Catriona Lexy Campbell, a published novelist and poet from Lewis, will join Rosemary Ward from the Gaelic Books Council (Comhairle nan Leabhraichean) to explore the challenges and opportunities associated with Gaelic writing and publishing. Topics will include getting started on a book, how to approach publishers, the publication process and digital developments.

The talk, which will be delivered at Sgoil Lionacleit, Benbecula, later this month, is the last in a series of free Gaelic lectures taking place this year. Organised by the University of the Highlands and Islands, the series marks the 60th anniversary of Lews Castle College UHI, a partner of the university.

Based on the theme of Gaelic in modern life, the lectures recognise Gaelic as an integral part of Scotland’s heritage and national identity. Head of BBC ALBA, Margaret Mary Murray, spoke about Gaelic media in Glasgow in January and a lecture on Gaelic in education took place in Stornoway in May.

The talks also tie in with courses offered by the university, which include degrees in Gaelic language and culture; Gaelic with education; Gaelic and development and a higher education certificate in Gaelic and communication. All of these courses are offered through Lews Castle College UHI as well as Sabhal Mòr Ostaig UHI, where Catriona Lexy Campbell is the current writer in residence.

Speaking about the lecture, Catriona Lexy Campbell said: “Through my work with Sabhal Mòr Ostaig UHI, I have had many opportunities to meet people who are interested in writing in Gaelic and I’m very happy to be taking part in this project and building on that experience. I’m sure it’ll be a great day.”

Rosemary Ward said: “I am delighted to have been asked to participate in this important series of lectures that highlight the contribution the media, education and literature and publishing have made to the revitalisation of Gaelic. I am particularly pleased to be invited to deliver the lecture in Benbecula in front of a ‘home’ audience having, myself, been brought up and educated in South Uist.

“Comhairle nan Leabhraichean is committed to increasing the number, range and quality of Gaelic publications and our development strategy focuses on supporting Gaelic authors, editors and publishers to produce accessible, new and exciting Gaelic books. The upsurge in digital developments presents challenges and opportunities for us in our efforts to address the demands of readers to have Gaelic literature available in a variety of formats.”

James Fraser, principal and vice-chancellor of the university, welcomed the lecture, saying: “We are delighted that Rosemary Ward and Catriona Lexy Campbell are speaking about Gaelic in publishing as part of this lecture series and that they are doing so in Benbecula. The University of the Highlands and Islands is spread across the Gàidhealtachd and, through Lews Castle UHI, offers a number of important programmes in music and art in Uist and Benbecula. Adding this lecture to the other activities underlines our commitment to the whole of our region.”

The Gaelic in publishing talk will take place from 7pm to 9pm on Wednesday 19 June at Sgoil Lionacleit, Benbecula. The lecture will be delivered in Gaelic and simultaneous interpretation into English will be available through headphones. To book a FREE place, contact the university’s events team on 01463 279 344 or at events@uhi.ac.uk

To find out more about the university’s lecture series or Gaelic courses, visit www.uhi.ac.uk

Source: UHI

Gaby Chiappe and Richard Davidson are visiting Shetland to lead the workshop and to research the upcoming crime series, Shetland. It is a 6 part series which they are in the process of adapting from two of Ann Cleeves’s Shetland novels, Raven Black and Blue Lightning.

Gaby Chiappe has been a screenwriter for fifteen years. Her recent work includes episodes of Survivors, Lark Rise to Candleford and The Paradise for BBC 1, and Vera for ITV. She has also adapted Lissa Evans novel Their Finest Hour and a Half for Wildgaze Films, Number 9 films and BBC films. She is currently adapting Ann Cleeves’ Raven Black for the forthcoming series of Shetland.

An award-winning playwright, Richard Davidson’s screenwriting career began with Eastenders. He was a lead writer on the show for six years, contributing more than 60 episodes. Recently, he’s become a key writer on Silent Witness – writing for the last 3 seasons – and is currently working on Vera for ITV, and an adaptation of Ann Cleeves’ Blue Lightning for Shetland. Richard is also adapting Midge Gillies’ Barbed Wire University for BBC Drama.

As its title suggests, the subject of the workshop will be adaptation of existing texts, including novels and short stories for the screen.

The workshop will be a practical one in the sense that participants will be encouraged to do some structuring and writing themselves. It will also include the analysis of and discussion about some existing screen writing and of the finished on screen product.

Shetland Arts Literature Development Officer, Donald Anderson said: “This is a great opportunity for anybody who is interested in developing their writing for screen to take part in what promises to be a fascinating and helpful workshop, led by two vastly experienced screen writers.”

Places on the workshop cost £5 and can be booked via Shetland Box Office in Mareel & Islesburgh, over the phone on 01595 745 555, or online here. Places are limited, so prompt booking is highly recommended.

Source: Shetland Arts

‘Jammy Dodger’ by author Kevin Smith, published by Sandstone Press in August 2012, has been long listed for the Desmond Elliott Prize 2013 – a prize to recognize and support new writers of fiction.

The novel ‘Jammy Dodger’ is a rich and riotous coming-of-age tale set in 1980s Belfast, following the trajectory of would-be bohemian Artie Conville and his escapades as he tries to keep his subsidised arts magazine (a cushy number to escape the real world of 9 -5 jobs, mortgages and political violence) afloat.

Sandstone Press Managing Director Robert Davidson, commented:-

“We are absolutely delighted that Kevin Smith’s debut novel has received this recognition. Kevin is a remarkably gifted author whose first book has already entertained many readers and will entertain many more. Our thanks also go to the organisers of this prestigious competition which honours the name of the late Desmond Elliott.”

Author Kevin Smith is “over the moon” at news of his long listing. We’re just not sure if he means Earth’s, or another planet’s.

Source: Sandstone Press

THE WILLIAM HAZLITT ESSAY PRIZE

Notting Hill Editions is delighted to announce an annual literary prize for the best essay in the English language, of between 2,000 and 8,000 words, published or unpublished, on any subject. The award is named in honour of William Hazlitt (1778-1830), great master of the miscellaneous essay.

Chair of judges author and journalist Harry Mount says ‘The British have always underplayed the importance of the essay, and yet we’re naturally very good at them. The mixture of wit, brevity and original thought suits us down to the ground. Such a generous prize is bound to produce a fresh crop of first-rate essays from established and new writers.’

The prize will be judged on the originality of the ideas, the quality of the prose and the ability to communicate to a wide audience. All entries for the competition must be between 2,000 and 8,000 words.

Award value: £15,000. Five runners-up will each receive £1000.

Judges: Harry Mount (chair), Gaby Wood, Adam Mars-Jones, Lady Antonia Fraser, David Shields.

Eligibility / Submissions:

Authors of any nationality are eligible, but submissions must have been written originally in English.

If already published, the essay must have appeared for the first time in periodical (print or online) rather than book form, between 1 January 2012 and 31 July 2013.

Submissions (one entry per author) may be made by author, publication or agent. Submission of an essay by a publisher or other third party will be taken as agreement by the author that he/she is willing for the submitted work to be considered. The judges reserve the right to call in any unsubmitted eligible essay.

Submissions deadline: 1 August 2013.

Entries must include a cover letter and be uploaded to the NHE website using the link www.nottinghilleditions.com/essay-prize. Each entry must be paginated with the title of the essay on the top of each page. All entries must also be double-spaced. Please only include author name on the covering letter so that authors remain anonymous to the judges. There is an entry fee of £10 to cover administration payable via our website.

Complete terms and conditions can be found at: www.nottinghilleditions.com/essay-prize

Final results will be announced on 26 September 2013.

Copyright in the works submitted remains with the authors, but Notting Hill Editions reserves the right to publish or reprint the winning entries in a dedicated collection.

The judges’ decision is final. Neither discussion nor correspondence can be entered into.

“It does not treat of minerals or fossils, of the virtues of plants, or the influence of planets; it does not meddle with forms of belief, or systems of philosophy, nor launch into the world of spiritual existences; but it makes familiar with the world of men and women, records their actions, assigns their motives, exhibits their whims, characterises their pursuits in all their singular and endless variety, ridicules their absurdities, exposes their inconsistencies, ‘holds the mirror up to nature, and shows the very age and body of the time its form and pressure’; takes minutes of our dress, air, looks, words, thoughts, and actions; shows us what we are, and what we are not; plays the whole game of human life over before us, and by making us enlightened Spectators of its many-coloured scenes, enables us (if possible) to become tolerably reasonable agents in the one in which we have to perform a part. It is the best and most natural course of study.”

— William Hazlitt, ‘On the Periodical Essay’ (1821)

About Notting Hill Editions

Notting Hill Editions is the publishing imprint devoted to the best in non-fiction essay writing.

‘What matters here is not specific ideology but a commitment to ideas. These books will appeal to readers who savour the taste of thought. Let us hope that their number swells.’ – The Independent.

Each volume is elegantly produced in compact, linen-bound hardback, and the imprint has already won a prestigious international award for product design from Red Dot. As of this date there are around thirty titles in the collection, with new titles published several times a year. Available from good bookshops and from the Notting Hill Editions website.

The Notting Hill Editions website, www.nottinghilleditions.com, is a hub for all activity around the imprint and essay writing in general. As well as a bookstore, visitors will also discover the Essay Library, compiled by biographer Ophelia Field and featuring 100 of the greatest essays ever written.

Source: Notting Hill Editions

Anne Perry, who now lives in Ross Shire, began her publishing career with The Cater Street Hangman. Published in 1979, this was the first book in the series to feature the Victorian policeman Thomas Pitt and his well-born wife Charlotte. It was filmed and broadcast on ITV featuring a young Keely Hawes. This is arguably the longest sustained crime series by a living writer. Midnight At Marble Arch is the latest in the series, released September 2012.

In 1990, Anne started a second series of detective novels with The Face of a Stranger. These stories are set about 35 years before and features the private detective William Monk and volatile nurse Hester Latterly. The most recent of these (18th in the series) is Blind Justice (April 2013).

Anne won an Edgar award in 2000 with her short story “Heroes”. The main character in the story features in an ambitious five-book series set during the First World War. None of her books has ever been out of print, and they have received critical acclaim and huge popular success: over 26 million books are in print world-wide. Her books have appeared on bestseller lists in a number of foreign countries, where she has also had excellent reviews. The Times selected her as one of the 20th Century’s “100 Masters of Crime”.

Anne’s most recent stand-alone is The Sheen on the Silk, set in the exotic and dangerous world of the Byzantine Empire, and is a critical success. Come and meet Anne along with the other writers who include David Hewson, Ian Rankin and Val McDermid all in Cromarty next weekend. For more information, please visit the Cromarty Arts Trust website at www.cromartyartstrust.org.uk or phone 01381 600354.

