I'm not dying here, I'm still fighting here
A look at the Government Spending Review 2025, plus community events and open calls for writers & writing
Hello Good Eggs, and welcome to this week’s newsletter!
This week’s newsletter title is from Charybdis, part of EPIC: The Musical’s Vengeance Saga. This is the power of a hyper fixation!
A look at the Government Spending Review 2025
Last week, on Wednesday, June 11, Chancellor Rachel Reeves presented her completed 2025 Spending Review in the UK Parliament. The review contains plans for how much public money government departments will be able to spend over the next three years.
Campaign for the Arts (CFTA) released this analysis of the Spending Review on Thursday, June 12, which outlines the impact of the review on the arts in the UK.
The Chancellor previously set the total amount of spending in autumn 2024 and she has now given government departments their allocation for the rest of the parliament. These allowances not only determine what each department can do, but also sets priorities for our current government. In short, it will influence the direction of the country.
What allocation has the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport received?
The Department for Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) has been allocated 0.3% of the budget. CFTA says that while other areas that influence the arts including Education spending and Grants to Local Government will grow over the next three years by 0.8% and 1.1% respectively, DCMS spending will actually shrink by 1.4% in real terms.
According to CFTA this is the second successive Spending Review where the Chancellor has implemented real-terms cuts to the DCMS while also increasing overall spending. Last year overall spending grew by 5.4%, but the DCMS budget shrank by 6.2%. While the gap is reportedly smaller this year, the DCMS is being cut at almost the exact opposite rate at which overall spending is being increased.
CFTA says this choice is unprecedented and has only happened once before in 2019 in the Spending Reviews 27 year history. Previously governments have accompanied increases in overall spending with smaller increases in DCMS spending, and cuts in overall spending with much larger cuts to the department, making last week’s decision a significant deviation from the norm.
Impact on the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport
DCMS is the UK’s largest public funder of the arts, directly funding 15 national museums and galleries, including heritage and collection organisations Historic England and the British Library, and development agencies the British Film Institute and Arts Council England.
The planned cuts mean by 2029 the government is predicted in real-terms to spend well over a third less per citizen in culture, media, and sport compared to 2010. This is reportedly a further 32% reduction on current spending. Last year, CFTA published its The State of the Arts report, which showed a funding crisis in the UK arts sector, which they maintain requires government action.
CFTA suggests that the Spending Review compounds this crisis as the DCMS will have less to spend, making it more difficult for the government to respond and support the arts and public access to the arts. It’s currently unclear how much public funding organisations will receive. Those decisions are taken separately by DCMS itself, and previously changes to organisational funding haven’t been as drastic as changes to the DCMS budget even if they follow similar patterns.
In a report by the Office for Value for Money published with this year’s Spending Review, there is expectation that all government departments will ‘implement cost-saving efficiencies’ in the next three years. The report states that ‘DCMS and its public bodies will deliver efficiency gains of £52 million per year by 2028-29’ using reforms to the workforce, finance, grants, digital, communications and marketing, and estates. CFTA states that this is ‘equivalent to 3.4% of DCMS’ day-to-day spending budget in 2025-26, [which is] below the 4% average across all departments’, a significant figure given the number of ‘arms-length’ bodies the DCMS is responsible for and the high proportion of the DCMS budget allocated to them.
CFTA is concerned about what this means for cultural organisations including Arts Council England, Historic England, the British Film Institute, and the British Library. In light of these worries, CFTA will be advocating for the protection of funding for cultural organisations in the coming months. Stay up to date with their campaigns by joining or donating to the Campaign for the Arts.
What does this mean for Scotland?
Like all of the UK’s devolved governments, the Scottish Government is responsible for decisions on public spending in the arts and culture. The Scottish Government, the Welsh Government, and the Northern Ireland Executive receive block grants from the UK Government as well as targeted funding.
The UK Government’s Spending Review included an increase 0.8% increase for the Scottish Government over the next three years. This doesn’t guarantee direct or increased support of culture projects in Scotland and the other devolved nations. CFTA also mentions that funding distributed through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund is going to be maintained at the same overall level, but that this will mean a cut once inflation is taken into account.
