Stanzalone is an open-mic night held on the last Wednesday of each month at Auchterarder. It takes place in a building full of memories of great nights - the Auchterarder Picture House (which is, incidentally, undergoing a process of renovation to return it to its original splendour).
I was excited to be invited to be the headliner at the 30 Sept 'gig' (as I like to call these things!). I'd never been before, and in fact this was my first visit to Auchterarder itself. Well worth it, let me tell you.
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| Carol McKay at Stanzalone, Auchterarder, 30 Sept 2026. Photo courtesy of Shirley Williams. |
The event is one of warmth and camaraderie, with performances from regular attenders and newcomers. The readings included humour, topical observation of life and the world around us, sci-fi, and memoir. I was really impressed by both the content and the quality.
That made it feel even more special for me to be the headliner. In my fifteen minute slot I read some poems from my Seahorse Publications poetry collection One Last Tango, and a couple of others, and a short story called Troubles that was published in Wasafiri issue 92 in 2016. All seemed to be well received by the audience, and we had good chat during the interval.
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| Carol McKay at Stanzalone, Auchterarder, 30 Sept 2026. Photo courtesy of Shirley Williams |
My thanks to Shirley Williams, Tom Langlands and Lesley Buchan Donald for organising and hosting. Thanks to Shirley Williams for the photos, too. They're super. And I must also mention my friend Carol and daughter Liane who helped me with transport and support. Liane read four of her poems, which are characterised by her blend of poignancy and gentle humour.
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| Liane McKay at Stanzalone, 30 Sept 2026. Photo courtesy of Shirley Williams |
I definitely recommend going to Stanzalone if you can. You can find out more via their Facebook page - Stanzalone Poetry: Spoken Word Open Mic
Coming up, I have another three 'gigs'. The first is at St Mungo's Mirrorball in Glasgow on 29 October 2026 at 7pm in Waterstones, Sauchiehall Street, where the headliner is Todd Turner and I'm reading in support alongside Ryan Van Winkle and Alexandra Corrin-Tachibana. It's a privilege to read with these fine poets.
Then, on Sunday 15 November 2026, I'm one of three guest readers at Teith Lines - a poetry open-mic which is being held as part of the first Teith Fest, at the Rural Hall in Doune from 2-4pm. I'll be reading with Moira McPartlin and Chris Powici - two absolute poetry stars.
The final one of 2026 will be at Balloch Open Mic on Monday 7 December at 7pm in the Balloch House Hotel. I'll have more details about that soon.
