Friday, November 23, 2007

Wigtown Poetry Competition 2007-8


Dumfries & Galloway Arts Association

& Wigtown Festival Company present

The Wigtown Poetry Competition 2007/08

1st prize £2500 2nd Prize £1000 3rd Prize £500

Ten supplementary prizes of £50.00 each

Gaelic Prize in association with Gaelic Books Council £1000

Judge Robert Crawford

Gaelic Judge Anne Frater

Closing date 5.00pm Friday 25th January 2008

www.wigtownbookfestival.com/poetrycomp

Open Stage - bring a poem to the Station Hotel, Dumfries!


Open Stage is back at the Station Hotel, Dumfries on Friday 30 November, when local songwriters and poets will be encouraged to get up on stage and perform. Open Stage is supported by Dumfries & Galloway Arts Association Literature Development and Burnsong.

As well as an Open Mic there will be some fantastic guest spots to spur things on – November’s Open Stage will feature Moniaive singer/songwriter Darcy Carson and Dumfries poet and artist Hugh Bryden.

Darcy Carson is a promising young pianist who at the age of 15 is already writing and recording her own songs. She went down a storm at this year's Moniaive Folk Festival and performances such as these led to her appearing at the legendary Spiegel Garden during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. So come and see for yourself one of Dumfries & Galloway's brightest prospects.

Hugh Bryden’s work as an artist has long been recognised, but he is becoming an increasingly published poet, creating beautiful hand-printed limited editions of his work which are proving very popular. Hugh’s work in Scots is both humorous and poignant, and not to be missed.

All would-be performers - make sure you get there early – registration for all those who wish to perform will take place between 7pm and 7.30pm on the night! Poets can read three short poems and songwriters two songs.

Even if performing’s not your thing, don’t miss the chance to see and hear some great original material! Whatever your tastes in music or poetry come along, showcase your skills and meet like-minded people in a chilled out atmosphere. Hosting the event will be local singer/songwriter Nicola Black. Entry is £3 on the door.

For more information contact Jill Smith at Dumfries & Galloway Arts Association on 01387 253383 or e-mail: jillsmith@dgaa.net.

Friday, November 09, 2007


Meet the Author with Sarah Hall

Newton Stewart Library

7.00pm Tuesday 20th November. Contact Newton Stewart Library on 01671 403450.

Free event


One of Britain’s finest young writers will be reading from and talking about her work at Newton Stewart Library, as part of the library service/DGAA ‘Meet the Author’ series. Sarah Hall lives in Cumbria, which features largely in her work.

Her first novel ‘Haweswater’, was a passionate story built around the construction of the Haweswater Dam. It was published in 2002 and won the Commonwealth Writers First Novel Award and a Betty Trask award. She followed this in 2004 with ‘The Electric Michelangelo’, which told the story of a tattoo artist from the 1950’s until the present day and was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. In Newton Stewart Sarah will be focusing on her new novel ‘The Carhullan Army’. This is something of a departure as its set in the near-future. It tells the story of ‘Sister’ who escapes the Orwellian dictatorship ‘the Authority’ to search for a quasi-mythical female community, ‘The Carhullan Army’, which is rumoured to exist somewhere on the Fells. Sarah has said that her previous novels were very poetic and this one is deliberately more pared down and dramatic, but the precision of her language is a hallmark of Sarah’s writing.

Scots Matters


Dumfries & Galloway now has a special ambassador for the Scots language. DGAA and Dumfries & Galloway Libraries, Information and Archives have appointed a new Robert Burns Writing Fellow, to promote literature in Scots. Poet Rab Wilson, from Sanquhar is already a well-kent face in the region.

Rab is rapidly becoming one of Scotland’s foremost Scots language poets. He has published two books of poetry with Luath Press, a Scots version of the Rubai’yat of Omar Khayam and ‘Accent o’ the Mind’, a collection of his own poems.

Within the region he has worked to promote writing in Scots, and to promote creative writing with children, particularly in Upper Nithsdale. He recently took part in DGAA’s writers exchange with Kiltimagh, in County Mayo, taking his passion for Scots to the west of Ireland, and has spoken about the Scots language and performed his own work at events throughout Scotland.

Literature Development Officer Andrew Forster said ‘Many readers tell us they are wary of reading Scots, but once they take the plunge there’s a whole universe of wonderful literature for them to enjoy. Rab is a marvellous performer and his enthusiasm for the Scots language will make him a wonderful guide.’