With all of this in mind, we will have to wait for the Scottish Government to make its own announcements about public spending in the arts and culture. Something that has been rather rocky over the last few years with plenty of broken promises and u-turns on the route to funding commitments that influence and support our own cultural bodies including Creative Scotland, our primary public funder of the arts and culture. You may remember several moments in 2024 that pushed many artists and cultural organisations to the brink, including the closure of the Open Fund for Individuals last August which reopened in October 2024, and the delayed decision for the Multi-Year Fund moved from October 2024 to January 2025.
Later this year, the Scottish Government will publish its draft budget for the next year fully outlining their spending plans. I hope that this will include further support for our artists and cultural organisations that support our communities.
What next?
Echoing CFTA at the end of their analysis, I hope we will see more investment in the arts and culture in the coming years, it’s an important way for people feel the renewal in their everyday lives that the Chancellor outlined during her speech last week. Artists, cultural organisations, teachers, researchers, community organisations, and venues know we need this support now more than ever. Here’s hoping the government listens and acts before this crisis intensifies.
We, the public, need and deserve access to the arts, our lives are happier and healthier when our creativity is supported.
If you’d like to learn more about the Spending Review, you can read the Campaign for the Arts analysis on their website, or check out the Spending Review for yourself on the UK Government website.
Community events
Join host and poet RJ Hunter at Nice N Sleazy in Glasgow for the last Sleazy Speakeasy of June tonight, Tuesday, June 17. You can sign up for a spot on the door and make some magic with the Speak Easy House Band!
Find out more by following the Speakeasy on Instagram
Glasgow Zine Library is running another Drop In Zine Making session this Wednesday, June 18. You don’t need a ticket required or any experience of zine making to join. All materials and basic instruction provided by the GZL team, with tea and coffee also available. If you can’t make it on Wednesday, GZL runs Drop In Zine Making every Saturday during its opening hours.
Get more information on the Glasgow Zine Library website
Join Versaye! at Bossa in Glasgow tomorrow, Wednesday, June 18, for their Pride Edition. This month, they’re welcoming feature poet RJ Hunter alongside a spectacular open mic line up! The mic is reserved for queer poets, but head to down to celebrate Pride for this special evening of LGBTQ+ poetry.
Find out more on Facebook
This Princess Kills Monsters: Queer Fairytale Night with Ry Herman
Join author Ry Herman at Lighthouse Books in Edinburgh on Thursday, June 19, to celebrate in their latest novel, This Princess Kills Monsters, to raise a toast to feminist fairy tales and gorge on the magic of queering familiar stories. The event will have 40 minutes of discussion with the author, followed by time for questions, signing and festive good vibes. You'll be in the bookshop garden for this very special launch, expect themed surprises and refreshments - costumes and extra fabulousness most welcome.
Book tickets on the Lighthouse Books website
Fill out the EHRC Consultation
Join The Lesbian Avengers at Glasgow Autonomous Space on Thursday, June 19, for this group focused on responding to the EHRC’s public consultation together. Glasgow Autonomous Space’s Community Meal team have kindly offered space during when they ordinarily host a community meal, and for this session they will make some soup for attendees to enjoy.
𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏? On April 16, 2025, the UK Supreme Court ruled that the terms ‘sex’, ‘man’ and ‘woman’ in the Equality Act refer to ‘biological sex’ only, and do not extend to trans people with Gender Recognition Certificates. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) are now updating sections of the statutory Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations affected by the ruling. As part of this process, they are seeking public feedback on the changes they have made.
𝑷𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒆 the consultation contains harmful language and examples and therefore takes mental and emotional energy to complete, so do consider whether it’s something you feel able to engage with at the moment.
Find out more through The Lesbian Avengers post
The Future is Now Poetry Workshop with Tom Murray
Join poet Tom Murray at the Centre for Contemporary Arts in Glasgow on Thursday, June 19, for this workshop exploring how we live today in the age of technology, and how it affects our work and life. Utilising speculative, science fiction approaches, and language that has emerged with the growth of technology in creating a poetic response to the reality of today. The workshop is suitable for beginners and more experienced poets.
Book a pay-what-you-can ticket on Eventbrite
Caledonia Creative Open Mic and Networking
Join Caledonia Creative on Thursday, June 19, at Roots Bar & Brasserie in Glasgow for this new event for musicians and artists. Whether you're a musician, poet, comedian, or just looking to meet new people, this event is the perfect opportunity to showcase your talents and mingle with like-minded individuals.
