Stornoway poet IAN STEPHEN is an artist in residence at this year’s Stanza Poetry festival in St Andrews, where his work will explore poetry and the sea.

JAMES MILLER looks ahead with a sneak preview of the programme for the 5th Cromarty Book Festival, which takes place at the end of March this year.

Celtic Connections will host a stellar gathering for Harvest, the opening night concert in this year’s festival, combining major names from the Celtic heartlands with the up and coming youngsters of the Fèisean movement. Capercaillie’s DONALD SHAW is the man behind the project, and explains what it is all about.

Dingwall-based ANDREA MUIR records her adventures on the writing course at the Arvon Foundation’s centre in deepest Devon.

THE ARTS JOURNAL is a journal of comment and criticism rather than fiction and poetry, but in another well-established publishing tradition, we offer a short story for the New Year by Contributing Editor Peter Urpeth

As Mull Theatre company prepare to leave their tiny base at Dervaig, director ALASDAIR McCRONE writes an open letter in which he describes their hopes and plans for a new theatre in Tobermory, and invites support and feedback for the project

Còmhla was a major International Artist’s Workshop that took place at Taigh Chearsabagh Arts Centre in Lochmaddy, North Uist, in September. JULIE BROOK was one of the participating artists, and now reflects here on her experience.

GEORGE GUNN casts a skeptical eye over the role of the proposed Scottish National Theatre, and suggests that the work of W B Yeats in Ireland and the identity and insight of Highland experience can provide a path for a genuine National Theatre.

Venue Profile: Taigh Chearsabhagh

Skye-based poet and translator RODY GORMAN was the inaugural recipient of a HI~Arts Writer’s Award this year, and used it to travel to Canada.