Pushing Out the Boat

  • probably the best regional literary magazine in Scotland,
  • high quality writing, with a unique blend of the local and the global.
  • a thrilling place to be published alongside writers and artists from around the world

Read and enjoy. You won’t regret it.

Sheena Blackhall

a visual feast across beautiful artworks and well-crafted images of language which has much to be savoured throughout.

Shane Strachan

. . . it continues to delight in its eclectic range of literary and visual contributions and in the care with which it is produced

Christine De Luca

Its standards remain exceptionally high, and format makes it a delight to handle

Isobel Murray

. . . sharp-eyed, open minded . . . helping to launch the careers of many new writers and to publish high quality work by established writers

Duncan McLean

…a high quality magazine like Pushing Out the Boat encourages and enables North-East writers and artists to bring their best work to the attention of a wide and discerning audience…

J Graeme Roberts

Seafaring and mindfaring are vital to our city: more power to the elbows of those who push out this handsome vessel.

John Aberdein

… a fantastic magazine … essential for highlighting and enriching local culture. I’m a huge fan of literary publications and the work within POTB is of such high standard.

Tom Hammick

… more than just another literary magazine … its 14 issues comprise an extraordinary and beautifully produced treasure house of new writing and art.

Wayne Price

Well-produced, nicely balanced… one of the most attractive magazines of its kind in Scotland, providing an important forum for new poetry and prose

Alan Spence

. . . a fantastic and quality showpiece for art and new literature from the North East of Scotland

Magi Gibson

It has expanded its horizons while maintaining the tone and savour of place which has always made it unique.

Esther Woolfson

Tides in Time – celebrating 25 years of Pushing Out the Boat

We are excited to announce the publication of Tides in Time, an anthology celebrating 25 years of Pushing Out the Boat. The anthology features some of the best art, poetry and prose published in our magazines, from the year 2000 to 2025. With 100 contributors and items from all 18 issues of the magazine, the anthology is a testament to the enduring quality of Pushing Out the Boat poets, writers and artists.

The magazine’s editor, Peter Burnett, said, “It’s been a revelation looking back at 25 years of great writing and art from the magazine’s archives. So much to choose from for the anthology, not only from the North-East but from contributors across the world.”

The anthology was launched on 3rd May at a special event in the Cowdray Hall, Aberdeen with live readings from contributors spanning back to 2000 – the year Pushing Out the Boat first set sail – and a visual presentation of the artwork. In his introduction, guest speaker Shane Strachan remarked “This event marks a milestone for Pushing Out the Boat, a fantastic group of volunteers I am proud to have worked alongside over the years. It will be a pleasure to bring together talent spanning across generations.”

The anthology has been made possible by a grant from Aberdeen City Council’s Culture Investment Programme, with the support highlighted by the Depute Lord Provost, Steve Delaney, who attended the launch.

For a full list of the contents and glimpse inside its pages, see the Tides in Time webpage, or go straight to our online sales page to order your copy.

Our current issue

Pushing Out the Boat Issue 18 was launched on 18 May 2025 and is a veritable feast of stories, poems and art, thoughtful, humorous, poignant and colourful. For the first time we have included Gaelic entries, including a poem by Scotland’s new makar Pàdraig MacAoidh, along with the usual cornucopia of Scots, Doric and English. Contributors hail from all across Scotland and the UK and as far afield as Finland, USA and Australia.

We are delighted to welcome renowned North East writer, Sheena Blackhall as foreword writer for this issue. Her enthusiastic introduction provides an excellent foretaste for the reader as she highlights the images, stories and poems that have caught her attention, closing with the words ‘Read and Enjoy. You won’t regret it’.

Click on the cover image to take a peek into the magazine – read Sheena’s foreword, view the Contents page, sample some extracts and browse through a photo gallery of the art that appears within. Perhaps you will be inspired to submit to Issue 19.

Copies of Issue 18 can be ordered here for postal delivery or purchased from one of our retail outlets.

Our Magazines

This year, we are celebrating twenty five years of Pushing Out the Boat, the first edition of which was published in the year 2000. There followed a sequence high quality magazines leading up to our latest publication. You can read about how we work, who we are and how the magazines are produced on the About POTB page and the full back catalogue of magazines can be viewed on Our Magazines page.

Our current edition is Issue 18, published in 2025. Within its pages you will find a rich variety of theme and style from the contributing authors, poets and artists. Extracts from the magazine and a gallery of art can be sampled on the Issue 18 webpage.

Image from Issue 18
An image from Issue 18

Issue 18 can be purchased from our retail outlets or ordered from our online store.

After looking at Issue 18, why not browse through other editions of the magazine. Online versions of Issues 9 – 16 can be read in full and sample extracts from Issues 6 – 8 offer a flavour of earlier editions. Then visit our online shop where all editions of the magazine are available for purchase.

Donations

POTB is an entirely voluntary and not-for-profit enterprise. The costs of producing this beautiful magazine are met by magazine sales, fund-raising events and donations. Any contributions, however small, are hugely appreciated and will help keep us afloat. Use the button below to donate via PayPal.


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The POTB Blog

News

  • Check out our Useful Links page for literary organisations, publications, events and POTB contributors.

Facebook Posts

Pushing Out the Boat

6 days ago

Pushing Out the Boat
Calling all American fans! 'Tides in Time' now available from our US distributor, secure delivery by USPS. No messy currency exchange. Oh, and a darned good read too. ... See MoreSee Less

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Pushing Out the Boat

1 month ago

Pushing Out the Boat
✨If you couldn't make the launch of Tides in Time, or are just ready to relive it all over again, head to our website to read our event debrief, where you will also find a complete image gallery from the day. www.pushingouttheboat.co.uk/blog/?doing_wp_cron=1778442587.6798629760742187500000#The%20Launch%20...Also available to read is the transcript Shane Strachanachan's captivating speech in praise of Pushing Out the Boat. ... See MoreSee Less

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Pushing Out the Boat

1 month ago

Pushing Out the Boat
Invidious to pick out individual readings when they were all great, but hearing Gerard Rochford's 'Ironing a Sari' read by his daughter with the beautiful blue cloth on display was very special. ... See MoreSee Less
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Pushing Out the Boat

1 month ago

Pushing Out the Boat
We celebrated 25 years of Pushing Out the Boat 🎉Those in attendance at yesterday’s launch of Tides in Time will agree that it was a great success.Speakers Depute Provost Steve Delaney and Shane Strachan, our wonderful featured readers and artists, and an enthusiastic audience (if we do say so ourselves) helped to make this event more special than we could have hoped.Special thanks to Aberdeen City Council's Culture Investment grant which allowed us to bring together several generations of writers and artists in a diverse celebration and reflection of talent from the last 25 years of publication.More photos, along with a blog post reflecting on the launch, can be found on our website shortly.#POTB25 #AberdeenEvents ... See MoreSee Less

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Pushing Out the Boat

1 month ago

Pushing Out the Boat
Photos from Kathryn McFarlane's post ... See MoreSee Less
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