Join us this Friday to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival with poetry and mooncakes!

We will explore the moon featured in selected Chinese and English language poetry and we will have poetry readings in both languages. Our special guest will be Jennifer Williams, a poet (www.jlwilliamspoetry.co.uk) and Creative Projects Manager at the Edinburgh Futures Institute (efi.ed.ac.uk/people/jennifer-williams/).

Books by Williams include Condition of Fire (Shearsman, 2011), Locust and Marlin (Shearsman, 2014), House of the Tragic Poet (If A Leaf Falls Press, 2016), After Economy (Shearsman, 2017), Origin (Shearsman, 2022) and Strange Architectures (Shearsman, coming in 2026). Published widely in journals, her poetry has been translated into numerous languages. She has read at international literature festivals and venues in the UK, Sweden, Germany, Denmark, Turkey, Cyprus, Canada, Hungary, Romania, Montenegro and the US. She is hopeful about the simple and mysterious power of poetry that allows us to know ourselves, each other and the world more deeply.

Moon Poetry:

‘Here comes the moon.

I named my daughter, ‘Shining Light’.

Here comes the moon.’

JL Williams

The moon is so iconic, so potent – it moves our oceans and the oceans within our bodies. It inspires the mind to poetry and to dreaming. It leads us to love, and comforts in times of loss. It haunts us and calls to us to follow its white light into the night. Sometimes, it even asks us to howl from the depths of our innermost beings. Williams will share some of her own moon poetry and thoughts on the moon as inspiration, and moon poems that have inspired her over the years.

We look forward to welcoming you to join our special Mid-Autumn cultural gathering. Experience the elegance of a traditional tea ceremony, the art of calligraphy, the festive taste of mooncakes, and the charm of moon-themed poetry and songs.

Mid Autumn Festival Celebration