Rab is delighted to be holding the Fellowship. He says ‘I’m particularly looking forward to getting to some of the wee communities in Dumfries & Galloway who can’t always access cultural experiences, because that’s the spirit of Burns.’

Among the many things planned for the six-months of the Fellowship are a series of Burns Night talks, picking up where Hamish MacDonald, the first Robert Burns Fellow, left off, by using Burns Season to look at the legacy of Burns in the 21st century. Rab is also planning to take Scottish literature in unexpected places, and plans to go out with the mobile libraries to read Scots poems to people as they change their books! Watch this space!

Firstly, though, Rab is planning a series of introductions to Scots literature, which will take place in libraries throughout Dumfries & Galloway in November and December.

Dates confirmed are:

Lochthorn Library, Dumfries Tuesday 20th November 7.00 pm

Stranraer Library Tuesday 27th November 7.15 pm

Lockerbie Library Tuesday 4th December 10.30 am

Georgetown Library, Dumfries Wednesday 5th December 10.00 am

Castle Douglas Thursday 6th December 6.30pm

Newton Stewart Library Tuesday 11th December 10.30am

For further information about the Robert Burns Fellowship Reading Scots Project contact Andrew Forster on 01387 253383 or
andrew@dgaa.net

Friday, September 28, 2007

Poetry Doubles Preview – Gerry Stewart and Andrew Forster




Penultimate in this year’s Poetry Doubles series is the promising combination of Gerry Stewart and Andrew Forster. This pairing forms a special Flambard Press event, as it is also the launch of two first collections from these poets based in Scotland.

Gerry Stewart declared she wanted to be an expatriate before she even knew what the word meant. She grew up in the United States and left Iowa when she was seventeen for Norway and Greece before settling in Scotland. She is a freelance creative writing tutor working with adults and children and editor of Grimalkin Press, producing books and pamphlets for the groups she works with. She received a Scottish Arts Council Award in 2005 to assist in the writing of her first novel Talking Italian in my Sleep. Her poetry has been widely published in magazines and anthologies in the UK and abroad.

Her collection “Post-Holiday Blues” is a traveller’s notebook made up of snapshots and souvenirs, sketching the poet’s journeys to Greece, Norway, Mexico and other destinations. Each of Gerry Stewart’s poems is an emotional landmark, anchoring places in memory. Her precise and poignant language distils and captures locations and experiences lost to time, giving them voices that bring the reader into the moment. There is a self-conscious quality to her poems, echoing an expatriate’s hesitance about their right to describe and participate in the culture of another country, but at the same time they revel in the beauty and thrill of the unfamiliar.

Andrew Forster is best known to Dumfries & Galloway as its Literature Development Officer at Dumfries & Galloway Arts Association (DGAA), and among his many activities is also the architect of the Poetry Doubles series. Jenny Wilson, Director of DGAA said, “DGAA is extraordinarily lucky in having a Literature Development officer who is himself a poet, and Andrew has a foot in each camp. That his first collection of poetry is published as a book now is a double celebration for us – he’s obviously succeeded in juggling the job and the creative life, and there’s a new collection from a very distinctive voice to read and enjoy. I feel it’s an achievement to celebrate, and I’m delighted we can do so with the Poetry Doubles reading.

Andrew’s first collection, “Fear of Thunder” asks us to consider our common experiences, from the father unable to shake a childhood fear to the woman dreaming of Australia. From the industrial South Yorkshire of the poet’s childhood to his adopted home of rural Scotland, via imaginative leaps to Spain, America, Germany and eighteenth-century rural England, these poems look at what makes us who we are. Andrew was singled out by the Scotsman as a “notable newcomer” at Stanza 2005.

This Poetry Doubles event will take place on Monday 8 October at the Robert Burns Centre Film Theatre at 7pm. Tickets cost £7/£5 and are available from Andrew Forster at DGAA on 01387 253383 or andrew@dgaa.net.

Poetry Doubles Review: Matthew Sweeney and Mike Smith

Ranging from the sinister to the blackly comic, the combination of much published Irish poet Matthew Sweeney and prize-winning local poet Mike Smith provided the Poetry Doubles audience with a memorable evening.

Matthew Sweeney, laconic but completely arresting as a reader, drew largely on his new collection “Black Moon”, written in the aftermath of two years spent living in Romania. He described the almost unbearable heat of a Romanian summer, and his own dislocation in the poem “The Sweatmark” – where the poet discovers his t-shirt has a sweatmark that describes precisely the map of his native Ireland – “what did this mean,/ if anything? He got sweatmarks/ all these days, but never a map before./He wondered should he phone home.”