Get free tickets on Eventbrite
Loud Poets Slam Series Aberdeen Heat
The Loud Poets are up in Aberdeen at The Lemon Tree this Thursday, June 19, for their latest Scottish slam heat. They’re welcoming Shane Strachan as their sacrificial poet, before their line up of performers competing for a place at the Grand Slam Final in August.
Book your tickets on the Aberdeen Performing Arts website
Head to Kafe Kweer on Friday, June 20, for this month’s zine club with Coin Operated Press. You can bring your own projects to work on or dive into Coin-Op’s collection of collage materials and art supplies to make your zines. They will have a bunch of prompts lists if you are stuck for ideas! All experience levels are welcome and Coin-Op will show you how to make your own zine if you've never made one before, or need a bit of a refresher.
Book tickets on Eventbrite
Goonie: Poetry extravaganza with Michael Mullen and friends
Join poet Michael Mullen in the Lighthouse Books Garden in Edinburgh for the launch of their collection Goonie on Friday, June 20. In Goonie, the oral tradition of Scots combines with whip-sharp Glaswegian humour to bring alive in language and form the full spectrum of human connection: working class friends gathering round a fire, a living room ceilidh, an chat in the hairdresser's chair, a queer awakening. To mark the publication of this phenomenal collection, Michael will be performing alongside friends & Edwin Morgan Award Winners Titilayo Farukuoye, Roshni Gallagher, and Alyson Kissner!
Book tickets on the Lighthouse Books website
Join poet Fiona Jane and their ridiculously fabulous lineup on Friday, June 20, at The Corset Club in Glasgow for the launch of I Made Adam. Celebrate Fiona’s pamphlet, watch a drag show, be gay, and have a goddamn boogie. Tickets are pay-what-you-can with all proceeds split between performers. The venue is wheelchair accessible, all toilets are gender neutral.
Book tickets on Ticket Tailor
Food Sovereignty and Organising Community Mutual Aid
Join Glasgow Zine Library at Glasgow Autonomous Space on Saturday, June 21, from 3.30-7 pm for this look at different food related projects and initiatives that are building solidarity and community power against the capitalist systems that have created injustice and scarcity in our food systems.
Get more information on the Glasgow Zine Library website
Libraries are for Everyone Festival
Falkirk Library is hosting the Libraries are for Everyone Festival on Saturday, June 21. This mini-festival packed with music, stories, art and creativity celebrating the library’s role in supporting community, creativity and learning. The day includes free drop-in activities as well as special events. The programme includes a Make Music Day open mic session, songs and stories for children age 5+, crafting for adults and children, chair yoga, a plant and seed swap, songs and stories from Bookbug, board games and more. Browse all the events on Eventbrite.
Book free tickets on Eventbrite
Salt & Silver Festival: Words from the Shore
Part of the Salt & Silver Solstice festival on the heritage of the Herring Girls, Labour, Class, Gender and Solidarity, Words From the Shore is an accessible walk starting from Timespan in Helmsdale with curator Jacquie Aitken exploring the sites where the Herring Girls lived, worked, and created communities in the Scottish Highlands fishing village of Helmsdale. The walk will be punctuated by spoken word performances by writer and artist JJ Fadaka exploring labour, solidarity and race, through the possibility of abolition and care. Join Jacquie and JJ on Sunday, June 22 from 10.30–11.30 am.
The festival weekend also includes screenings of Guttin’ Quines and Gu’un the Fish n’that, stories from the Herring Girls, exhibitions, a solstice ceremony, a transversal reading of class, and Scotland’s furthest north Pride celebration in Thurso. Browse the full Salt & Silver programme on Eventbrite.
Book your free festival tickets on Eventbrite
See What Sticks: Workshopping Comedy Open Mic
Join Humour Mill on Monday, June 23, at Home Bar in Edinburgh for this part writing group, part open mic. You’re welcomed to test drive your new material live and get feedback from other comedy writers. The first hour will be an opportunity to get some writing done - get your ideas on paper, work on the structure of a new set, or just fling some stuff at the wall. After a break, you can stick your name in the hat and the Humour Mill team will call up performers to try their new material live and get feedback from the attendees.
Book a free ticket on Eventbrite
Verve Digital Launch: Gabrielle Tse, Ilisha Thiru Purcell, Rachael Li Ming Chong, and Lady Red Ego
VERVE Poetry Press presents Gabrielle Tse, Ilisha Thiru Purcell, Rachael Li Ming Chong, Lady Red Ego reading from their brand new books. This online event is on Monday, June 23, from 7.30-8.45 pm (GMT). The event will be hosted by VERVE publisher Stuart Bartholomew and all poems will be screen shared.
