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
Isobel Murray
Isobel Murray
Magi Gibson
Magi Gibson
Christine de Luca
Christine de Luca
Tom Hammick
Tom Hammick
Duncan McLean
Duncan McLean
Wayne Price
Wayne Price
John Aberdein
John Aberdein
Esther Woolfson
Esther Woolfson
J Graeme Roberts
J Graeme Roberts
Mindy Grewar
Mindy Grewar
Alan Spence
Alan Spence
Issue 16 to launch on Sunday 16th May
Join us for the launch of Pushing Out the Boat Issue 16 on Sunday the 16th May between 3 p.m. and 4.30 p.m. UK time. This will be an online event, using Zoom, providing a great opportunity for our friends throughout the world to join us.
The launch will showcase some of the great poetry, prose and art in our latest issue, complete with live readings from more than a dozen of our contributors. It is open to all, free of charge, but pre-registration is required. Click here for further information and event registration.
Pushing Out the Boat was open for submissions in summer 2020. Once again, the standard of submissions was very high, giving the selection panels a difficult (but enjoyable) task. Thank you to all who submitted, both those who were successful and those who were not. We hope you will enjoy Issue 16 when it is published and be inspired to submit again to future issues.
Whether or not you’re able to join us at the launch, you can pre-order the magazine or make a donation online at any time.
Our Magazines
You can read about POTB, and how we work, on the About POTB page. A new edition, POTB Issue 16, is imminent; due back from the printer at the end of April. Copies can be pre-ordered now, for delivery in early May.
While you wait, be sure to read our last edition, POTB Issue 15. It boasts an array of inspiring work by talented authors, poets and artists, from home and abroad, the first-time published beside old hands. You will find within its pages humour, pathos and drama in Doric, Scots and English, along with stimulating works of art. The Foreword is by the award-winning Hebridean writer, artist and poet Ian Stephen; while the eye-catching cover is based on an image by Colin Brown, whose work, coincidently, was also selected for the cover of POTB Issue 1.
Click on the image below to take a peek.
Issue 15 can be purchased from our retail outlets or ordered from our online store.
After looking at Issue 15, why not browse through other editions of the magazine. Online versions of Issues 9 – 13 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.

Step on board
The POTB Blog
- Q & A with Freda Hasler (Roger White, 29 Jan 2021)
- Pushing Out the Boat at the WayWORD Festival (Lily Greenall, 3 Oct 2020)
- Pushing Out the Boat in the time of corona (Roger White, 19 Aug 2020)
- Martin Walsh and Freda Hasler – a tribute (Judy Taylor and Lily Greenall, 30 May 2020)
- Introducing Lily Greenall, the new POTB Editor (Martin Walsh, 5 Mar 2020)
News
- Join us at the online launch of Issue 16 on Sunday 16th May
- Pre-order a copy of Issue 16
- Pushing Out the Boat poet in #LibrariesAreEssential campaign
- Selection of contributions for Issue 16 is now complete
- Seasons Greetings from POTB – our December Newsletter
- Christmas Special Offer
- POTB writers nominated for Scots Writer of the Year
- Issues 9 – 14 now available to read online
- Check out our Useful Links page for literary organisations, publications, events and POTB contributors.
📣Join us for our ONLINE LAUNCH OF ISSUE 16 on SUNDAY 16th MAY 3.00-4.30pm GMT/UK time via Zoom (FREE).
The magazine, based in Aberdeen but attracting contributors and readers from throughout the world, reaches its 16th issue at a time when Covid restrictions make its usual face-to-face launch impossible but with the power of the internet making it accessible to all!
Fill your Sunday afternoon with a showcase of great poetry, prose and art in our latest issue online, complete with live readings from more than a dozen of our contributors.
REGISTRATION for this event is REQUIRED, visit our website now to register➡️ www.pushingouttheboat.co.uk/issue-16-launch.../
By registering we will be able to send out instructions on how to join the launch via Zoom.
Unlike our normal launches, this one is free. But whether or not you’re able to join us, you can PRE-ORDER the magazine or make a DONATION online at any time via our website
➡️ www.pushingouttheboat.co.uk/
We look forward to you joining us on Sunday the 16th May.