Sweeney has been aptly described as “one of our finest poets of the unconscious”, and many of his poems strike a disturbing note, a sense of unnamed individuals coping after unexplained catastrophe, war and devastation. The poem “Underground”, about a man living “in a hole in the ground,/down a ladder, in the bottom room” perturbs because much of it is about the life the man has made for himself, small civilisations – he makes wine from chestnut and elm-root, gathers mushrooms at first light – belied by an abiding fear – the other rooms are usually empty “though sometimes strangers stayed - /then he’d know to remain underground”.

Mike, an increasingly well-known poet in his home county of Cumbria, opened by reading “Mechanics”, a rant on the obsession of writing – “He’s got that bloody poem stripped/down again”, and then entertained the audience by the first use of a prop in this Poetry Doubles series – the donning of a flat cap for a digression into Cumbrian dialect, undercut by the information he himself is actually from the Midlands. Later he read his prizewinning poem “Ullswater Requiem”, inspired by the death by drowning of three boys in Ullswater, a moving and serious piece of work .

The next Poetry Doubles features Gerry Stewart and Andrew Forster on Monday 8 October at the Robert Burns Centre Film Theatre, Dumfries at 7pm. Tickets cost £7/£5 and are available from Dumfries & Galloway Arts Association 01387 253383 or andrew@dgaa.net.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Crichton Writers "Windfall" launch - note changes!


Please note changes to previously published times and locations for the following two "Windfall" Anthology launches:

Sunday 30 September at Scottish Book Town Festival, The Old Bank Bookshop at 3pm

Saturday 6 October in the Dalkeith Room, Buccleuch Centre, Langholm at 2pm

The "Windfall" anthology has taken the art of gardening, and gardens, as its theme. The published poems are rich and varied, gardens of all kinds are explored with imagination, verve and humour. Crichton Writers provide a warm welcome and light refreshment at their anthology launches - and the events are free as well!

Poetry Doubles Review Jen Hadfield and Vivien Jones

This week’s Poetry Doubles welcomed prize-winning poet Jen Hadfield and the increasingly well-known Vivien Jones.

Vivien, who lives in Powfoot, has just become a winner in the Sedburgh Short Stories competition, and is a performer in Making Waves with Jackie Galley. She also has the distinction of having performed in Dumfries & Galloway’s very first Poetry Doubles series four years ago. Her humorous, almost misleadingly gentle performance was obviously appreciated by the audience, who were then provoked to laughter by unexpected mischievousness –
“gorse is a feast, a binge/ a prick of a shrub”.

She read from the performance Making Waves, and also as yet unpublished work from a trip to Italy, where she visited the house of Isabella d’Este, the first buyer of viols in the renaissance period –

“I touched the walls as if the purr/ of Isabella’s viols might be there”.

Jen Hadfield, described by Tom Leonard as “a whole and committed poet”, proved to be an engaging performer. Juggling sheaves of paper, chuckling with the audience, she read from her forthcoming book, “Nigh No Place”, work based around 15 months spent in Canada, and then her return to home in Shetland. She confided her struggles with writer’s block in Canada, explored in the poem “Still Life With The Very Devil”. She also elicited some audience participation in her poem “Paternoster”, about flying to Canada, knowing that in the hold stood six well-drugged thoroughbred racehorses. “Paternoster” is written as a kind of prayer, ending wisely “May the horse never wake that stands in mid-air”, duly repeated by a very entertained audience as a liturgical response.

Back in Shetland again, Jen’s poems described a land which hides itself behind fogs, plays hard to get – a persona encapsulated in the skerryman who figures in the poems collected in “Almanacs”. Her poems explore weather and the landscape –

“Haar climbs the Voe/ and fills the valley’s pitcher./ Fence posts barble it./ The red and umber mosses/ drink it in.”

Friday, September 21, 2007


Poetry Doubles
Matthew Sweeney & Mike Smith
Robert Burns Centre Film Theatre
Monday 24th September 7.00pm
Tickets £7.00 (£5.00 concession) from
andrew@dgaa.net

Anyone who was at both the Poetry Doubles reading or the Masterclass last week knows what special events they were. Laura Helyer and George Szirtes took us to new and unexpected places, and the Masterclass was one of the sharpest and most helpful poetry sessions I've ever been present at. Those who brought their poems along went away with plenty of food for thought.
And there's more this week.
Surprise will be the order of the evening. Irish poet Matthew Sweeney comes to us to mark the publication of his new collection 'Black Moon'. Matthew's poems are surreal, strange and very beautiful. Cumbrian Mike Smith is a perfect accompaniment. One of the students on Dumfries very own MLitt course, at the GU Crichton Cvampus, Mike has a unique way of looking at the world.

