About the Scottish Poetry Choir
We are Scotland’s first-ever spoken word choir, bringing the community together with the power of poetry.
The Scottish Poetry Choir is a community project by poet and events producer Anita Govan
This innovative new format – the first of its kind in Scotland – gives people the opportunity to actively engage with poetry and spoken word in a fun and non-competitive way.
Anita guides the choir members to collaborate and develop unique spoken word performances incorporating movement, music, and soundscapes to enhance the performer and audience experience.
We are seeking new members to join the Scottish Poetry Choir this term and we meet regularly during school term time. Each term ends with a performance for friends, family, and the public.
The Scottish Poetry Choir not only opens space for the public to directly engage with poetry and spoken word, but also gives members all the benefits of community choir practices.
The goals of the Scottish Poetry Choir are to help people engage with poetry in a community setting and provide an alternative to the highly competitive slam poetry format.
Join the Scottish Poetry Choir
Come to our free taster session on Tuesday, October 7, or join us for our next term from October to December 2025.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Scottish Poetry Choir?
The Scottish Poetry Choir is a community of people working together to create unique poetry and spoken word performances.
Under Anita’s guidance the choir combines spoken word, movement, music, and soundscapes to help people engage with poetry from some of Scotland’s foremost poets and spoken word artists.
What are the benefits of joining the choir?
The Poetry Choir is a place where people can come together in community to engage with poetry and spoken word in an active and fun way.
We aim to create an inclusive and collaborative creative environment to support members to memorise poetry to help ageing brains, use poetry to develop language and speaking skills, improve well-being with in-person community, and find innovative ways to perform and engage with poetry.
Who is the Scottish Poetry Choir for?
The Scottish Poetry Choir is for members of the public over the age of 16+.
We welcome applications from people from historically underrepresented backgrounds, including women, neurodivergent people, people of colour, migrants and refugees, LGBTQIA+ people, unwaged and low-income people, working class people, the elderly, disabled people, people living with chronic illnesses and conditions, and any other underserved or marginalised community.
How often does the choir meet?
The Scottish Poetry Choir will meet weekly for 8-10 weeks during school term time. We also hold a performance at the end of each term. Our next term runs from October to December 2025.
You can register to join the poetry choir with this Google Form
How much is the choir membership?
The membership for next term of the Scottish Poetry Choir is £45 (£5 per session). This covers our practice venue hire and materials for each session.
We also offer funded places for people who are unwaged, low-income, or receiving state benefits. For more details about these spaces, please email Anita at scottishpoeetrychoir@gmail.com
Have additional inquiries?
Get in touch with us at scottishpoetrychoir@gmail.com
Meet the Team
Led by Anita Govan, the Scottish Poetry Choir team is made up of Scotland-based creative professionals.
Anita Govan
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Anita is our choir director and project lead. She has produced live performance events for over 30 years.
Naomi Head
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Naomi is our marketing and communications officer. She promotes the choir online and in the media.
Amy Milner
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Amy is our assistant producer working with the Scottish Poetry Choir during term time.