Clockwork Orange Publication Launch

We’ll be meeting at SWG3’s Poetry Club for a fun, informal evening of drinks, live readings, and good chat. We'll be giving out free copies of the publication all night, and there will be a bar tab available for all attendees to use until it runs out. The launch is free to attend and all are welcome (+18). So if you feel like discovering cool experimental literature, supporting independent art, and connecting with the local literary scene, we'd love to see you there!

Please note this will mainly be a standing event, however there is seating located throughout the venue - please get in touch if you'd like to reserve seating.

About the project:

Between March and June 2026, thirty writers based in or around Glasgow came together to participate in the Clockwork Orange Project, a literary experiment on the Glasgow Subway. The experiment involved four rounds of relay-writing, during which each writer would get on the Subway and write for just two stops, before getting off and handing over what they'd written to the next writer, who would then add to the writing - until the Subway cycle was complete and all participants had contributed to one shared piece of work.

This Fire-Damaged City – coined from the writing of one of our participants, Kirsty Crawford – is the result of this experiment. An anthology of four collaborative pieces written on the Subway by a total of thirty strangers, all in direct conversation with each other. Each piece a merging of voices; spontaneous, interactive, experimental, and deeply inspired by a living, breathing underworld. What started as a simple literary experiment has become a complex mediation on what it means to travel, to share space, to live in Glasgow in our unique contemporary moment, and to be human in close proximity with one other.

This project is kindly supported by the Royal Society of Literature and was a recipient of the 2025 Literature Matters Award. The project was created and led by local writer and community organiser Jess Smith, who will also be hosting the launch event. The publication was arranged and designed by local artist and illustrator Olivia Juett.

About the venue:

The Poetry Club is ground-level access, and there is one accessible toilet in the venue. There are some doors throughout the space which we will make sure can be opened on the night. The event will be mainly standing, however there are seats available throughout the venue for those who may prefer to sit - although please note that the seating is located mainly at the back of the room, which may limit your view. If you'd like to reserve seating, please get in touch.

The venue is around a 15-minute walk from Kelvinhall or Partick Subway stations, or from the Exhibition Centre train station. There is no specific parking at SWG3 and the nearby on-street parking on Eastvale Place and Kelvinhaugh Street is metered on weekdays.

If you have any questions regarding accessibility, venue specifications, or the launch itself, please drop us a message on Instagram @clockworkorangeproject or email us at kelvingrovewriters@outlook.com.