a nostalgic picture of a book with spring flowers

World Poetry Day 2024

Celebrating World Poetry Day at UofG

Happy World Poetry Day!

Our historic campus has a great, longstanding relationship with this creative art. Many talented and expressive students and staff have graced our halls. 

Glasgow Poet Laureate and Scotland’s National Poet, Edwin Morgan, graduated from Glasgow and went on to teach in the University’s English Literature department. Alumnus John Buchan, author of ‘The Thirty-Nine Steps’, is also widely recongised for his poetic prowess: his the First World War poems have been much anthologised. No doubt a skill Buchan honed as a Glasgow student, writing for Glasgow University Magazine.

The University of Glasgow still celebrates poetry on campus, both academically and in student life. Students can study poetry in the literature departments and also in their modern language classes, such classes include ‘Italian Poetry’. Fantastico! 

Students are taught by our brilliant academic staff, like the Poetry and Poetics Cluster, a company of poets at UofG that pass on their knowledge and passion to current students. We also have a specialty for Burns, with our award-winning Centre for Robert Burns Studies. A beloved stained glass bust of Burns can be seen in the windows of the Bute Hall. Alumni have enjoyed annual Burns events across the UK, US, and even this year celebrated by graduates in Azerbaijan! 

On campus, students have access to a wealth of soceities, clubs, and publications to flex their poetic muscles. Lending their creative flair to some of UofG's many magazines, such as FLEET and John Buchan’s old friend Glasgow University Magazine (GUM), or meeting like-minded peers at their local Poetry Society - GU Poets. 

Alumni: John Buchan

Alumnus John Buchan (1875-1940) was an accomplished writer and politician. He served as the MP for the Combined Scottish Universities, as Governor General of Canada, and in 1935 he was elevated to a peerage.  

Buchan is also widely known for his writing, particularly his novel ‘The Thirty-Nine Steps’ (1915), which was immortalised on the silver screen by the Alfred Hitchcock film of the same name. Buchan wrote poetry as well as stories; his works on war have been paid particular interest. John Buchan worked as a war correspondent for The Times and then as a member of the intelligence corps. His experiences in the war were transformed into poetry, such as Home Thoughts From Abroad. He wrote in both Scots and English throughout his career and further works include The Pilgrim Fathers’ which was published in 1898 and  ‘Poems, Scots and English’ in 1917.

He won a scholarship to the University of Glasgow aged just 17. He studied Classics and wrote for the Glasgow University Magazine (GUM). The magazine and its creative writing section are still a part of university life today.

John Buchan, black and white photo 

Photo: © National Portrait Gallery, London

Alumni: Edwin Morgan

Edwin Morgan (1920-2010) was an acclaimed poet and Glasgow alumni. His undergraduate studies were interrupted by the Second World War as he joined the Royal Army Medical Corps in 1940. However, he returned to Glasgow and finished his degree, graduating with First Class Honours. 

After Graduation, he turned down a place at Oxford to lecture at the University of Glasgow. Morgan taught in the English Literature department until his retirement as a titular professor in 1980.

Edwin Morgan didn’t just teach poetry, he wrote it too. He published his own poetry and translated works from many different languages. Throughout his career, he won many awards and accolades. In 1999 he became Glasgow’s first ‘Poet Laureate’, in 2000 he won the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry, he won the Weidenfeld Prize for Translation in 2001, and in 2004 he was given the title of Scotland’s National Poet (The Scot’s Makar).

The University’s special collections department has an archive of Morgan’s works including handwritten drafts of poems. Furthermore, the University's thriving Creative Writing Centre is named after him.

Black and white photo of Edwin Morgan

Our Campus: GU Poets

The Glasgow University Poetry Society (GUPS) is a group of poets and poetry enthusiasts, who meet every Monday to discuss and read poetry. Their members can read and workshop their own poetry, as well as sharing any poems by other poets that they are passionate about. They organise other events throughout the year such as open mic poetry nights in various locations around Glasgow.

Founded in 2020, this student society allows our current students to share their passion with likeminded individuals.

The UofG east quads

Our Campus: Student publications

The University of Glasgow has multiple student publications, including ones with a focus on creative writing. Student Publications allow UofG students to gain experience writing and get the opportunity to have their work published. 

The Glasgow University Union has an annual creative writing magazine called FLEET, which functions similarly to its peer-reviewed academic journal Groundings. Furthermore, most of the magazines on campus have a thriving creative writing section. The magazines of the GUU (moGUU) and QMU (Q-Municate) both have creative writing editors. As does the Glasgow University Magazine (GUM). 

Student publications have been a part of Glasgow University life for generations. Alumni John Buchan (1875-1940) wrote for Glasgow Univesity Magazine, during his time as a student.

Academia: Centre for Robert Burns Studies

The University of Glasgow’s acclaimed Centre for Robert Burns Studies was founded in 2007 and is the world’s leading centre for the study of Scotland’s national poet.

The centre promotes the study of  Robert Burns, the period in which he lived and related literature through projects like the centre's flagship project ‘Editing Robert Burns for the 21st Century’. Events such as Burns Night at the Museum and the Centre for Robert Burns Studies Annual Conference, share the centre and its mission and encourage learning and teaching about Burns. 

The centre's work has recieved much acclaim and in 2023 was awarded the Queen's Anniversary Prize for Editing and Curating Robert Burns in the 21st Century through scholarship.

A student reading a special collections edition of Robert Burns' poems