Kiltimagh Exchange



In June this year DGAA, with support from Leader+, sent D&G poets Rab Wilson and John Hudson to Kiltimagh in Ireland for a series of readings and workshops. Now we play host to the return visit, and welcome Irish poets Terry McDonagh and Ger Reidy. Terry has published three collections of poetry for adults. His latest book, 'Boxes' is a collection of poetry for children. Ger published his 'Selected Poems' with the Irish press Gallery. Both have read their work all over Irleand and beyond.Terry and Ger will be involved in a range of events over the ten days of their visit, including a number of workshops in schools.You can catch up with them at the following places:


Tuesday 25th September 2.00pm - 4.00pm
Poetry Workshop
Newton Stewart Library (in association with Wigtown Scribblers)
Terry and Ger will discuss participants work and get people writing.Contact Andrew Forster andrew@dgaa.net
Tuesday 25th September 7.00pm - 9.00pm
Poetry Workshop
The Studio, Rutherford McCowan, Crichton Campus, Dumfries (in association with Dumfries Writers)


Terry and Ger will discuss participants work and get people writing.


Wednesday 26th September
Poetry Workshop
The Studio, Rutherford McCowan, Crichton Campus, Dumfries
Terry and Ger will discuss participants work and get people writing.Contact Andrew@dgaa.net

...and afterwards
2.15 The Studio, Rutherford McCowan, Crichton Campus, Dumfries
Terry McDonagh and Ger Reidy will read their own work
Workshops and reading free

Thursday 27th September
Poems from Kiltimagh
Terry McDonagh, Ger Reidy, Rab Wilson and John Hudson
Sanquhar (for venue details contact andrew@dgaa.net) 7.00pm
Free event

Tuesday 2nd October
Poems from Kiltimagh
Terry McDonagh, Ger Reidy, Rab Wilson and John Hudson
Scottish Book Town Festival, County Buildings, Wigtown 7.00pmTickets £5.00 from Festival Booking Office 01988 403222

Tuesday, September 11, 2007



Poetry Doubles


George Szirtes & Laura Helyer


Robert Burns Centre Film Theatre, Dumfries


Monday 17th September 7.00pm


Tickets £7.00 (£5.00 concessions)




Poetry Doubles Masterclass with George Szirtes


Glasgow University Crichton Campus 10.ooam


Tickets £3.00 (Free when purchased with ticket for reading)




Tickets from Andrew Forster on 01387 253383 or andrew@dgaa.net




George Szirtes is one of the most acclaimed poets writing in Britain today. He has published 11 collections of poetry, and Bloodaxe will publish his ‘Collected Poems’ next year. He has won numerous awards, including the prestigious TS Eliot prize, the most acclaimed prize in poetry, for his 2005 collection ‘Reel’.


George was born in Hungary and moved to England as a refugee in 1956. His poetry explores both his Hungarian origins and his adopted English home.

George reads with Laura Helyer. Laura, who returned to Dumfries earlier this year after completing an MLitt in Creative Writing at the University of St Andrews, is one of the region’s brightest young voices. Laura was commended in last year’s Cardiff International Poetry Competition and was awarded a prestigious Donald Dewar Arts Award, granting her time for her writing. Whether her subject is the enviroment, art or her parents’ long marriage, Laura brings a quiet intelligence to bear on her poems.



Laura can also be heard on Saturday evening during the Dumfries Film Festival, reading poetry and prose to introduce the film ‘An Arctic Tale’ at the Robert Burns Centre Film Theatre on Saturday 15th September at 8.15pm.

The day after the Poetry Doubles reading George will run a Masterclass, looking in detail at selected participants’ poems. The date for submission has passed but there are still places in the audience if would-be poets are interested in the process of developing a poem.

Friday, September 07, 2007

Dumfries & Galloway Poets read at Brownsbank Cottage Open Day

Five Dumfries & Galloway poets made the journey up to Brownsbank Cottage last weekend. Once the home of Hugh MacDiarmid, Brownsbank Cottage was taking part in Lanarkshire's Doors Open Days event, and welcoming visitors.

