From Kirkcaldy to the World: The Literary Voyage of Tom Hubbard

How far can a journey take you without ever losing sight of home? For Kirkcaldy-born poet, writer and scholar Tom Hubbard, the answer spans continents, languages and decades of literary exploration.

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The Adam Smith Heritage Centre has been celebrating Tom’s remarkable journey through Invitation to the Voyage: Crossing Oceans to Be Home - an exhibition exploring a life shaped by words, travel, cultural exchange and a lasting connection to Fife.

Running from 12 September to 16 October 2026, the exhibition invites visitors to follow Tom’s journey from his birthplace in Kirkcaldy across Scotland, Europe, America and Ireland — and back to the place he calls home.

Born in Kirkcaldy in 1950, Tom Hubbard has built a diverse literary career spanning poetry, literary criticism, translation and research. His work brings together different languages and cultures, reflecting a lifelong curiosity about the connections between Scotland and the wider world. His career has taken him far beyond Fife. He has taught at universities in France, Hungary, Poland and the United States, worked as Librarian of the Scottish Poetry Library in Edinburgh, and contributed to the study of Scottish literature in translation through the Bibliography of Scottish Literature in Translation.

At the heart of the exhibition is a simple question: after crossing oceans, where is home?

For Tom Hubbard, the answer is not simply a geographical location. His writing suggests that home can also be found in language, memory, cultural identity and the places that continue to shape us, wherever life takes us.

By bringing Tom’s story back to Kirkcaldy, the Adam Smith Heritage Centre celebrates not only an individual literary career, but also Fife’s contribution to Scotland’s cultural life and its connections with the wider world.

Invitation to the Voyage: Crossing Oceans to Be Home closes on 16 October 2026. Visitors can see the exhibition at the Adam Smith Heritage Centre, Kirkcaldy, on Thursday and Friday, 10am- 4pm. Admission is free.