The National Trust for Scotland is hosting an evening of poetry and discussion at its Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Ayrshire on Friday, 20 June.

Presented by Scottish PEN, the association for writers worldwide, the evening will feature readings and discussion from famed Jamaican dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson and Scottish writer, publisher, politician and activist Kevin Williamson. The poetry of Jamaica and Scotland will be discussed as will the work of the Bard himself.

Linton Kwesi Johnson was born in rural Jamaica before moving to Brixton, London in 1963. He wrote poetry from an early age and in the 1970s was employed as the first paid Library Resources and Education Officer at the Keskidee Centre, at the time Britain’s only cultural and arts centre for the black community. He is a champion of racial equality and has written extensively on the subject of being an African-Caribbean living in Britain. In 2012 he was awarded the Golden PEN award for a Lifetime’s Distinguished Service to Literature.

Joining him on stage will be Kevin Williamson, an active component of Scottish publishing and politics. As founder of the literary magazine Rebel Inc in the early 90s, Williamson published the likes of Irvine Welsh and Laura Hird before teaming with Canongate to launch the Rebel Inc imprint. During a long and eventful career, Williamson has stood for election to the Scottish Parliament, written columns from the Herald and currently co-edits the literary newspaper Bella Caledonia.

With the subheading ‘The Politics of Poetry – Burns, Jamaica and the Scottish Slave Trade,’ the evening promises much in the way of rich discussion and lively debate.

The event will run from 7.00pm to 8.00pm and entry is free.

For more information contact 0844 493 2601 The Robert Burns Birthplace Museum comprises the Auld Kirk and Brig o’ Doon, the cottage where Burns was born has been combined with the Burns Monument and the new award-winning museum. Generously supported by the Scottish Government and the Heritage Lottery Fund, the museum commemorates the life and works of Robert Burns.

Since opening to the public in December 2010, the museum has welcomed more than 1 million visitors and won a series of accolades including being selected as a finalist for the prestigious Art Fund prize, securing a five star rating from VisitScotland and being named as Horace Broon’s ‘new favourite place in Scotland’.