Best wishes from all in the POTB Team. Take care and stay safe. ... See MoreSee Less
April 20th ·
Pushing Out the Boat ... See MoreSee Less
March 26th ·
Pushing Out the Boat's cover photo ... See MoreSee Less
March 26th ·
📣Exciting news, our next Issue 16 is NOW available to pre-order for delivery hot off the press, in early May❗
Visit our Order Online↪️ www.pushingouttheboat.co.uk/order-online/ to secure your copy. International delivery available too. While there, why not take advantage of our Lockdown Special Offer of FREE P&P for UK delivery of previous issues? 📣 ... See MoreSee Less
March 26th ·
Aberdeen Jazz Festival have produced their first ever online event which starts this Thursday 25- Sunday 28th March.
As part of the festival, musicians from all walks of life, festival performers, children, smooth strings, big band accents, soaring solos have combined in a special collaboration based on Charlie Chaplin's tune "Smile". In part a celebration of resilience as we emerge from a tough winter into spring and in part Aberdeen's Jazz Festival's postcard to the world.
More info about the event @ Aberdeen Jazz Festival ONLINE
We're also using technology to our advantage, stay tuned for news on POTB's first ever online launch for the next Issue!
fb.watch/4pMqEGHXxt/ ... See MoreSee Less
March 23rd ·
Poetry is back this coming Thursday! Not at the coffee-shop just yet, alas, but Poetry at Books and Beans will be hosting an online event with some excellent writers from our upcoming Issue- not to be missed! ... See MoreSee Less
March 22nd ·
We are delighted to see that Maxine Rose Munro’s poem ‘Please’, first published in Pushing Out the Boat Issue 15, has a new lease of life. Maxine submitted it as a creative response to #LibrariesAreEssential, a campaign run by the Chartered Institute of Librarians and Information Professionals (CILIPS). The campaign aims to remind politicians in the run-up to the Holyrood election in May of the importance of libraries, ‘essential to Scotland’s brighter future’, a sentiment Pushing Out the Boat endorses.
Maxine says of libraries, ‘You taste potential/and it is sweet and heady and endless’. What better summary of a good library could there be?
You can find Maxine’s poem on the CILIPS website
👉https://bit.ly/319b83q. And you can still buy Pushing Out the Boat Issue 15 in our online shop for only £5 with free postage and packing within the UK.
Coincidentally, Maxine also has a poem in our new magazine, Issue 16, due out in April. Keep an eye out for news of our online launch. 😁 ... See MoreSee Less
March 22nd ·
February 4th ·
February 4th ·
February 4th ·
📣New blog post now available! 'What’s it like being in almost at the birth of a magazine of new writing and the visual arts and seeing it through many years of increasing success?' Our recently-retired coordinator Freda Hasler answers our questions designed precisely to explore that subject. Read now 👉https://www.pushingouttheboat.co.uk/blog/#Q%20&%20A%20with%20Freda%20Hasler ... See MoreSee Less
February 4th ·
Banish lockdown blues and boredom with our SPECIAL OFFER on ISSUE 15: FREE P&P for UK DELIVERIES!
Immerse yourself in the delights of a Pushing Out the Boat Magazine, packed full of poetry, prose and visual art. Why not treat a friend or a loved one to our magazines with free gift messaging included. BUY NOW: www.pushingouttheboat.co.uk/order-online/ ... See MoreSee Less
February 1st ·
Brightening up your January! Join Poetry at Books and Beans on Thursday (28th) via Zoom 7pm (FREE EVENT) for an evening of 'The Sparkling North' featuring 4 wonderful North-East writers and beyond; Helen Allison, Hannah Nicholson, James Andrew Sinclair and Shane Strachan (in alphabetical order).
Poems in Doric and Shetlandic (and maybe a wee bit of English).
Details to follow on the Poetry at Books and Beans Facebook page closer to the event. Message them to book a slot for the open mic section.
Poetry at Books and Beans ... See MoreSee Less
January 22nd ·
We've now completed our selection of contributions for publication in the next magazine issue (no 16) due in April. Congratulations to all successful contributors and commiserations to those who were unsuccessful – we had many fine entries but not enough space to include them all. For more information follow this link 👉 www.pushingouttheboat.co.uk/news/ ... See MoreSee Less
January 18th ·
With just 2 weeks till Christmas, are you still looking for that perfect gift? We may have the perfect solution with our SPECIAL CHRISTMAS OFFER! Buy Issue 15 online for ONLY £5 and receive FREE delivery (UK only) and a FREE gift message of your choosing.The ideal gift for friends and relatives near and far. We’re pleased to make this special offer of our latest issue, with nearly 100 HUNDRED PAGES of great prose, poetry and art. Buy now: www.pushingouttheboat.co.uk/order-online/ ... See MoreSee Less
December 11th ·


