “a poet who redefines what poetry is and who it is for”. A reading and interview by host Amanda Ferguson will be followed by a Q&A and signing.

There isn’t a timescale for how you should heal
Your bad days are valid, your heartache is real
But so is the day that your smile will return
That fire within you continues to burn
You will overcome this and continue to thrive
You are here, you are loved, you are whole, you’re alive.

About Len Pennie

Len Pennie is a poet who writes predominantly in the Scots language. She writes passionately about the promotion of minoritised languages, survivors of domestic abuse and the destigmatisation of mental illness.

Len is an outstanding live performer and lead presenter on BBC Radio Scotland’s leading arts show, The Arts Mix. She has a combined following of nearly 1.3 million engaged followers across social media, who follow her both for her poetry and for her Scots Word of the Day.

She is the author of two collections of poetry, both of which are Sunday Times bestsellers: poyums and poyums annaw. Poyums won the Discover Award for Book of the Year at the 2025 British Book Awards.

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Host or Publisher Imagine! Belfast Festival of Ideas & Politics