Book tickets on Eventbrite
Join Speakin’ Weird on Monday, June 23, for their latest open mic at The Blue Lamp in Aberdeen. This month they’re featuring poet Abigail Underwood. Bring your poems, your prose, stories, comedy and anything else you have to say. You can do two poems, max 5 minutes, or 5 minutes of prose etc. Sign up to perform on the night from 7.30 pm. Tickets are £4 in, £3 for students, unwaged people, and pensioners. They'll also be taking donations on the night for Aberdeen Arts Centre, which is in danger of closing its doors without an influx of donations.
Find out more on Facebook
The Chicken Coop Writing Group
Come finish up Pride month with me at Lost in Leith on Tuesday, June 24. This month, we’ll have our usual book swap, writing tasks, and chances to meet new writers and share our work! Don’t miss out.
Get tickets on Eventbrite
Unhushed is back on Tuesday, June 24, at Blend Coffee Lounge in Dundee for its next queer spoken word night celebrating the best in LBGTQ+ Spoken Word and Poetry. The event features Loud Poets Grand Slam Champion RJ Hunter, with support from Hannah Linda, Tabby, and Nic J Hutson.
Get pay-what-you-can tickets on Eventbrite
Hame-ish Cabaret: Lamp (A Hame-ish Live Special)
The Hame-ish Cabaret returns to Edinburgh’s Assembly Roxy on Wednesday, June 25, for a live special. Hame-ish Live is Mairi-Claire and Ed’s unique version of an open mic. Instead of each performer doing a set in the traditional sense, each act takes turns to perform one of their poems or songs. So, whoever goes first performs one piece, then the next act performs their piece. After the last act performs, the in-the-round starts again with the first act for the next round, meaning you’ll be watching some brave performers conjure up a show on the spot!
Tickets are available on Ticket Tailor
The Sad Song Club is celebrating sadness again on Wednesday, June 25, at Sketchy Beats in Leith. Share your songs, poems and other miserable art, or just hang out. Songwriters, poets and performers are welcome. Original content is preferred but you are welcome to share any work that focuses on sadness.
Get your free tickets on Eventbrite
The Writer’s Room: A Murder Most Queer
Join Not So Nice! for this year’s Pride show: A Murder Most Queer on Saturday, June 28, at Augustine United Church in Edinburgh. Get ready for a fabulously twisted celebration of queerness, mystery, and mayhem. Packed with laughs, drama, and a killer storyline, this is our biggest community project yet—and it’s going to be unforgettable. Featuring work from Ryan Lithgow, Erin Frances Speirs, James Stedman, and Oliver Giggins, this is one Pride event you won’t want to miss!
Book tickets on the Not So Nice! website
Join the Loud Poets at The Canons’ Gait on Monday, June 30. This time they’re featuring poet Natalie Elizabeth. Natalie is a Glasgow-born, Edinburgh-based social worker, who writes poetry in her spare time. You can catch Natalie alongside Loud Poets talented open mic community from 7 pm. There may be some slots on the door, so head down for doors at 6.30 pm for the chance to perform from one of Edinburgh’s best loved open mics.
Get more information and free tickets on Eventbrite
The Book Launch of Shadows on the Stage
Join Forest Publications for an evening of live performances of poetry and prose celebrating the launch of Shadows on the Stage on Wednesday, July 2, at the Voodoo Rooms in Edinburgh. With captivating readings from some of their authors and the opportunity to purchase your very own copy of the anthology.
Book your tickets on Eventbrite
Kilburn Garden Party returns to Kelburn Castle near Largs for its 15th Edition from Thursday, July 3, to Monday, July 7. Go gather round and dip your spoons into Kelburn's insanely tasty melting pot of sounds from all around. The line up is packed pull of incredible international and home grown talent for you to discover this summer, including Edinburgh’s own Sketch Beats.
Highlights from the programme include The Graffiti Project, immersive multi-arts trail The Neverending Glen, a kids and family programme with a rubber duck race (adorable) and The Lullabies Collective, music from a range of musicians and singers such as Patagonia Latin Sound, Cera Impala, Susan Bear, Taahliah, Thundermoon, and so many more.
