Hannah Lavery is a poet, playwright and director.

Her poetry pamphlet, Finding Seaglass was published by Stewed Rhubarb and her debut collection, Blood Salt Springwas published in 2022 by Polygon and has been shortlisted for the 2022 Saltire Scottish National Poetry Book Award.

The Drift, her highly acclaimed autobiographical lyric play toured Scotland with the National Theatre of Scotland, and is to be adapted for a radio drama for BBC Radio Four.

She was selected by Owen Sheers’ as one of his Ten Writers Asking Questions That Will Shape Our Future for the International Literature Showcase, a project from the National Writing Centre and the British Council.

Her play Lament for Sheku Bayoh premiered at Edinburgh International Festival in 2020 and toured in its digital version to Auckland Arts Festival.

She was appointed Edinburgh Makar (or poet laureate) in November 2021 for a three year term.

She is an associate artist with the National Theatre of Scotland and one of the winners of the Peggy Ramsay/Film4 Award 2022.

She has written for BBC Radio Four, Lyceum Theatre, Pitlochry Theatre and is under commission with Northern Stage and Fuel Theatre.

She was a recipient of the Adopt a Playwright Award 2020 and the New Playwright’s Award from Playwriting Studio Scotland 2019.

She is also an experienced workshop facilitator and won an Leadership Award from Creative Edinburgh for her work with Writers of Colour and her curated film poetry series Sorry I am on Mute for Fringe of Colour.