Source: Cromarty Arts Trust

Since it began 16 years ago, the Award has kick-started the career of some of today’s most exciting new voices. Many past winners have gone on to become published and prize-winning poets, including: Caroline Bird, Sarah Howe and Caleb Klaces.

Through winning an award, poets receive a programme of writing support – the top 15 poets are published in an anthology which will go out to more than 20,000 people worldwide in March 2014.

There are two prizes available for the 15 overall winners of the award. The 14-17 year olds get the chance to attend a week-long residential course at one of the prestigious Arvon Centres where they will be tutored by this year’s judges Hannah Lowe and David Morley.

The younger age range winners (11-14 year olds) will receive a visit to their school from a professional poet, followed by distance mentoring. The 85 Commended Winners also receive book prizes and a year’s Youth Membership of the Poetry Society.

All 100 winners of the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award benefit from ongoing support and encouragement, via publication, performance, promotion and internship opportunities throughout the UK.

The phrase ‘Former Foyle Young Poet’, is now commonly found in professional biographies as alumni continue to make their mark on the wider literary world, their names appearing on bookshelves and at festivals the world over.

Hannah Lowe said: “I am absolutely delighted to be judging the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award this year. I am certain we will discover some really exciting new voices.”

The competition is open to all young poets, whether they have been writing for a long time or just started – all they need is a passionate engagement with words. The Foyle Young Poet of the year award is free to enter and poems can be of any length and on any subject. The deadline for entries is 31 July 2013. Find out more at: www.foyleyoungpoets.org

Source: Foyle Young Poets

To kick off the very first Crime and Thrillers weekend in Cromarty, on Friday April 12th 2013, Cromarty Arts Trust will be hosting a Murder Mystery dinner at the Royal Hotel in Cromarty. A gruesome and grizzly murder will happen before your very eyes but who done it? That is the question.

The weekend will continue with 4 of the best exponents of this genre – Ian Rankin, Val McDermid, Anne Perry and David Hewson.

Thanks to an award from Creative Scotland, this has given the Cromarty Arts Trust an opportunity to work with partners in Cromarty and the Black Isle to present this event.

On Saturday and Sunday, the writers will be giving illustrated talks on their own books and styles of writing. This format will be of great interest to those budding writers out there as well as aficionados of the Crime and Thrillers genre. Sessions will be held all over Cromarty: at the Stables, Victoria Hall, the Brewery and the Courthouse.

Books will be on sale and book signings will be happening too.

Ian Rankin, OBE, DL is one of Scotland’s best known crime writers known for his Inspector Rebus novels. He has also written several pieces of literary criticism. Originally from Fife he now has an international reputation with many awards to his credit including the Cartier Diamond Dagger, Edgar Award for Best Novel, Grand Prix de Littérature Policière – International Category

Val McDermid is a Scottish crime writer, best known for a series of suspense novels starring her most famous creation, Dr. Tony Hill. She is one of the biggest names in UK crime writing. Her novels have been translated into 30 languages, sold over 10 million copies worldwide and well over 1 million in the UK. Val’s awards include Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award, Cartier Diamond Dagger, Dilys Award, Barry Award for Best British Crime Novel, Anthony Award for Best Novel, Macavity Awards for Best Mystery Novel

Anne Perry is an English author of historical detective fiction now living in Ross Shire. Anne’s publishing career began with The Cater Street Hangman. Published in 1979, this was the first book in the series to feature the Victorian policeman Thomas Pitt and his well-born wife Charlotte. It was filmed and broadcast on ITV featuring a young Keely Hawes.. Midnight At Marble Arch is the latest in the series, released September 2012. Her awards include the Agatha Award for Best Novel, Edgar Award for Best Short Story, Agatha Award for Best Short Story

David Hewson is a contemporary British author of mystery novels. His series of mysteries, featuring police officers in Rome, led by the young detective and art lover Nic Costa, began with A Season for the Dead. In June 2011 it was announced Hewson would write the novels based upon the first two series of the Danish TV series The Killing.

Details of the weekend:

• Saturday 13th April 11am – 1pm Ian Rankin ‘Bringing Rebus Back’
• Saturday 13th April 11am – 1pm David Hewson ‘The Killing – Between TV and Fiction’
• Saturday 13th April 2.30-4.30 Val McDermid ‘Killing People for Fun and Profit’
• Saturday 13th April 2.30-4.30 Anne Perry ‘Put Your Heart on the Page!’

Saturday Concert and Supper at Resolis Hall from 6.30pm featuring the incredible Cahalen Morrison and Eli West, two of the most innovative and subtle roots musicians today. Come and enjoy some good old time bluegrass music!

• Sunday 14th April 11am – 1pm Ian Rankin and Val McDermid – ‘The Vitality of Scottish Crime Fiction’
• Sunday 14th April 11am – 1pm Anne Perry and David Hewson – ‘Research, Location and Background’
• Sunday 14th April 2.30-4.30 – A Question and Answer Session with all 4 authors followed by a Book Signing

For more information and to book your place, please contact:

The Cromarty Arts Trust, Ardyne, 19 Bank Street, Cromarty, The Black Isle IV11 8YE
Phone 01381 600354 or email: info@cromartyartstrust.org.uk

Cromarty Arts Trust: www.cromartyartstrust.org.uk

Source: Cromarty Arts Trust

Friday April 12th – Sunday April 14th

To kick off the very first Crime and Thrillers weekend in Cromarty, on Friday April 12th, Cromarty Arts Trust will be hosting a Murder Mystery dinner at the Royal Hotel in Cromarty. A gruesome and grizzly murder will happen before your very eyes but who done it? That is the question.

The weekend will continue with 4 of the best exponents of this genre –

Ian Rankin, Val McDermid, Anne Perry and David Hewson.

Thanks to an award from Creative Scotland, this has given the Cromarty Arts Trust an opportunity to work with partners in Cromarty and the Black Isle to present this event.

On Saturday and Sunday, our writers will be giving illustrated talks on their own books and styles of writing. This format will be of great interest to those budding writers out there as well as aficionados of the Crime and Thrillers genre. Sessions will be held all over Cromarty: at the Stables, Victoria Hall, the Brewery and the Courthouse.

Books will be on sale and book signings will be happening too.

Ian Rankin, OBE, DL is one of Scotland’s best known crime writers known for his Inspector Rebus novels. He has also written several pieces of literary criticism. Originally from Fife he now has an international reputation with many awards to his credit including the Cartier Diamond Dagger, Edgar Award for Best Novel, Grand Prix de Littérature Policière – International Category

Val McDermid is a Scottish crime writer, best known for a series of suspense novels starring her most famous creation, Dr. Tony Hill. She is one of the biggest names in UK crime writing. Her novels have been translated into 30 languages, sold over 10 million copies worldwide and well over 1 million in the UK. Val’s awards include Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award,

Anne Perry is an English author of historical detective fiction now living in Ross Shire. Anne’s publishing career began with The Cater Street Hangman. Published in 1979, this was the first book in the series to feature the Victorian policeman Thomas Pitt and his well-born wife Charlotte. It was filmed and broadcast on ITV featuring a young Keely Hawes.. Midnight At Marble Arch is the latest in the series, released September 2012. Her awards include the Agatha Award for Best Novel, Edgar Award for Best Short Story, Agatha Award for Best Short Story

David Hewson is a contemporary British author of mystery novels. His series of mysteries, featuring police officers in Rome, led by the young detective and art lover Nic Costa, began with A Season for the Dead. In June 2011 it was announced Hewson would write the novels based upon the first two series of the Danish TV series The Killing.

Details of the weekend:

Saturday 13th April 11am – 1pm Ian Rankin ‘Bringing Rebus Back’

Saturday 13th April 11am – 1pm David Hewson ‘The Killing – Between TV and Fiction’

Saturday 13th April 2.30-4.30 Val McDermid ‘Killing People for Fun and Profit’

Saturday 13th April 2.30-4.30 Anne Perry ‘Put Your Heart on the Page!’

Saturday Concert and Supper at Resolis Hall from 6.30pm featuring the incredible Cahalen Morrison and Eli West, two of the most innovative and subtle roots musicians today. Come and enjoy some good old time bluegrass music!

Sunday 14th April 11am – 1pm Ian Rankin and Val McDermid

‘The Vitality of Scottish Crime Fiction’

Sunday 14th April 11am – 1pm Anne Perry and David Hewson

‘Research, Location and Background’

Sunday 14th April 2.30-4.30

A Question and Answer Session with all 4 authors followed by a Book Signing

For more information and to book your place, please contact:

The Cromarty Arts Trust, Ardyne, 19 Bank Street, Cromarty, The Black Isle IV11 8YE

Phone 01381 600354 or email: info@cromartyartstrust.org.uk

ALSO

Sing into Spring with Corrina Hewat!

A whole weekend of Singing will be held in the Stables at Cromarty on Sat 23rd and 24th March. This 2 day workshop from 11-4pm with Corrina Hewat will include relaxing warm ups for the voice concentrating on the simpler, shorter and quicker to learn songs that bring instant rewards and maximum fun. Some good time warm ups too that are instantly harmonious and also more complex pieces in several parts that offer the opportunity for a good sing.

The weekend will continue learning songs – traditional and original that will challenge and tickle your vocal chords. This style of workshop has proved to be very popular with new and experienced singers alike.

Having just come back from the very first Celtic Connections Song School at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Corrina is keen to share some of her songs in her own special style. Here’s an opportunity to sing your socks off in Cromarty while gaining confidence in finding harmonies.

No need to read music, just bring a voice and a smile and you will be amazed at the sound the group produces under her skillful guidance. This event is run in partnership with Feis Rois and Cromarty Arts Trust.

Cost for the 2 days is £60 which includes soup and sandwich lunch.

For bookings please contact Morag MacDonald at Feis Rois on 01349 862600

And for those of who who fancy a weekly singing session, why not come along to Rosemarkie Village Hall on Wednesday nights from 7-9pm or the Muir of Ord Library on Mondays from 7,30-9.30. Lots of good fun and learning songs as well. For details contact Caroline Hewat on 01381 600354.

Source: Cromarty Arts Trust

Jen said: “We’ll discuss where a poem comes from, what it can be, and where it can take you, as you embark on experiments exploring, image, idea, sound and performance. This course offers you the opportunity to discover and/or strenghten your poetic voice in a supportive environment, with an experienced tutor.”

Writers of all levels of confidence are welcome to attend.

