BBC’s The Culture Scene have gone behind the screens with TikTok phenomenon and Scots language performance poet Len Pennie as she records her latest ‘Scots Word of the Day,’ and gets ready to launch her debut collection, poyums, now an instant #2 Sunday Times bestseller, at the National Library of Scotland.

In the short film, which you can watch in full on BBC iPlayer here, Len talks about “growing up with Scots, and why she advocates for the minority language in her posts and her poems. The hugely popular poet shares her journey as a survivor of domestic abuse, her struggles with mental health, and talks about the very real dangers of online trolling, which nearly pushed her to the brink.”

Whether she’s writing letters to her younger self, advocating for women’s rights or adapting fairy tales to process an abusive relationship, Len’s voice is bold, unashamedly frank and unmistakably hers.

The poems in this collection, both funny and fiercely feminist, announce a formidable new talent. Moving deftly between English and Scots, poyums is as approachable as it is affecting.

Len is currently touring the UK to celebrate the release of poyums, with events in Edinburgh, Glasgow, St Andrews, Abergavenny, London, and Bristol. For more information, including dates and how to book your tickets, see here.

poyums is out now. Grab your copy here or, better, via your local bookshop or Bookshop.org.

Follow Len on TikTok @misspunnypennie and Twitter @Lenniesaurus.