Join us in the extraordinary setting of the newly restored Palm Houses to hear JL Williams reading from her most recent collection of poems, Strange Architectures.
On arrival, you will be welcomed with a complimentary drink and have time to explore the venue before gathering to hear JL Williams read a selection of work from her most recent collection of poems, Strange Architectures. There will then be time to mingle and chat, plus the opportunity to purchase a signed copy of the collection.
Williams’ poetry is also included in the Earth Matters exhibition showing at Inverleith Gallery until 1 November 2026.
Please see the Frequently Asked Questions section below for more information on session arrangements and what to expect.
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About the poet
JL Williams is a contemporary poet and librettist whose work explores themes of myth, metaphysics, nature and the human experience through a lyrical and often superreal lens. Born in New Jersey, USA, and based in Edinburgh, Scotland, Williams has a strong international presence, blending American and Scottish literary traditions with a distinctive voice that often challenges and expands the boundaries of poetry.
About the Collection
Since humans first put stone on stone to build a shelter, the creation of architecture has been a means to survival, a key to engendering family and community – and more, an expression of our aspirations and desires. What land we choose to build our homes on, what soil is good soil for calling home, how we care for our loved ones and our land… these are some of the earliest questions asked by humans, and ones we still consider and fight over today.
JL Williams wrote the poems in this collection over the past five years. In the isolated, claustrophobic depths of the Covid pandemic and the initial year of life with her daughter, she woke almost nightly from intense dreams, each dream being the exploration of a building, environment or architectural site. The poems are records of these dreams, which continued for years, seemingly stemming from a need to explore when exploration was forbidden, a longing for bigger spaces, other places, other people, other lives and the forging of new identities.
The poems expose dreams as time machines, portals that allow us to travel in every direction, inside ourselves and far beyond into the past and future, into the psyche and the heart.