The cost for both days is £25 and places are limited. Those interested in attending are encouraged to book a place asap via Shetland Box Office in Mareel & Islesburgh, over the phone on 01595 745 555, or online at www.shetlandboxoffice.org

Source: Shetland Arts

Friday 1 March, 6pm, Mareel Shetland & Inspace Edinburgh

On Friday 1 March at 6pm, Screen 2 in Mareel will play host to the Shetland end of a poetry reading which will take place simultaneously in both Lerwick and Edinburgh. The reading will feature two of the country’s most acclaimed poets, Kathleen Jamie and Jen Hadfield. The event is run by The Scottish Poetry Library, Shetland Arts and Inspace.

Jen Hadfield will read in Shetland and be broadcast to Edinburgh, while Kathleen Jamie will read in Edinburgh and be broadcast to Shetland. We’ll also discuss whether technology and nature can support one another, how contemporary poetry responds to modern landscapes (rolling hills dotted with wind farms, for instance) and link up with live feeds from Scotland’s wilderness.

Kathleen Jamie is a poet, essayist and travel writer, one of a remarkable clutch of Scottish writers picked out in 1994 as the ‘new generation poets’ – it was a marketing ploy at the time but turns out to have been a very prescient selection. She became Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Stirling in 2011. Her most recent collection of poetry, Overhaul, was shortlisted for this year’s TS Eliot prize, and she received an Eric Gregory award, at the age of nineteen. Her other eight collections of poetry include The Queen of Sheba, Mr & Mrs Scotland are Dead, Jizzen, and The Tree House which between them have garnered three TS Eliot Award nominations, two Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prizes, and two Forward Poetry Prizes.

Jen Hadfield has also received an Eric Gregory award for the completed manuscript of her first collection, Almanacs, and a Dewar award. Her second collection, Nigh No Place, (Bloodaxe) was nominated for the Forward Prize and won the 2008 TS Eliot poetry prize – she is still the youngest poet to have won this award. A resident of Shetland, Jen is increasingly recognized as a nature poet is greatly inspired by the landscape, ecology and culture of her adopted home. Since 2008, Jen has been much in demand, both on the Poetry reading circuit, as creative writing tutor and not least as a reader of Residence in 2011, with Shetland Library, which was part of the Creative Futures Readers in Residence programme, funded by Creative Scotland and developed and administered by Shetland Arts.

Shetland Arts’ Literature Development Officer, Donald Anderson said: “This is an exciting event, not least because it features two poets of the highest quality with immense reputations. It is also exciting because we are able to run a literature event simultaneously in two places at once, thanks to the technology we now have available to us in Mareel. The implications of this are massive in terms of running literature events jointly with other venues and with literature organizations such as the Scottish Poetry Library, the Book Festival Scotland network and so on.”

He added that as the event was being staged in Screen 2 which has a relatively small capacity, anybody interested in coming along should get their ticket at the soonest opportunity. Tickets to attend the Mareel event are available via Shetland Box Office in Mareel & Islesburgh, over the phone on 01595 745 555, or online at www.mareel.org

Source: Shetland Arts

“We are absolutely delighted that Creative Scotland has supported the Play Pieces lunchtime theatre season for the next two years” said Lindsay Brown who started Play Pieces back in 2011. “It’s very exciting to be able to work with Creative Scotland to develop the lunchtime season as well as support Highland Theatre companies showcase their ideas.”

As with the original season, Play Pieces is now open to ideas from Highlands & Islands based Theatre companies for contemporary, short works to be performed as part of the lunchtime season which will run from May until November, extending the season by one month. Each show is on the first Saturday of the month, will be approximately 1 hour long and ticket prices will include lunch. This year the venue will be the city-centre based Spectrum Centre.

Since it’s humble beginnings back in 2011, Play Pieces has been delighted to support new theatre companies such as SkinnyDip Theatre and Skaerlings Theatre as well as well known and respected companies such as Right Lines Theatre and Zenwing Puppets. “We had an exciting, diverse programme in 2011 and I’m looking for a good mix again this year.” Lindsay explained. “Ideas are already coming in. I’m interested in showcasing all sorts of shows from comedy, multi-media, dark tragedy to some that might really be exploring issues facing our Highland society. Highlanders have always been an opinionated bunch, I think our Theatre can reflect that!”

Anyone interested in finding out how to submit ideas can head to the Play Pieces website (www.playpieces.co.uk) for more information. The deadline for proposals is Friday 15 February and Lindsay adds that if people want to chat through their ideas then they can certainly get in touch in advance.

“Play Pieces is all about finding new ways of making Theatre accessible to everyone in the Highlands.” said Lindsay, originally from Achiltibuie. “Our lunchtime season has already proven popular and we really hope people will continue to support Highland companies who are producing some very exciting work.”

Source: Play Pieces

Fonn: The Campbells of Greepe (subtitled Music and a Sense of Place in a Gaelic Family Song Tradition) tells the story of a Hebridean family with a gift for music which goes back generations – and pays tribute to the place and culture that allowed them to flourish.

A quick glance at their family tree reveals seven Mod medallists, including several winners of that prestigious ‘double’ in traditional Gaelic singing: the Gold Medal and the Traditional Medal.

Many of the Campbells, who hailed from Skye and latterly Glasgow, are household names throughout the Highlands and Islands and in the world of Scottish music. One of them, Kenna Campbell, famously sang the 23rd Psalm at the memorial service for the late Labour leader, John Smith.

Kenna, honoured with a doctorate from RSAMD in 2009, was part of folk group Na h-Eilthirich (The Exiles) in the 70s, along with her sister Ann and brother Seumas, while, in more recent years, other members of the family have sung together in Cliar.

The first of the Mod Gold Medal winners in the Campbell family was Kenna’s aunt, Seonag, who won in 1957. Other winners were Kenna’s sister Ann, Ann’s daughter, Maggie MacDonald, and Kenna’s two daughters, Mary Ann and Wilma Kennedy. They were both double medallists, just as their uncle Seumas was in in his day.

Fonn, which is being launched at Sabhal Mor’s 40th Anniversary Festival Concert in Glasgow’s City Halls, tells the story of the family in their own words and those of their friends.

The main part of the book is recollections based on interviews by journalist and broadcaster Morag Stewart. There are also pictures from the family albums, family trees, maps of the area of Skye they came from, press cuttings and record cards.

Fonn is completely bilingual, being presented in Gaelic and English throughout, and also features a large collection of traditional songs from the family’s repertoire, transcribed by Mary Ann.

There is also an accompanying CD featuring rare recordings of older family members, including some from the archives at The School of Scottish Studies dating back to the 50s.

A CD of the same name, Fonn, is available separately and features new recordings of the family together. It was produced by Jerry Boys to coincide with the book and is available from Watercolour Music.

A large number of people were involved with Fonn. The book’s introduction was written by Dr John Macinnes, formerly of Edinburgh University, while the project was initially co-ordinated by Skye-based photographer and broadcaster Cailean Maclean. The photographic images used for the cover designs were by Phil Gorton from Skye.

The idea itself came from the former manager of Lewis-based publishers Acair. Norma Macleod, who is now retired, also edited the book in close co-operation with members of the family. She described the finished product as “a magnificent record of a family who contribute such an amazing amount to Gaelic tradition, music and song”.

Acair manager Agnes Rennie said Fonn was “for anyone with an interest in Gaelic music and heritage”, adding: “It pulls together a lot of things that we, as a company, value and work to promote.”

Mary Ann Kennedy said: “If it weren’t for Norma Macleod at Acair, this would never have happened. We are incredibly grateful because various people have taken an interest in our music and our story.

“We really don’t regard ourselves as being special. The reason the family are who they are and do what they do is because of the community that they grew up in.”

Fonn: The Campbells of Greepe (Music and a Sense of Place in a Gaelic Family Song Tradition) is available from Acair – www.acairbooks.com – and all good book shops, priced £30.

Source: Acair

ebook image by Daniel Sancho via a Creative Commons licence

This AmbITion Scotland Roadshow and webcast will give an insight into some of the issues and opportunities raised by digital (or self) publishing. Whether you’re a reader, writer, author, publisher, or professional who creates or curates written work in the creative, cultural and heritage sector, you’ll be able to explore the emerging potential of using digital publishing tools to enable your written and literary output to have increased global reach, access, impact and scale.

Date: 31 January 2013

Location: Pitlochry Festival Theatre – part of the Winter Words Festival

Time: 10am – 4.15pm

Live webcast seminar:  2pm – 3.45pm – Sign up for a ticket above

Cost: Free!

For local audiences and Winter Words Festival attendees, there’s an opportunity to come along to the AmbITion Scotland Roadshow at Pitlochry Festival Theatre to experience workshops in the morning, share lunch and then be the live audience for the Future of the Book – a Rich Media Fiction? webcast. Morning workshop attendees will be able to:

• explore the emerging potential of using digital tools to encourage global reach, access, engagement and participation with local projects initiated by the creative, cultural and heritage sector.  

By attending the afternoon seminar either in person or online, you will:

• See and hear case studies of projects that have optimised the opportunities of digital publishing and interactive storytelling by using digital tools. 
• Take away practical advice on how digital publishing tools can help you deepen participation and engagement with your audiences and readerships digitally. 
• Learn about how rich media fiction projects have created interactive live experiences for readers. 
• Learn also about how rich media fiction projects have devolved editing and publishing into the hands of audiences, crowdsourcing curation and participation.

This is the first AmbITion Scotland Roadshow of 2013!

The Agenda

1000: Arrivals, coffee, registration for workshops

1030: Workshops session 1: choice of 4 

1145: Workshops session 2: choice of 4 

1300: Lunch and networking

———–

1400: FUTURE OF THE BOOK WEBCAST LIVE

1400: Welcome from Pitlochry Festival Theatre and the Winter Words Festival

1405: Welcome and update from AmbITion Scotland: Hannah Rudman

1415: if/book – Nearly Writers: Chris Meade

1455: Rich Media Fictions: Kohl Publishing

1515: Showcase – Digital Adaptation of the 39 Steps: The Story Mechanics

1525: Q&A  online and live audiences, chaired by Hannah Rudman.

1545: End of webcast

1545: Tea/coffee and networking

1615:  Event finish

Workshops

All workshops are pitched at an introductory level

Workshop 1. Nearlwriting Workshop

What have you nearly written, what stopped you and might restart you? Which digital possibilities are best for your needs,  from blogs, POD and tweets to apps and new media writing for the web. What kinds of stories do we need for the kinds of lives we lead today? Contribute to the Nearlyology and experience collaborative reading and writing.

Workshop leader: Chris Meade, if/book

Workshop 2. Interactive Entertainment and Digital Storytelling

Once interactive entertainment was synonymous with gaming. But times have changed. Now story is very much a interactive genre, and with the explosion of tablets, laptops and gaming consoles into pretty much every household, and into the hands of every demographic, it is a genre that is about to expand significantly. This session will explore the notion of digital storytelling- its past, future and present – as well as giving the audience the chance to work up their own ideas and explore how traditional media can become interactive.