Browse the KGP programme and book tickets through their website
Open calls for writing and writers
A Play A Pie A Pint Performer Callout
As part of A Play A Pie A Pint’s first in-house scratch night 'A Slice of the Pie' on Friday, July 4 at Oran Mor Glasgow, they are looking for performers for the ensemble cast who will perform 15 minute script excerpts.
PPP is on the lookout for Glasgow-based performers who have never worked with them before in a paid capacity, with the exception of Global Majority performers who can be outwith Glasgow. They are particularly interested in performers who identify as Filipino; Southeast Asian; working class; and women over the age of 50. Successful applicants will receive a £120 fee for rehearsal and performing time. Travel and access support is available upon request. The deadline to apply is tomorrow, Wednesday, June 18, at 12 pm.
To find out more and how to apply head to the A Play A Pie A Pint website
Under the Red Umbrella is where the National Ugly Mugs community can keep up to date with news, peer groups and events, sex worker art, and more. They’re looking to connect with more writers and artists with lived experience of sex work for future editions of the zine. They welcome submissions from racialised, LGBTQ+, migrant, and otherwise marginalised workers. You can send your submissions to Sally at sally@nationaluglymugs.org. The deadline for submissions is Monday, June 23 for this month's edition.
Get more submission information from this post
Ek is organising a creative-critical symposium called, and is looking for 20-minute papers, performances or readings about modern ekphrasis. The symposium will be from Friday, September 12, to Sunday, September 14, 2025 at Glasgow Project Room.
Your proposal can engage with the following questions: What kinds of modalities does contemporary ekphrasis operate in? What are its attributes or value? How does it function as your practice? How can it help us think through aesthetic judgement or aesthetic experience? The deadline for proposals is Wednesday, June 25 at 2 pm. You can email your proposals to ekeksymposium@gmail.com
To find out more head to the Ek Symposium website
The Edwin Morgan Trust is open to application for Clydebuilt 18. Clydebuilt is a programme that offers emerging poets the chance to work with an experienced mentor and develop a portfolio of new work. Up to four poets will be selected to take part in the year-long programme starting in September 2025 and ending September 2026.
To be eligible to apply, you must live in Scotland, not be enrolled in any writing course or receiving structured writing support as of September 2025, not have published a full-length poetry collection, and be able to travel to Glasgow/the central belt for some in-person meetings and events. The deadline to apply is Thursday, June 26, at 5 pm.
For more details and to find out how to apply visit the Edwin Morgan Trust website
Winchester Poetry Festival x Unity 101 FM Poetry Competition
For the third year, Winchester Poetry Festival is joining forces with Unity 101 FM on a poetry competition for their listenership. Poems can be entered in Bangla or English, written or spoken, on the theme of rain. The winner will be announced live on the Chayer Adda show on Sunday, August 3, and invited to read their poem at Winchester Poetry Festival 2025. The deadline for submissions is Tuesday, July 15. Email your poems to abantichakrabarty@yahoo.co.uk
Get more details on the Chayer Adda Facebook Page
The Winchester Poetry Festival is also open for submissions of poetry for its 2025 prize. Poems can be any form or style and on any subject. The poetry must be unpublished, typed, and no longer than 40 Line excluding the title. There is an entry fee of £6 for first poem, £5 for subsequent poems in a single submission. There are free entries for low income poets. The free entries will be available on a first-come first-served basis (one per person). Availability of free entries will be highlighted via our social media platforms as they become available. If you are entering a poem under this scheme please send it by email to entries@winchesterpoetryfestival.org and mark your submission email clearly as 'Pay It Forward entry'. The deadline for submissions is Thursday, July 31.
Find the submissions guidelines on the Winchester Poetry Festival website
Thanks for reading!
Phew! What a packed newsletter between the Spending Review, events and open calls. This summer is full of wonderful events and festivals, it’s so exciting! I know it’s hard, but pace yourselves and head along to these excellent events to support artists or share your work too! If you do go share your work or find yourself being published, please do let me know what you’re up to. It’s always fun to celebrate everyone’s wins!
I’ll see some of you for the Chicken Coop Writing Group next week on Tuesday, June 24, where we’ll celebrate the end of Pride month with some writing, book swapping, sunshine (hopefully), and (optional) sharing.
Until next week, take care of each other,
Naomi
P.s. If you know someone who is looking to get back into writing or for a supportive and curious creative writing community, share this newsletter with them!