Hugh MacDiarmid lived there for a quarter of a century, and was much visited, so perhaps he would have appreciated the tiny cottage packed with poets on Sunday. Tom Bryan, current holder of the Brownsbank Writing Fellowship, was a warm and welcoming host. The Dumfries & Galloway contingent, all performers in this year's Poetry Doubles series, were Andrew Forster, Angus Macmillan, Laura Helyer, Hugh Bryden and Jean Atkin.

On these occasions poetry is traditionally read under the rowan tree in the garden, but the unseasonable temperatures confined most readings to the summer house...however Andy Forster can be seen braving the testing conditions.

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

What's On and Up


Poetry Doubles 2007

Jen Hadfield & Vivien Jones

Robert Burns Centre Film Theatre

Monday 3rd September 7.00pm

Tickets £7.00 (£5.00 concession) from andrew@dgaa.net




This week, Poetry Doubles welcomes one of Britain’s most exciting young poets. Jen Hadfield was born in Cheshire and spent time in Canada before moving to Shetland where she currently lives. She has won both an Eric Gregory award and a Donald Dewar Award for younger artists. Her first collection Almanacs was published by Bloodaxe Books in 2005 and she will follow this with a new collection, Nigh No Place, in February next year. She also won the Robert McLellan Poetry Competition last year, and came third in the second annual Wigtown Poetry Competition with her poem ‘Odysseus and the Sou’Wester’. Much of Jen’s first collection is inspired by Shetland, and her work has been described as a wild, imaginative road movie. She is also passionate about involving words with other art forms, and combines her poems with photography, lino cuts and woodwork in her artists’ books.


Jen shares the stage with Vivien Jones. Vivien is making a welcome return to Poetry Doubles, after taking part in the very first series back in 2004. Since that time her work has gone from strength to strength. She has published poems in numerous magazines and anthologies and, most recently, developed and performed in Making Waves, a sublime performance of poetry and music on a watery theme that took place at Broughton House in Kirkcudbright, and can also be seen during the Wigtown Festival. Vivien is also one of the driving forces behind the Crichton Writers, Dumfries and Galloway’s largest writers’ group. Her work is included in their new anthology, ‘Windfall’, featuring poems on the theme of gardens.

Thursday, August 30, 2007

what's on and up





Dumfries & Galloway Arts Association



::Virtual Writer in Residence::




Poetry Doubles 2007 continues apace with Carola Luther and Jean Atkin joining forces for what promises to be another excellent night. Don't miss Carola's masterclass at Georgetown Library, Dumfries - more details here. Daljit Nagra's interview, recorded during his recent Poetry Doubles visit, is now online in the Writers on Writing podcast. He talks candidly about how he got started, and the long rocky road to poetry publication. Watch the podcast for more of the region's poets coming soon, including a series of readings by Kirkpatrick Durham writer, translator and MacDiarmid scholar John Manson. New kids on the writers' block: head for the Open Stage event at the Station Hotel, where you'll hear the witty, wily Hugh McMillan compere local writers and musicians and possibly read from his own work, if he's leaned on enough. Meanwhile it's au revoir from me for the next wee while - I'm off to concentrate on my own writing commissions, but will continue working with short story writers and mentees from afar. Thanks for all your support and friendship, keep in touch with your writing news, and let me hand the virtual baton to Andrew Forster (whose first poetry collection is out from Flambard later this year).

All the best,

Jules

Virtual Writer in Residence, Dumfries & Galloway Arts Association, Gracefield, 28 Edinburgh Road, DUMFRIES, DG1 1JQ 01387 253383 jules_horne@yahoo.co.uk

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Open Stage - Music and Poetry Open Mic


Friday 31st August, 7pm
Pullman Room, Station Hotel, Dumfries


Open Stage: Songwriting and Poetry Open Mic
featuring Jack Smith, Sally Campbell and Laura Helyer

Come along to this kicking new event on the Dumfries arts scene! Writers and musicians come together for a fusion night of words and music.

As well as an Open Mic there'll be some fantastic guest spots to spur things on – this time we'll feature the gravely tones of Jack Smith and Castle Douglas singer/songwriter Sally Campbell with poetry from D&G's rising star Laura Helyer. Once again the evening will be hosted, in his own way, by Hugh McMillan, who may be persuaded to read a few of his own poems! Even if performing’s not your thing, don’t miss the chance to see and hear some great original material!
Whatever your tastes in music or poetry come along, showcase your skills and meet like-minded people in a chilled-out atmosphere. Entry: £3.00.