Workshop leader: Simon Meek, The Story Mechanics

Workshop 3. Webcasting: digitally distributing live content whatever your bandwidth!

A workshop on what, why, when, where and how to webcast. Come away with the technical and practical basics that need considering around creating a live webcast of your content; and gain an overview of some of the production kit, tools, and software you will need, especially those that work with low bandwidths.  

Bring: smartphones and/or laptops with inbuilt cameras

Workshop leaders: Hannah Rudman, Envirodigital / Arran Moffat, Glocast

Workshop 4. Social Media: pragmatic planning to meet your goals

By now, most artists and cultural organisations are on at least one – usually more than one – social media channel.  But many are also unsure which one is right for them or if they are making the best use of these.  Using Culture Sparks’ Social Media Snapshot as base line to set the Scottish context, the workshop will help participants look at their engagement, access and marketing goals to begin to judge how to make more strategic use of social media channels.  The workshop will also showcase some best practice examples to help participants with tangible ideas.

Workshop leaders: Dianne Greig & Ashley Smith Hammond, Culture Sparks

Speakers & Workshop leaders

Leila Cruickshank & Lesley Dickson

Kohl Publishing – Leila Cruickshank & Lesley Dickson

Leila Cruickshank has worked in trade publishing for six years, first in Sales and Marketing, and then in Production and Editorial. She became a freelance editor and proofreader in September 2010, and currently has clients in publishing, marketing, copywriting and project coordination.

Lesley Dickson has worked in trade publishing in Sales and Marketing and for a global academic publishing house in London in a Marketing and Publicity role. In 2010 she returned to academia to take up a PhD scholarship at the University of Glasgow. Her research involves an ethnographic study of film festivals audiences and spectatorship more broadly. She has a deep interest in audience consumption and behaviour and has previously investigated digital storytelling ventures in publishing and the ways digital audiences engage with digital narratives.

Culture Sparks – Dianne Greig & Ashley Smith Hammond

Dianne Greig is the Senior Partner for Digital Strategy at Culture Sparks.  Culture Sparks is the intelligence and innovation partnership for the cultural sector.  Specialising in marketing, communications, digital/social media and research consultancy, Dianne works with a variety of Scottish arts and cultural sector organisations and venues on a wide range of public engagement projects and programmes. 

Ashley Smith Hammond is the Project Manager for AmbITion Scotland. Ashley is responsible for delivering AmbITion Scotland’s extensive events programme, its £400,000+ funding programme the Make:IT:Happen fund, and coordinating with the programme’s constituents around the country. Before she ran AmbITion Scotland Ashley was a lecturer in Cultural Studies and has an academic specialism in Scottish cultural policy. 

Chris Meade

Chris Meade

Chris Meade is Director of if:book UK, the think and do tank exploring digital possibilities for literature, and  Nearlywriter in Residence at Hornsey Library, London. Current if/book projects include the New Media Writing Prize and The Story Park, an interactive fiction for schools with David Almond.  Chris has been CEO of Booktrust and The Poetry Society, is the author of a Penguin book, a pilot sitcom for the BBC (nearly produced), digital novella In Search of Lost Tim and is currently working on The Nearlyology.

Simon Meek

Simon Meek is the creative head of The Story Mechanics, the interactive arm of Scottish TV production company Tern. He is an accomplished journalist, multimedia producer and game designer, with a passion for storytelling and interactive narratives. Currently, Simon is acting as director and executive producer on The Thirty Nine Steps – the first of a new type of digital story experience that will be commercially released in March 2013 on PC, Mac and iPad platforms.

Hannah Rudman

Hannah Rudman

Hannah Rudman has fifteen years experience working in the cultural, creative and tourism sectors, aiming to increase capability, capacity, confidence and creativity in e-business, ICT systems, digital content creation, digital audience development, and digital archiving.  Enhancing ecological, economic and social sustainability through digital developments is Hannah’s latest area of research, interest and work. Founder of Rudman Consulting Ltd, Hannah has been working through independent consultancy in the UK since 2003. 

Rudman Consulting creates national and regional programmes to ensure good policy and vision is implemented and embedded: designing and delivering Arts Council England’s and Creative Scotland’s AmbITion, a £3.2m change programme, that utilises IT and digital developments to facilitate the longer-term sustainability of cultural organisations. 

Hotels and B&Bs

For accommodation in Pitlochry try http://www.pitlochry.org

Contact

For more information about AmbITion Scotland or upcoming events contact Ashley Smith Hammond, AmbITion Scotland Project Manager.

Follow AmbITion on Facebook & Twitter –  hashtag #getambition

AmbITion Scotland

The novel, which will be published in the UK by Pan MacMillan on the 31st of January, features the return of Inspector Jimmy Perez, who teams up with Willow Reeves to investigate the death of journalist Jerry Markham who was chasing a story in the heart of the North Sea oil and gas industry.

Ann Cleeves is well known in Shetland and has many friends here. She is best known for her Inspector Ramsay novels, set in Northumberland, her Shetland Quartet, and her Vera Stanhope series, which has recently been televised on ITV and stars Brenda Blethyn.

BBC One produced a two part drama, starring Doug Henshall and featuring Shetland’s very own Steven Robertson, based on Red Bones the third novel from Ann’s Shetland Quartet.

Her novel, Raven Black, the first book of the Shetland Quartet, won the inaugural Duncan Lawrie Dagger, the richest crime-writing prize in the world, awarded annually by the Crime Writers Association.

As well as readings from the novel, by a Shetland actor, the event will feature a discussion between Ann and leading Forensic Pathologist, Dr James Grieve. Dr Grieve is a Senior Lecturer in Forensic Medicine at the Department of Pathology at the University of Aberdeen and a Police Forensic Pathologist for the North East and Grampian area.

He has carried out numerous post-mortem investigations including sudden unexpected natural events, suicides, homicides and accidents, as well as deaths possibly resulting from medical mishap. He regularly gives evidence in the criminal courts and at Fatal Accident Inquiries.

Shetland Arts Literature Development Officer, Donald Anderson said: “This promises to be fascinating and a thoroughly enjoyable event for all readers of crime fiction and for anybody who is interested in the nitty gritty of forensic pathology. Ann Cleeves and Dr James Grieve are highly entertaining speakers. It is also a great privilege for us to have the opportunity to host the launch of this novel on the day of its publication.”

Tickets for the launch are free but booking is strongly recommended as the event is expected to be popular. Tickets will be available on Friday 21 December via Shetland Box Office in Mareel and Islesburgh, over the phone on 01595 745 555, or online at www.mareel.org or www.shetlandboxoffice.org

Dead Water will be published in the UK by Pan Macmillan on 31st January 2013: it is already available for advance order from Amazon (ISBN: 978-0=2307-6017-2).

Source: Shetland Arts

The book is part-travelogue, part-memoir, inspired by a 14-day-long walk Angus Peter and Cailean made through the Isle of Skye last year. It’s called ‘ An t-Eilean: Taking a Line for a Walk’ and apart from giving an account of the walk through Skye, also delves into their childhood memories of their native South Uist and the pre-electric universe into which they were born. “It’s a life from the Tilley to the Telly and beyond” says Angus Peter.

All are welcome to the launch event, which will feature a few intoductory words from the local MSP Dave Thompson, raedings from Angus Peter and photographs from Cailean. And of course a Strùpag of tea and a few Christmas Mince Pies to add to the occasion .

www.anguspetercampbell.co.uk

Source: Angus Peter Campbell

The new Kindle edition has been specially put together with an e-reader screen in mind and boasts the same fine mix of fiction, poetry, articles and reviews as the paper magazine (Tom Pow, Kona Macphee, Liz Niven and Ian Stephen all feature in our latest issue).

What’s more, we remain FREE – no bad thing these days.

There’s an easy guide to downloading Northwords Now to an e-reader, PC, tablet or smartphone at our website: northwordsnow.co.uk

Source: Northwords Now

Made possible by the generous support of the Jerwood Charitable Foundation, the prize awards £2,500 to the best piece of short fiction by an unpublished writer resident in Great Britain and Ireland. The competition will open for submissions on 1 December 2012 via our website. The deadline is 1 March 2013. The prize will be awarded at a ceremony in March 2013.

The judges will be looking for short stories that explore and expand the possibilities of the form. We encourage submissions from all literary genres, and there are no restrictions on theme or subject matter. The only emphasis is on ambitious, imaginative and innovative approaches to creative writing. We hope that the award will demonstrate the vitality of a form too often neglected in Great Britain and Ireland.

Novelist Tom McCarthy, author of Men in Space, Remainder and the Man Booker-shortlisted C, will announce the winner at a prize-giving ceremony in London in April 2013. In addition to the £2,500 prize, the winner will be published in a quarterly print issue of The White Review. The winner will also have a chance to meet with Karolina Sutton, Senior Agent at Curtis Brown, to discuss their writing, plans for future work and possible routes to publication. Up to six shortlisted writers will have their work published online and receive feedback from the editors of The White Review.

Source: The White Review

If you’re an event organiser or programme planner for a venue, you might consider hosting a version of the exhibition, maybe incorporating contributions from local artists, storytellers, musicians and singers, and/or setting up a related workshop programme.

Should you be a storyteller, artist, musician etc who’s interested in touring impressive-looking images which are relatively inexpensive to produce, and easy to transport and display, the blog will be of interest. If you need any advice about the process, please get in touch.

Source: Bob Pegg

My Favourite Place, a book about Scotland’s best-loved places by a variety of people, some famous, some not, including Michael Palin, Alexander McCall Smith and Liz Lochhead will be available, free, from Libraries and bookshops. The book will be available from Shetland Library and in Mareel.

Other events in Shetland will include a project run by Shetland Arts, with multi-award winning poet and former Reader in Residence, Jen Hadfield, which will see bairns from Happy Hansel and Dunrossness Primary Schools reading to service users in Wastview and Overton Lea care centres.

On Friday 30th November, Mareel Café Bar will be the venue for a bookswap between 10am and 5pm. The upper café bar will be designated as the quiet area for the Reading Hour between 11am and 12pm, where people are welcome to come in sit down and relax with a good book and read for an hour and join in with thousands of people across the nation, on trains, in libraries, shops, work places who will all be reading too.

Shetland Arts’ Literature Development Officer, Donald Anderson said: “The benefits of reading are now known to go far beyond simple entertainment or the attainment of knowledge and learning. There is now evidence to show that reading can have a significant impact on people’s mental well being.”

