OKAY, I KNOW I said last month that we would be launching our new look for the Journal with the October issue, but the technicalities involved have taken longer than anticipated and, umm, various other fuzzy excuses of that nature. The changes are coming, we hope later in the year, but having taken one hostage to fortune already, all I am now saying about the timing is watch this space …

Regular users will have noticed that our reviews have already taken on a new look and a new way of accessing them through the left-hand navigation bar, where a single click on either Events or Film Reviews will take you into the appropriate index page. There will be further improvements to the site navigation in the coming weeks.

Venues are much in the news this month, with the opening of An Lanntair’s new multi-purpose performance and exhibition centre in Stornoway on 1 October, and the news that a lottery grant of £250,000 has been approved in support of Mull Theatre’s plans to move from their existing premises to a new site outside Tobermory in 2007.

The news that Highland Festival is to be wound up in its present form with a reported debt of £60,000 comes as no great surprise in the wake of recent events. Discussions are ongoing on whether a new festival will be created to take its place, but if anything does come of that, it seems certain to be an Inverness event rather than another attempt to create a Highland-wide general arts festival.

The recent Blas Festival seemed to prove that a single festival can operate over a wide geographical spread in the region, but the close focus of Blas on Gaelic music and the relatively inexpensive nature of mounting the shows – compared, say, to theatre or dance – are factors in its favour.

On the subject of festivals, the oldest of them all, the Royal National Mod, returns to Stornoway for the first time since 1979 this month, and will make use of the new An Lanntair for several events. The piping competition will take place in Benbecula.

Our featured interview this month is the first of a two-part chat with poet and playwright George Gunn (the second part will follow in November). We also hear from another playwright, Lewis-born Iain F. Macleod, whose new play for the Traverse Theatre will be the first production at An Lanntair. John Burns looks at the work of dress designer Sandra Murray, and as always, there will be more news, features and reviews throughout the month, so keep checking back.

Kenny Mathieson
Commissioning Editor

Kenny Mathieson lives and works in Boat of Garten, Strathspey. He studied American and English Literature at the University of East Anglia, graduating with a BA (First Class) in 1978, and a PhD in 1983. He has been a freelance writer on various arts-related subjects since 1982, and contributes to the Inverness Courier, The Herald, The Scotsman, The List, Times Educational Supplement Scotland, and other publications. He has contributed to numerous reference books, and has written books on jazz and Celtic music.