In the Peppers Theatre, John Burnside and Don Paterson, both Fifers and currently at St Andrews, are reading from their distinct poetry. The event is chaired by Brian Johnstone, director of the StAnza festival and owner of a glorious moustache.

Paterson has an evenly paced, seductive reading voice. He uses rhyme and alliteration to great effect in his work, which deals with the intricacies of nature, cinema and domestic life. His description of a small physical imperfection in one of his twin sons as a result of a difficult birth is striking and unique. The poem manages to suggest a much larger, intimate domestic history complete with movement and emotion, with the use of a few carefully placed words.

Burnside's work is heavy on descriptions of hunting and Biblical references. Great work from a critical perspective, though I find the subject matter less transferable than Paterson's and lacking in riskiness. Still, Burnside too has an excellent reading style and manages to engage the audience even during lengthy work.

Both poets are humorous and self-deprecating, and give the audience an accessible idea of the theory behind each poem.

But I'm not sure that this is the best format for the event. Although Burnside and Paterson give strong readings, it would have been an ideal setting for the audience to ask questions about their work, and the lack of question time detracts from the event to some extent.