Shetland Arts’ Marketing Officer, Lisa Ward said: “We’d like to encourage everyone to get involved in these events if they can. In particular, we’re welcoming everyone to bring a book or two to Mareel Café Bar and swap it with another book you fancy. Let’s all celebrate Book Week Scotland together!”

Source: Shetland Arts

The newly announced Ambassadors discussed their plans for the new scheme, met the CREATIVE team and even managed to squeeze in a matinee performance of The Haunting, a large-scale stage adaptation of Charles Dickens’ ghost stories.

The CREATIVE Ambassadors scheme gives young people the opportunity to play their part in how Eden Court serves its younger audiences, as well as receiving a range of benefits such as free tickets to selected performances, meetings with cast and crew of shows and an exclusive film screening at Eden Court Cinema chosen by members of the group.

Young people were invited to apply for the scheme in September, outlining how they could contribute to their local area through the arts and how they would like to become more involved in Eden Court’s activities. Successful applicants will hold their post for one year, with new applications opening in Autumn 2013.

Three of the Ambassadors will also be selected to take part in the CREATIVE Mentorship programme. This will allow the selected young people to plan and execute their own creative project, with the help of the staff and resources at the theatre. This could range from writing a play to developing a musical piece for performance, or curating an exhibition of artwork from their school or local area.

The new Ambassadors said: We’re really excited to begin promoting the arts in our local area and becoming more involved with Eden Court. This is such a great opportunity to connect with the theatre and develop our individual interests in the arts – we can’t wait to get started!

Eden Court CREATIVE Manager, Kati Kozikowska, said: We’re very excited to announce our first ever group of CREATIVE Ambassadors. Eden Court has always valued the input of young people into the way it serves the Highlands and this scheme is a structured, proactive way for us to forge partnerships with young adults and the areas they live in throughout the region.

As Ambassadors, they will not only help Eden Court to engage with the community and invite people to get more involved in the arts, but they’ll gain excellent experience in the arts industry and a strong boost to their CVs.

Throughout the course of the year there will be lots for the young Ambassadors to get involved with. The organisers of the Happyness Comedy Festival have already asked for their help in promoting a particular aspect of their festival next year, Class Clowns. This exciting new competition is for secondary school pupils throughout the Highlands and is, in short, a search for the comedy star of the future. It will involve workshops from well known comics, a comedy competition held at Eden Court, a national comedy competition staged in Edinburgh and the winner will get a weekend at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

All schools in the Highlands are being encouraged to take part and each school will be asked to select a winner to represent their school in the next stage of the competition but how they make this choice is up to them. Information packs detailing how the whole scheme works will be issued to every secondary school in the Highlands soon and it’s hoped that the new Eden Court CREATIVE Young Ambassadors will play a vital role in getting their schools involved in this exciting new project.

For more information about the Ambassadors scheme and to keep up to date with their blogs and activities, visit www.eden-court.co.uk/activities/ambassadors.

Source: Eden Court

Come and join us for a cup of tea and a scone and a free book published by the Scottish Book Trust to mark Scottish Book Week. It’s a special collection of writing about Scotland with inspiring stories, poems and songs by members of the public alongside well known writers including Michael Palin, Alexander McCall Smith, Liz Lochhead and Aidan Moffat. Illustrated by Alasdair Gray, it’s a book to be enjoyed and shared and we would like to share it with you.

This event is completely free – just turn up, collect your book and have a cup of tea and a blether!

We would also like to inform you that orders for advance copies of ‘Ballast Flint’ will be taken that day. Ballast Flint is a new collection of poems by Richie McAffrey with illustrations by Hannah Rye. Richie made such an impression when he read from some of his poetry at the Sir Thomas Conference last year, we felt we had to try and get a collection of his work published.

Ballast Flint will be published in early 2013 in a very limited edition. So let us know if you want to reserve a copy.

And just a reminder about Bob Pegg’s exciting song and storytelling event at the Stables at the weekend-

At the launch, on Friday 16th November at 7.00pm, guests of honour will be Essie Stewart and Alec Williamson, together with the artist John Hodkinson, creator of the illustrations of the stories.

Alec and Essie are among the last representatives of the ancient Highland Traveller storytelling tradition, and both have stories included in Highland Folk Tales.

The exhibition will also be open during the day on 16th from 10.30am – 5.00pm and throughout the weekend.

Source: Cromarty Arts Trust

On 16th, 17th and 18th November, from 10.30am to 5.00pm, Bob will be in the gallery to introduce the pictures and tell the stories behind them: tales of selkies, giants, highwaymen, last wolves, and the King of the Cats, including legends collected by Cromarty’s famous Victorian son Hugh Miller. Bob will also be playing some of his famous collection of musical instruments. There will be a space to sit and relax, chat, and have a hot drink and a biscuit.

As well as the display of giant pictures, a room in the gallery will be devoted to story-based prints and photographs from Bob Pegg’s own collection, including work by Robin Dale, Anna Davis, Ian Ferguson, Hannah Frank, John Hodkinson, Mhairi Killin, Kate Mellor, Martin Parr, and Sarah Young; and Highland-based artists Lee Bruce, Suzanne Gyseman, and David Stewart.

At the Exhibition Launch, on Friday 16th November at 7.00pm, guests of honour will be Essie Stewart and Alec Williamson, together with the artist John Hodkinson. Alec and Essie are among the last representatives of the ancient Highland Traveller storytelling tradition, and both have stories included in Highland Folk Tales. (The exhibition will also be open during the day on 16th from 10.30am – 5.00pm).

Every picture Tells a Story will end on Sunday 18th November at 3.30pm, with a Farewell Ceilidh. There will be stories, songs and music from Janet MacInnes, Andrew Mackintosh, Brian O hEadhra and host Bob Pegg. Admission is £4/£2 concession: and the event is suitable for a family audience.

Admission to the launch and the exhibition is free of charge.

The exhibition is supported by Enterprise Music Scotland, National Trust Scotland, and Cromarty Arts Trust.

Source: Bob Pegg

Education minister Michael Russell MSP and writer George Gunn celebrate Neil Gunn’s birthday at Dunbeath Heritage Centre, considering the work of a Caithness writer who helped found the National Party of Scotland in the 1920’s.

Dunbeath Heritage Centre, 9 November, 8pm, tickets £5 inc. refreshments.

www.dunbeath-heritage.org.uk

info@dunbeath-heritage.org.uk

01593 731233

Source: Dunbeath Heritage Centre

Workshops carried out with schools in the Western Isles were based on three key stories:

The Bag of Winds – from The Odyssey of Homer; The Three Knots – a tradition form the Monach islands; and Kingsfish – Ian’s story based on a tradition recorded in the J F Campbell collection of folklore. These resulted in a huge number of drawings. A selection of these images was bound with short texts into a hand-printed and hand-bound book.

The two artists would like to thank all at Western Isles Libraries who were involved in the project, the school teachers who gave such strong support and the pupils themselves who produced their own versions of the stories. Donald Smith, director of the Scottish Storytelling Centre first commissioned Ian to tell a section from the Odyssey as part of an ambitious re-telling of the whole work by tellers from Mediterranean islands, Ireland and Scottish islands.

“We were also privileged to be there when Sheila Stewart was presented with the lifetime achievement award. She accepted it on behalf of the wider community of travelling people who have been the holders of so much of our culture of songs and stories. Sheila sang a g enerous and humane song of friendship to end the official(ish) part of the evening and we were conscious of the happy ghost of Hamish Henderson in the company.

Warm thanks to everyone who voted for the project –

there was a huge number of votes cast but we were told that the voting was neck and neck in our category so every single vote really did count.

Please have a look back at the BASE page and have another look at some of the other projects described –

such as Marion Kenny’s wide-ranging work with Celtic Connections and many musicians, also available as a double CD.

Another Scot, Michael Kerrins won the male storyteller of the year award.”

Source: Ian Stephen

“The work produced is graced with an apparent simplicity and a deep sophistication.” It also has integrity and reflects the context from which it arose, including the culture from which the stories grew and the communities grew.”

Donald Anderson

“The children who took part in Ian’s workshops in Western Isles Primary schools in his role as Reader in Residence were transported. They made a connection with stories that was unique.”

Western Isles Library Service

There were over 5,000 responses to the call for nominations and ‘Acts of Trust’ has been short-listed in the multi-arts category.

Online voting is now up and running, but only until 9am on 28th September (winner announced on 29th). To vote click this link:

http://www.storyawards.org.uk/vote

You can read more about the awards here

http://www.storyawards.org.uk/about

If you feel this has been a worthwhile project, please vote for it. You have to register your name and set yourself a user name and email. Then you get an email with a link to vote (after setting a password) it sounds complicated but it isn’t really.

You might also consider voting for Liz Weir in the “Trailblazer” category. Liz has helped forge strong links between storytellers in Scotland and Ireland as well as between Northern Ireland and the Republic. She is also no stranger to the Outer Hebrides and a continuing exchange of stories is a legacy of her last visit.

Source: Ian Stephen

David Morrison (1941-2012)

ONE of those writers, George Gunn, wrote warmly and perceptively on Morrison’s work for Northings last year, and we would like to offer that piece by way of a tribute.

Landscape by David Morrison

Read George Gunn’s article here.

© Kenny Mathieson, 2012

A POEM writ large on a wall, on a corner so that the poem bends, might seem an unlikely starting point for a journey into representative democracy. But Angus Reid is no ordinary artist, and one whose fluid thought processes are stimulated by and in turn enrich the evolution of Scotland’s political progress, writes George Gunn.

THE poem at the core of this creative project is, in form, a classic 14th century Petrarchian sonnet: 14 lines of 10 syllables. What Reid does is to divide each line into 7 and 3 syllables so that the poem can physically “bend” around any corner where it is installed.

Angus Reid's Call for a Constitution at Caithness Horizons

The work reflects a central motif used by Catalan architect Enric Miralles in his design of the parliament building in Edinburgh – for Scotland, the physical embodiment of representative democracy. Angus Reid has picked up on Miralles’ use of an open hand, whereby the MSP’s in the debating chamber become the dexterous fingers, and the forearm and wrist represent the real power of the people. This power comes from the land itself as signified in Edinburgh by Arthur’s Seat and the Salisbury Crags. The main unfolding dialectic of Angus Reid’s ‘Call for a Constitution’ is the five fingers on the hand (for right-handed people the left hand, the “listening/thinking” hand) which relate to the “five principles”: “the sacred”, “freedom of conscience”, “the gift of every individual”, “communities” and “the land”.

Whether you agree with the poem, or disagree, or just want to participate, you are invited to leave a drawing of your left hand on the response wall beside the poem. Or respond by sending an image to Angus Reid’s website (see below) to be projected in the Scottish Parliament on the 25 September, coming along in person to Holyrood on the same day.

