Held annually on March 21, World Poetry Day is an opportunity to celebrate the literary form and the creativity of those who produce it.

The event, established by UNESCO in 1999, was first celebrated in 1999, with people around the world still using it as an occasion to honour poets and promote the reading and writing of poetry.

The home of the Scottish Bard, Ayrshire is famed for its poetic exports. Robert Burns’ works have inspired creatives across the world, not least in his home region.

He is, however, not the only successful poet to hail from Ayrshire, with the region producing a number of talented writers over the years.

Here are some of the most successful poets to celebrate this World Poetry Day.

Rab Wilson

Born in New Cumnock, Rab Wilson is a poet who writes predominantly in Scots.

Rab is the scriever in residence for the National Trust of Scotland and is based at the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum.

The poet is a convenor of the Scots language and was part of a Parliamentary Working Group which aimed to devise a vision for the development of the dialect.

Wilson was also the first James Hogg Creative Resident, living and working at the home of the prominent Scottish poet in Ettrick Valley.

David Underdown

Originally from Manchester, poet David Underdown has spent most of his adult life in the West of Scotland – residing on the Isle of Arran for twenty years.

He published his first collection, Time Lines, in 2016, followed by a pamphlet collection titles Nasturtium.

A Sense of North, David’s second collection which explores purpose and order in the human condition, was published in 2019

He was also the organiser of Arran’s McLellan Poetry Competition for seven years.

The prize is awarded by the Arran Theatre and Arts Trust as part of the annual McLellan Arts Festival.

Tracy Harvey

Auchinleck-born poet Tracy Harvey is known for her Scots works.

Tracy’s poems have attracted considerable online attention, with a performance of ‘Betty Through The Waa’ going viral on Facebook earlier this year.

The piece, inspired by an old neighbour in Auchinleck, was performed as part of Tamfest’s Tam’s Sunday Club in January and became the most viewed video in the festival’s history.

‘It’s No Potato, It’s Tattie’ also enjoyed success online, amassing over 12,000 views on YouTube.

Jenny Lindsay

Originally from Ayrshire, Jenny Lindsay is a prominent spoken word poet, writer and performer.

Between 2012 and 2016, she was part of literary cabaret duo Rally & Broad along with Northern Irish poet Rachel McCrum.

Now a resident of Ayr, Jenny moved to Edinburgh as a student and worked as a school teacher before turning to freelance writing full time.

She published The Things You Leave Behind, her first collection of poems, in 2011. Her second collection, The Script, was performed as a play script at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2019.

Jenny is currently working on her third poetry collection, titled All Of This Is Ordinary.