Push The Boat Out may be a poetry festival (and a great one at that) but it isn’t afraid to venture away from its verse-based shores (it’s also a great festival for riffing with puns). So across its four days and four nights, it features music and art as well as poetry and performance. Here, Allan Radcliffe picks out five top highlights 

What Now?

An action-packed compendium of theatre, poetry and music kicks off this year’s festival. As well as spoken word performances from Anthony Anaxagorou and music from Scottish singer-songwriter and filmmaker Carla J Easton (pictured), this is the first chance to enjoy a series of specially commissioned theatre shorts from playwrights Zinnie Harris, Hannah Lavery and William Letford that respond to current geopolitical events. Friday 21 November.

Takeover: Glasgow City Of Poets

Scotland’s international festival of poetry may take place in the capital, but that doesn’t mean our neighbours from the Dear Green Place won’t be getting in on the act. Presented by the award-winning Scots poet Keeks Mc, this multimedia performance from the Glasgow City Of Poets collective combines poetry, music and visual art to celebrate language and cultural diversity, and includes readings in Scots, Gaelic, Igbo, Rohingya and Guernésiais.  Saturday 22 November.

Reimagining Home: Michael Mullen And Sree Sen

Michael Mullen, the winner of this year’s List Festival Award for best rising Scottish author for his widely acclaimed collection, Goonie, is joined by the Mumbai-born, Dublin-based poet Sree Sen (author of Cracked Asphalt) for a session that delves into the themes of identity, belonging, community and questions of home that inform their debuts. Saturday 22 November.

Versus Versus

Join poets Polly Atkin, Pascale Petit and Nuala Watt for a series of readings from the new anthology Versus Versus, edited by Rachael Boast, which showcases the work of 100 disabled, D/deaf and neurodivergent poets. As well as portraying conflict, disinformation and discrimination in hard-hitting ways, the works in the anthology also celebrate the importance of diversity, creativity and solidarity. Saturday 22 November.

Punk, Poetry And Politics 

This year’s festival theme Poetry Is Punk finds its beating heart in this hotly anticipated event featuring the poets Paul Case, Mátyás Dunajcsik and slam champion Kemi George Simpson. Their conversation, led by the poet and multi-slam champion Jay Mitra, looks into the influence of punk on poetry, with readings from works that unabashedly combine punk attitudes and radical politics. Sunday 23 November.

Push The Boat Out floats and runs from Thursday 20–Sunday 23 November, with all events at The Pleasance, Edinburgh; full programme details here; main picture by Craig McIntosh.