Reid also invites us, the viewer/participator, to create our own poem, to imagine our own constitution, to decide upon our own five principles. It is an intriguing and timely notion which has its origins in the “peace and reconciliation” architecture of the French visionary Le Corbusier and the “space and light” sculptures of Barbara Hepworth, as well as in the revelatory and inspirational constructions of Miralles himself. Angus Reid’s question to us is, I remind you, “What kind of country do you wish to live in?” This is an “open hand” question which cannot be answered by the simplistic dichotomy of “yes or no”.

What Angus Reid suggests, through his art, is that we undertake a journey into what it means to be a human animal in the modern world. Do not look for certainties on this journey for this is the territory of image, both abstract and clear, where meaning is fluid but where the image nonetheless insists upon meaning, political representation and consequence. For this is political art. The image is freedom and freedom is energy and energy is love and love is responsibility – as he writes in his poem: “to care for the land/ and wherever/ the land has been abused to/ restore it”.

Angus Reid

All of this is also education and education is a gift offered in an “open hand”. At Caithness Horizons, Angus Reid explained to his audience he wanted to “take the poem on a walk and see what happens”. It may be too early or indeed too grand to say that this is the journey to a revolution, but this fascinating arts project has the seed of revolution in its conception, and like revolution (and democracy) it depends upon people and their participation.

By way of Shetland to Orkney; from Sutherland to Uist; Dunbar to Dundee, until the end of September, you can participate: open your hand, make your mark, and think about what kind of country you wish to live in. Angus Reid will be at The Scottish Parliament on the 25 September at 6pm. For this event and full details of all the 13 other locations where you can see ‘Call For a Constitution, go to Angus Reid’s website (see link below).

See if you can turn the corner, along with the poem, into a new world.

© George Gunn, 2012

Links

• Angus Reid
• Caithness Horizons

Scotland's Culture

Each year the Scottish government conduct a Scottish Household Survey that gives us an insight into the composition, characteristics, attitudes and behaviours of Scottish households and individuals. The research is used by the government to support their work in transport, communities and local government policy areas and allow for the early detection of national trends. The Survey covers a range of topics including housing, communities, economic activity, finance, education, transport and travel, the internet, health and caring, local services, volunteering and culture and sport.

I’ve been looking over the last three published reports going back to 2007 to see what trends we can detect about cultural attendance and participation in Scotland. I’ve picked out some of the things which caught my attention and I’ll let you interpret the facts in the way you want. However this type of information can help you to identify either how big a potential local or national audience you could have, or help us to identify areas that we need to grow, develop and support.

Sian’s Top Insights into the Scottish Household Survey

I’ve been looking at the reports from 2007/2008, 2009/2010 and the most recent report 2011 to see what patterns or trends I can see. These are some which stood out.

Participation and attendance

• 63% of the population read for pleasure, by far the most popular cultural activity to participate in (the second most popular activity is dancing with 17%). There are approximately 5.2 million people living in Scotland, so this means around 3.3 million people read for pleasure.
• When we then look at the cultural activities that people attend in Scotland it shows that only 5% of the population attend book or writing related events, that’s about 261,100 people. A fraction of the total number of people who read books.
• A similar trend emerged for dance – 19% of the population participate in dancing, however only 5% attend a live dance or ballet performance. It is not clear what the survey means by ‘participate in dancing’ and whether that refers to classes or dancing on a night out.
• However in music, art, theatre and cinema the behaviour shows the opposite trend.
• Around 11% of the population play an instrument, however 28% have attended a live music event (that’s around 1.5 million people).
• 9% of people actively create art or sculpture, while 17% have attended a gallery, and a further 17% have attended an exhibition or viewed an art collection (together that’s around 1.7 million people – although I would imagine that people who said they have visited a gallery are likely to be the same people who say they attend exhibitions).
• And in cinema, 53% of the population have been to the cinema to see a film (the most popular activity attended in Scotland), however only 2% of people in Scotland actively make film or video’s.

Age

I noticed three possible trends in the data around age and attendance.

• There has been a small rise (2%) of the number of 16 to 24 year olds in attending cultural events in the last 5 years (2007-2011).
• Similarly for people aged 25 to 34 there has been a 2% increase in attendance.
• Together that’s about an extra 25,000 people under the age of 34 attending cultural events.
• However, this is compared to a 3% decrease in the number of people aged 75 and over attending cultural events – this equates to a drop of around 10,970 people.

 Frequency of Attendance

• A quarter of people go to the cinema once a month in Scotland (that’s about 705,000 people), while 42% of people go 3 or 4 times in a year (around 1.1 million people).
• On average 27% of the population have attended the theatre in the last 5 years (1.4 million people), of these less than a third have been 3 or 4 times a year (approximately 469,990 people), just over a third had been twice a year and less than a third once a year.
• Similar patterns emerged from museum attendance, live music attendance, exhibition and gallery attendance. Around about a third of people will attend 3 or 4 times a year, a third twice a year and a third once a year.
• In Crafts, although the survey does not clearly outline what a craft exhibition is and whether that includes craft fairs or visiting craft shops, approximately 11% of the population (574,430 people) have attended a craft exhibition. Around 23% go 3 or 4 times a year, 35% go twice a year and 36% go once a year.
• There has been an increase in the frequency of craft exhibitions people attend in the last 5 years – we can see a 5% increase from 21% of people attending craft exhibitions 3 or 4 times a year in 2007 to 26% in 2011 – that’s an increase of approximately 28,700 people in 5 years.
• In opera and classical music 6% of the population attend these events (that’s around 313,330 people). Of these 40% attended one event per year, 30% saw 2 events per year and 22% saw 3 or 4 events, which is approximately 68,930 people.
• We can also see some rises and falls within opera and classical music attendance over the last 5 years. In 2009/2010 there was a big rise in the number of people attending classical and opera events. In 2007/08 27% of people saw 2 events per year, and then in 2009/10 34% of people had seen 2 events. However in 2011 only 29% of people went to see 2 classical or opera events – that’s a drop of 5% – approximately 21,932 people from the previous two years.
• A similar fall can be seen in the number of people who see opera or classical music once a year. In 2007/08 44% of people went to see at least one classical or opera concert (that’s around about 137,863 people). While in 2011 this dropped by 5% to 39% – which is a fall of about 15,666 people.
• Finally dance showed a different trend, of the 5% of the population who attend live dance or ballet performances, over 50% go to see a show once a year, 25% go twice a year and 15% go 3 or 4 times a year.

Rural versus Urban

For the first time in 2009/2010 the survey distinguished between urban and rural attendance and participation. Although we only have two reports worth of data to compare there are some interesting trends to be brought to your attention.

• Attendance of live music events in urban areas and accessible rural areas has increased by 5%.
• Theatre attendance across urban and rural areas has stayed the same since 2009.
• Museum attendance has increased by 5% in remote rural areas.
• Gallery attendance has increased in remote small towns by 5% and 4% in rural areas.
• Nearly twice as many people in rural areas attend craft exhibitions as they do in urban areas. While 10% of urban populations go to craft events, 19% do so in remote rural areas and 17% in accessible rural areas.
• 8% of large urban populations attend dance performances compared to 7% of people in accessible rural areas; only 5% attend dance performances in remote rural areas.
• Of course there are individuals who do not attend any cultural events during the year, and the report shows us that 22% of people in urban areas do not attend, while 30% of people in remote rural areas do not attend.

There is a lot more information available in the reports which you can download directly from the Scottish Governments website (all links made available below). And if you would like any advice on how to use and interpret this kind of data then you can get in touch with me.

Scotland’s People

Scottish Household Survey 2007/2008

Scottish Household Survey 2009/2010

Scottish Household Survey 2011

While Scotland debates its political identity in preparation for an independence referendum, Edinburgh artist Angus Reid considered it was time to answer this question for himself. As a film-maker and visual artist as well as a writer, he decided to invite people across Scotland to join him in giving thought to the fact that – as he says – ‘We have no written constitution… no form of words that define a contract between a people and a government’. Mr Reid believes that the result of having no such defined constitution is that ‘certain values are easily over-ridden’.

He has written a poem, Call for a Constitution, which will be displayed in the members’ area of the Scottish Parliament from 17th-28th September. Before then, Caithness Horizons in Thurso is just one of a variety of locations from Dunbar to Lerwick to Uist where the poem will pop up, encouraging the Scottish public to engage with the quest to define the values by which a people’s government takes political action in their name.

The democratic process of making a personal mark as an individual within society is the device Angus Reid uses to bring his poem to life as an inter-active art installation. In each venue, the poem will appear in a unique public space, chosen to allow the passer-by to connect with the reflective purpose of the words. Beside the poem will be space for the public to leave their own mark, comment or handprint, joining MSPs and other communities in Scotland in a national response to the idea.

‘I wish people outside the parliament … to know that that gesture is making an impact in the parliament at the same time. The poem … invites a certain respect – a stillness, a contemplation – and it also invites people to participate. The act of participation is very significant, and a good way to achieve that is to encourage people to leave a handprint. I shall do this in the parliament, and I hope it is done wherever the poem is on display.’

Visitors to Caithness Horizons in Thurso can see the poem and make their own response from Thursday 30th August until Friday 28th September. Angus Reid himself will install the poem in the foyer of the building, and will give an illustrated presentation about the project and his work there on Thursday 30th August from 2pm. Members of the public are invited to attend this free event, and to participate in the artist’s Call for a Constitution.

The project is supported by Creative Scotland.

For more information, and how to participate go to www.angusreid.co.uk

You can see and act on Angus’s Call for a Constitution at:

Caithness Horizons, Old Town Hall, Thurso, Caithness

29 August – 28 September 2012; Mon – Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 11am-4pm

Tel. 01847 896508

E-mail: info@caithnesshorizons.co.uk

www.caithnesshorizons.co.uk

Source: Caithness Horizons

This event celebrates Scottish culture, writing, publishing and illustration, promoting reading and encouragng debate.

Moray, a microcosm of the best of Scotland, its scenery, its food produce, its culture, its whiskies – breath taking.

The Spirit of Moray Book Festival likewise is steeped in quality, variety and discovery, an enriching and rewarding gathering of Scotland’s best authors, illustrators and poets connecting with, enfolding and inspiring eager audiences of all ages.

For young people and families it’s a pleasure to welcome back those authors who enthral, enchant, entertain and electrify young listeners and readers. These are the authors whose unique skills empower, enhance and energise a love of reading, books and learning throughout life, for life.

For adults here is a perfect blend of culture, crime, heritage and history, golf, land grabbing, lore, legend and verse, old favourites, new territory, surprise, delight and debate.

