Welcome to the Barbaraverse

Barbara is a Dundee-based broadside, featuring poetry and writing from Scotland and beyond. With a desire to bring poems—and the voices and visions of the poets who write them—to unexpected places, barbara transforms ordinary spaces into poetic encounters.

Our Mission

We believe poetry should live in the world, not just in books and on shelves. Barbara carries words, and the inner worlds those who write them, to street corners, café walls, and community spaces, where they can find new readers and spark conversations. We believe that everyone should have a voice, even (especially) those who live in the liminal spaces, the silent, the forgotten and the other. People who might not find it so easy (or appealing) to engage with traditional publishing.

The Community

Barbara represents a growing community of writers, readers, and poetry enthusiasts who share a vision of wild, earthy writing that offers a new perspective. Writing that makes you stop and think, that's a little bit feral. Every edition reflects the diverse voices and perspectives that make up the barbaraverse.