Meet, mingle, buy, borrow or lend, relax, discover, talk about, share and celebrate the sheer magic of the written and spoken word.

A pdf version of the festival can be downloaded here: Spirit of Moray Book Festival 2012 Programme

Source: The Moray Council

Announced today (Friday, 17 August 2012) at the Edinburgh International Book Festival at a ceremony hosted by radio presenter and avid book fan, Dame Jenni Murray, the Award recognises and rewards the literary talent of an author from, or resident in, Scotland, or those whose books are of particular Scottish interest.

Amongst talented competition from the Fiction, Poetry, and First Book category winners – Ali Smith, Angus Peter Campbell and Simon Stephenson respectively – Galloway will receive a total prize of £30,000.

All Made Up is a personal and eloquent account of Galloway’s struggle to make sense of the physical and emotional changes of adolescence. In this, the second volume of Galloway’s memoirs, the prize-winning author reveals how the awkward child introduced in This is Not About Me evolved through her teenage years, living with her stoical mother and domineering older sister.

Janice Galloway’s first novel, The Trick is to Keep Breathing (1989), is now widely regarded as a Scottish contemporary classic. She has since penned three novels, three short story collections, one volume of poetry, and two autobiographies.

On winning the award Janice Galloway, said: ‘I am very grateful indeed the Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust are keeping the faith the writing and writers in these extremely testing times for the arts. The judges have chosen a shortlist to be proud of.’

Dr Gavin Wallace, Chair of the Judging Panel and Portfolio Manager for Literature, Publishing and Language, said:

‘This is Not About Me is a startling, shocking, and searing book, written with razor-sharp brilliance and immediacy and plangent poetic lyricism. It is an unforgettably vivid evocation of a very particular time and place – urban Ayrshire in the 1960s and 70s – but it is also universal in its deeply moving anatomy of the nourishing and survival of the artist through an enlightened education, in the midst of social and familial forces which seem to conspire against creativity and imagination at every turn.’

Andrew Dixon, Chief Executive of Creative Scotland, said:

‘From poets to storytellers, screenwriters and playwrights, Scotland is rich in literary talent. The Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust Book of the Year Award celebrates and rewards one of our best writers, a great way to shine a spotlight in this the Year of Creative Scotland 2012.’

Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs, said:

‘The Scottish Book Awards have been celebrating Scotland’s exceptional writing talent and spotlighting the very best of our excellent literary works for 40 years. Each year the shortlist has captured the incredible quality and scope of literature produced in Scotland, and 2012 – The Year of Creative Scotland – has been no exception.

‘Janice Galloway is an excellent, talented writer whose book, All Made Up, is a searing powerful capture of teenage life in Ayrshire in the 70’s, written with great memory and attention to detail. For anyone who lived in the time it provides instant flashback

‘Janice and all of the finalists can be proud of the unique and valuable contribution they are making to Scotland’s rich and vibrant culture.’

For a fifth year, Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust is proud sponsor of the Awards, which have been running since 1970. John Scott, Chairman of Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust, said:

‘The quality of the short list shows the depth of talent that exists in all categories of Scottish writing. Given the calibre and diversity of the entries, it must have been hard for the judges to select the category winners, to say nothing of the task of choosing the overall winner. Scottish Mortgage is again very pleased to be supporting the Scottish Book Awards and congratulates all those involved.’

Previous winners of the prestigious Award include renowned and acclaimed authors such as Jackie Kay for her autobiography Red Dust Road in 2011; Donald Worster for his biography A Passion for Nature: The Life of John Muir in 2010; James Kelman for his novel Kieron Smith, boy in 2009; and Edwin Morgan for his poetry collection A Book of Lives in 2008.

The Category winners each receiving £5,000 are:

· Fiction winner – Ali Smith for There but for the (Hamish Hamilton);

· Poetry winner – Angus Peter Campbell for Aibisidh (Birlinn);

· First Book winner – Simon Stephenson for Let Not the Waves of the Sea (John Murray).

Source: Creative Scotland

‘Just a Little Drop More’, follows in the footsteps of his previous successful releases about the Clearances in 2011, and about the threat to the environment of a Scottish island in 2009.

Despite the serious nature of the themes he has covered in these previous works, they are interspersed with humour, but “not so” with his new work.

“Undoubtedly there are humourous aspects to some of the characters with their idiosyncracies”, he said, “but ‘Just a Little Drop More’ is overall much more serious in tone”, he says.

“The subject matter is pretty heart rendering stuff, and raises quite a few serious questions for the reader, about how we treat vulnerable people in our society, but more so, how attitudes following years of inertia might dictate future policy in relation to safeguarding their welfare”.

Gordon’s last novel recieved good reviews in the United Kingdom, in the United States, and on Amazon.

His first novel published in 2009 by Tartan Moon was one of that publisher’s best sellers at the time, and was compared by them to a modern day ‘Whisky Galore’.

“What would you compare your current novel to?” we asked.

“A relative recently compared it to a film I have yet to see called, ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’, but whether or not that is the case, I’ve yet to see for myself”, he suggested.

Gordon also Podcasts about his novels and social issues , and these can be downloaded for free from the Apple itunes Store. More information about his work can be viewed on his website,

http://gordonmacleod.weebly.com/index.html

“What would class as a successful outcome for his new novel?” we queried.

“A success for me, is if it gets people thinking and talking about issues, they might not otherwise have given much thought to, up till now”.

‘Just a Little Drop More’, by Gordon MacLeod, was released on Amazon for Kindle in mid- July.

Source: Gordon MacLeod

Nonfiction is a success story for Scotland’s writers and publishers and we’re looking for new, unpublished, nonfiction books – or simply great ideas – for development for the commercial and mainstream book market.

The projects submitted can be memoirs, self-help guides, cook books or any other type of commercial nonfiction for adults or children.

For Scotland’s emerging and unpublished writers this is a great chance to pitch their work directly to a partnership of Scotland’s leading talent development agency for writers and Scotland’s leading Literary Agency – and through HI~Arts’ Talent Development project authors can get the professional assistance and advice they need in developing their book or idea – and have all the benefits of a leading literary agency behind them!

HI~Arts Talent Development Manager for writing, Peter Urpeth, said:

‘We are very excited to be able to launch this project at a time when nonfiction remains one of the strongest and most successful sectors in Scottish writing and publishing. But we know that the book market in general remains very difficult for writers looking to get an agent or publisher for their work.

‘This project combines a chance for writers to pitch their work to an agent with the chance to receive professional advice and support and from a leading talent development agency for writers.

‘Where appropriate, Jenny Brown Associates will work directly with writers whose work or ideas they like, and if we find promising work that needs the kind of nurturing that we can provide, then we will be offering that support.

‘HI~Arts has very considerable experience in assisting writers in developing their nonfiction projects, and in nurturing talent, and I’m sure that we are going to uncover some real unpublished gems of nonfiction through this project.’

The criteria for qualification are simple: writers must be resident in Scotland; the work or idea they plan to submit must be unpublished and all their own original work.

The application process is very straightforward. Writers complete the online form to tell us about their work or ideas for a nonfiction book, and send us the first three chapters. For those proposing an idea for a book, that’s fine, too, use the same form and if we like what we read, then we’ll be in touch either to receive a copy of the work as it is developed or to assist in further developing the idea or proposal.

HI~Arts usually offers talent development services only to writers living and working in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, but for this project we’re offering writers from across Scotland the chance to take part in one of our projects.

We cannot guarantee that all of our services will be available to writers outside of the Highlands & Islands, but we can certainly guarantee that through the partnership of HI~Arts and Jenny Brown Associates, work that’s has commercial promise will receive the kind of advice that really makes a difference – and both the application process and development support are free!

The application process is open throughout August and September 2012, and we will be reading work and contacting applicants right through until the end of October 2012, to ensure that writers have time to fully develop their pitch before submitting it to us for consideration.

HI~Arts Talent Development (Writing) is funded by HIE and Creative Scotland.

Full details can be found at HI~Arts website:

http://hi-arts.co.uk/services/talent-development/writing/services/

Source: HI~Arts

Find out more and sign up for updates by visiting: www.luminatescotland.org

You can also keep in touch via:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LuminateScotland
Twitter: @LuminateScot

Source: Luminate

A family afternoon of music, stories and workshops with Bob Pegg.

2.00 -3.30pm: Storytelling and making storybooks workshop for families. Bring your own story, or use one of Bob’s, to illustrate your personal storybook to take away. All materials provided. Please book for this session.

4.00 – 5.00pm: Roots and Flutes. Featuring the sounds and stories of the world’s oldest musical instruments, including scallop shells, sea-shore pebbles, food bowl drum, ocarinas of stone, horn and clay, Viking panpipes, bone flute, snorrie bone, buckie shell, ox horn, conch shell trumpet, Dark Ages lyre, Native American flutes, Scandinavian shepherd’s pipe, deerskin drum, jaw harp, and more. All welcome, including unaccompanied adults!

If staying for both sessions, why not bring a snack for break time.

The Museum of Childhood is situated in the Old Railway Station in Strathpeffer. For more information and bookings, contact:

Tel: 01997 421031

E-mail: info@highlandmuseumofchildhood.org.uk

Monday 16th July. Log Cabin, Borgie Forest, by Bettyhill. 10.00am – 3.00pm. Admission free.

Forest Day. Activities with Paul Castle, Highland Countryside Ranger, followed by a walk through the forest accompanied by Bob Pegg, local storyteller, with music making and stories along the route.

Borgie Forest is one of the most northerly forests in Britain, and the first managed forest in Scotland. For more information including the forest’s location, go to www.borgieforest.co.ukBorgie Forest is one of the most northerly forests in the United Kingdom and the first managed forest in Scotland Borgie Forest is one of the most northerly forests in the United Kingdom and the first managed forest in Scotland

Limited bus & car transport available, leaving Farr High School at 9.45am returns at 3.15pm tel: 07766247631 to arrange transport.

Bob Pegg is the author of the recently published Highland Folk Tales (The History Press, £9.99), available in bookshops and online.

Source: Bob Pegg

The British Library has launched an online literary map alongside its major summer exhibition, Writing Britain: Wastelands to Wonderlands. Writing Britain is a once in a lifetime chance to see such treasures as John Lennon’s original lyrics for The Beatles’ ‘In My Life’, J K Rowling’s handwritten first draft for the first Harry Potter novel and the original manuscripts of Jane Austen, William Blake, Charlotte Bronte, Arthur Conan Doyle, J G Ballard, Charles Dickens and many more.

However, the Library is asking the public to help to curate this landscape-inspired collection beyond the walls of exhibition with an interactive map, ‘Pin-a-Tale’.

Everyone is welcome to choose a literary work, from any period and in any form, and add, or ‘pin a tale’, to the literary map, whether it is a Led Zeppelin song about obscure Welsh cottage, Bron-yr-Aur, or a comparison drawn between J R R Tolkien’s Two Towers and Leeds’s Tower Works. How has the author captured the spirit of a place and what does it mean to the person posting it?

The curators’ favourite contributions then become part of the physical exhibition, displayed on a digital projection of a map with twinkling lights representing each entry. The Library is also archiving each of the entries to be added to its digital collections for use by future researchers.

Visit www.bl.uk/pin-a-tale to contribute to our online literary landscape.

Curated by the British Library’s English and Drama team, the Writing Britain exhibition takes visitors on a journey through six different landscapes: rural, industrial, wild, ‘watery’, suburban and the capital. While the exhibition covers over 150 works, including many first-time loans from overseas and directly from authors, spanning the past 1000 years to the present day, it will inevitably miss out some much-loved and possibly little-known literary works.

Highlights of the exhibition include:

J K Rowling’s original manuscript for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – the original manuscript for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, lent personally by the author, describes Harry Potter’s first encounter with platform 9 ¾ in London’s King’s Cross station. The manuscript, famously drafted in an Edinburgh café, is scattered with doodles and corrections, and this chapter is inspired by London’s King’s Cross station.

J R R Tolkien’s original artwork for The Hobbit – ‘The Hill at Hobbiton’ is one of the most unusual representations of rural England. It is described as a small, beautiful country with an extensive pre-industrial farming industry. In The Lord of the Rings, the damage done to the Shire by Saruman seems to be partially based on Tolkien’s childhood memories of changes to the Worcestershire countryside by industrialisation.

John Lennon’s handwritten early draft of In My Life. These draft lyrics describe the bus journey from Lennon’s childhood home into Liverpool town centre, recording landmarks passed on the way. The draft includes references to ‘tramsheds with no trams’ and to the demolition of ‘The Dockers’ Umbrella’ – a name for the elevated railway which followed the line of the Liverpool Docks, recalling the specific urban landscape of Liverpool which Lennon experienced as a child.

Jamie Andrews, Head of English and Drama, British Library, and lead curator of the exhibition, says: “We’re really excited at the prospect of uncovering hidden gems that people hold dear and that truly help to build a shared literary landscape. Writing Britain celebrates the incredible collection of great literary works held at the British Library, spanning the last 1000 years and this is a fantastic addition to the Library’s unparalleled collection.”

Free curator-led tours are currently available for visitors to the exhibition.

A youth engagement project, supported by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, also runs alongside the exhibition. Young people aged 18 – 21 will produce photographs and creative writing in response to the exhibition themes. A display of their work will be shown in the British Library’s café over the summer.

Writing Britain is part of the London 2012 Festival, a spectacular 12-week nationwide celebration from 21 June and running until 9 September 2012 bringing together leading artists from across the world with the very best from the UK.

Booking information

To book tickets for Writing Britain visit www.bl.uk/writingbritain, call 01937 546546 (Mon – Fri, 09.00 – 17.00) or buy tickets in person at the British Library.

Exhibition opening hours

Monday 09.30 – 18.00, Tuesday 09.30 – 20.00, Wednesday – Friday 09.30 – 18.00, Saturday 09.30 – 17.00, Sunday and English public holidays 11.00 – 17.00

All galleries are accessible by wheelchair. Information can be requested from Visitor Services staff on: T +44 (0)20 7412 7332.

Source: British Library

Each of the four finalists will receive £5,000.  All four authors are in the running to win the overall Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust Book of the Year prize of £30,000. The winner will be announced at the Edinburgh International Book Festival on the 17 August 2012, after the public vote takes place.

The public are set to help the Judging Panel decide who will claim the prize as they are invited to read, discuss and get involved with the finalists and vote for their favourite book. By including a public vote, it’s hoped that people will feel more empowered to read, and will connect with the authors and want them to succeed. Voting will open on 13 June and close on 6 August 2012. Full details here: www.scottishbookawards.com/vote

Spread across four categories – Fiction, Non-Fiction, Poetry, and First Book – the Awards recognise and reward the literary talent of authors from or resident in Scotland, or those whose books are of particular Scottish interest.

Dr Gavin Wallace, Chair of the Judging Panel and Portfolio Manager for Literature, Publishing and Language at Creative Scotland, said: 
‘In this Year of Creative Scotland 2012, the Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust Book Awards – the largest literary prizes in Scotland and the fourth largest in the UK – are a chance for us to celebrate and reward Scotland’s literary talent.  As a nation we are replete with literary excellence and rich diversity across all genres, as this year’s shortlist amply confirms.’

Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs, said:

‘The Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust Book Awards have been celebrating Scotland’s exceptional writing talent and spotlighting the very best of our excellent literary works for 40 years.   
‘Each year the shortlist captures the incredible quality and scope of literature produced in Scotland, and 2012 – The Year of Creative Scotland – is no exception.

‘The finalists can be proud of the unique and valuable contribution they are making to Scotland’s rich and vibrant culture.’

The finalists commented:

‘I’m absolutely thrilled that Let Not the Waves of the Sea has won the First Book Prize.  I’ve followed the awards for years and it means a tremendous amount to me that my own book should now be recognised in this way.’ – Simon Stephenson (First Book)

‘I am delighted to have won this major poetry award from what really was a tremendous shortlist. Best if I could dedicate it to our greatest living Gaelic poet, Donald MacAulay, who not only encouraged me personally at the very beginning of my career but whose parallaxes have helped me navigate the skerries since. Nuair a sheatlaigeas a’ mhòine,‘s e an luimead a dhealras.’ – Angus Peter Campbell (Poetry)

‘I can’t believe my luck, I’m totally over the moon about it and I’m proud to be on such a strong shortlist.’ – Ali Smith (Fiction)

‘I’m delighted to have been selected as the non-fiction winner from such a strong list – it’s a genuinely unexpected honour, pleasure and confidence boost.’ – Janice Galloway (Non-Fiction)

In all, over 90 titles were reviewed by a panel of expert judges, chaired by Dr Gavin Wallace of Creative Scotland,  comprising Alistair Moffat, Artistic Director of the Borders Book Festival; Tom Pow, award-winning writer and poet; Sally Magnusson, broadcaster and writer; and David McCormack, Assistant Manager of Waterstones in Dunfermline. 

For a fourth year, Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust is proud sponsor of the Awards, which have been running since 1970.  John Scott, Chairman of Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust, said:
’Scottish Mortgage is pleased to be sponsoring the book awards for another year.  The shortlist shows that there is an abundance of diverse talent in print and that Scotland’s rich literary tradition is alive and well.’

Previous winners of the prestigious Award include renowned and acclaimed authors such as Jackie Kay for her autobiography Red Dust Road in 2011; Donald Worster for his biography A Passion for Nature: The Life of John Muir in 2010; James Kelman for his novel Kieron Smith, boy in 2009; and Edwin Morgan for his poetry collection A Book of Lives in 2008.

For more information about the awards, including previous winners, please visit scottishbookawards.com

Source: Creative Scotland

There is no charge for the workshop, but places are necessarily limited. If you would like to book, please call the museum on 01463 237114 or email Cait McCullagh, whose address is cait.mccullagh@highlifehighland.com

GOING PLACES – for beginner and more experienced writers.

This practical workshop will explore different ways of writing about journeys. We will be looking at literary forms associated with journeys – haiku, journals, logs, postcards home – as well as drawing inspiration from maps, instant books, and the traditional ballad form. Going Places draws on themes from the Human Race exhibition, including ingenuity, preparation, and endurance.

Bob Pegg is a writer, musician and storyteller who lives in Strathpeffer. His collection Highland Folk Tales was recently published by the History Press. He is particularly interested in the way stories are linked to landscape, and has worked with Highland Travellers on projects related to this theme.

Source: Bob Pegg

Skye Book Festival runs from the 25th to 28th July 2012 at Aros in Portree.

Aos is asking for people to make an edition of 5 bookmarks, size to be 21cm long by 5cm wide. One of these will be exhibited throughout the book festival at Aros whilst the other 4 will be available to be picked up. If you want to you can make a bigger editon and keep the extra ones.  There are no limitations but you may be inspired to make work in response to specific books or authors who will a part of this year’s festival.

These include – Allan Campbell McLean ‘The hill of the red fox’ and many others, Virginia Woolf ‘To the lighthouse’, Roger Hutchinson ‘Weaver of grass’, poet Aonghas MacNeacail, politician Tam Dalyell ‘ The Importance of being awkward’, children’s author Lari Don and many more.

If you would like more specific information please contact Donald Macdonald at Aros or look at the Aros website (http://www.aros.co.uk/)

You can make as many editions of bookmarks as you want. Please sign and edition all your bookmarks and if you have been inspired by a particular book, phrase or author please put this on the back.

Alongside the bookmarks there will be a folder with information about the individual artists involved, so please include an A4 sheet about you and your work and any business cards if you would like this to be included in the folder.

Please send your completed editions of bookmarks with your name, email, number of editions of bookmarks enclosed and a note regarding their inspiration to:

Caroline Dear, Creag nam Fangan, Fanks, by Portree, Isle of Skye IV51 9PX by Saturday 14th July 2012.

Source: Caroline Dear

Sandstone Press Managing Director Robert Davidson says: ‘Cory Taylor’s book is a triumph of empathy and an acute commentary on family and sexual relationships. Told entirely without judgement it lays bare the vulnerability of individuals across not only the sexes but also the generations. The voice of Martha is going to resonate wherever it is heard.’

Author Cory Taylor says: ‘To have this kind of recognition for your work is exciting for any writer, given that writing is so much about confidence in the worth of what you’re trying to do. And to be recognized out of a field of such quality and diversity is especially thrilling. It gives me a special sense of connection to new writers from all over the world. Somehow the imperative to tell stories seems less isolating and more like a communal undertaking.’

Author Isla Dewar has already given this comment: ‘A beautifully paced and endlessly witty book about love and about growing up. Not the inevitable moving into adulthood growing up, but the growing up we all have to do, and keep on doing all our lives. I loved this book.’

Chair of the Commonwealth Book Prize, Margaret Busby says, ‘We were wonderfully spoilt for choice among some strong regional contenders on the shortlist. Here are novels with memorable characters, unpredictable situations, a sense of humour, books that give insights into cultures and histories not our own, crafted by writers who care about language, and its ability to renew and enrich our view of the world.’

Sandstone Press will release both book and ebook to the British and Irish markets on July 19th 2012. The book is published in Australia by Text.

Source: Sandstone Press