For more information contact Jill Smith on 01387 253383 or e-mail: jillsmith@dgaa.net

New Writers' Group - Eskdalemuir


Sunday 16th September 2.00pm - 4.00pm
Ex-Serviceman's Hall, Eskdalemuir

Announcing a new writers' group in Eskdalemuir!

Poet and experienced workshop leader Jackie Galley will help you put pen to paper, and teach you the skills to work together as a group to help your writing develop. All levels and all genres welcome. Places limited, so please book with Andrew Forster on 01387 253383 or andrew@dgaa.net. The group will take place every two weeks. £3 per session.

Sedburgh Story on Air


Clarks Sandals, a prizing-winning short story by Powfoot writer Vivien Jones, will be broadcast on BBC Radio Cumbria on Friday 31st at around 12.10 pm. Meanwhile Vivien and poet-ecologist Jackie Galley have been Making Waves at Bladnoch with musicians Richard Jones and Michael and Becky Hendry in a fascinating jazz-early music lineup including guitars, flute, glockenspiel and dulcimer - part of the annual Gaelforce Festival.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Poetry in the Wilds - Mabie Forest


Tuesday 28th August 2007, 10.00am - 3.00pm
Mabie Forest Education Centre

Poetry in the Wilds: Poetry Trail Revisited

For this Poetry in the Wilds event we will walk the poetry trail a year on and see what needs to be updated or replaced. We will then visit the recently opened Mabie Nature Reserve with Forestry Commission staff to see how the forest is managed to benefit the wide range of butterflies, moths and other species that are found in this area. The afternoon workshop will generate new poems, which may be used as part of the Poetry Trail. All welcome, no previous poetry experience necessary. Wet weather clothing and footware and packed lunch are essential.

Tickets £3.00 from 01387 253383 or andrew@dgaa.net

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Poetry Doubles: Tom Leonard and Angus Macmillan

Monday 20th August, 7pm
Robert Burns Film Theatre, Dumfries



Following on from Daljit Nagra and Fiona Russell's wonderful start to the Poetry Doubles season at the Robert Burns Film Theatre, it's time to welcome Tom Leonard and Angus Macmillan for a not-to-be-missed night of poetry in Dumfries.

Tom Leonard is one of Scotland's most acclaimed poets. His inventiveness with spoken and written language has paved the way for a whole new generation of writers. His collections access to the silence and intimate voices are available from Etruscan Books.

Angus Macmillan makes a welcome return to Poetry Doubles with his dry wit and keen sense of place, reading poems in both English and Gaelic.

More on Poetry Doubles 2007 here:

Tickets £7.00 per reading (£5.00 concession – students and those in receipt of benefit). Special offer all eight readings for £49.00. Masterclass and workshops £3.00 each. Free if booked with ticket for appropriate reading. Full details and tickets from Andrew Forster 01387 253383 or
andrew@dgaa.net.

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

Poetry Doubles - Daljit Nagra & Fiona Russell


Monday August 13th
Robert Burns Centre Film Theatre, Dumfries


Welcome back to Poetry Doubles! Daljit Nagra and Fiona Russell launch the return of the acclaimed reading series, which pairs international poets with established and emerging writers from Dumfries & Galloway.

Daljit Nagra is one of poetry’s new young stars. He explores his Sikh Punjabi background in poetry that is both rich and funny, using a hybrid language that is part English, part Punjabi. His first collection ‘Look We Have Coming to Dover’ was published to great acclaim this year.

Fiona Russell's background in agriculture, conservation and scientific and natural history illustration greatly influence her writing. Her poems have been published in Markings, the journals of the John Muir Trust and Scottish Wildlife Trust, and in Crichton Writers anthologies.

Tickets £7 (£5) from DGAA on 01387 253383 or andrew@dgaa.net. More on Poetry Doubles 2007 here.

Monday, July 30, 2007

Markings - Calling New Writers!



Markings Magazine and Bibliographic Data Service are running a project to promote new writing talent through writing groups and libraries. Writers are invited to submit original poetry, short stories (up to 2000 words) and topical literary articles (up to 1500 words) for the magazine. Entries should have name, address and contact details of writer stating writing group or library. E-mail submissions to submissions@markings.org.uk or post to Markings Magazine, The Bakehouse, Gatehouse of Fleet, Dumfries & Galloway. DG7 2HP. Entrants may be invited to read their work at the magazine launch.

Further details from Sunny Rathore Tel : 01557 814196
e-mail : enquiries@thebakehouse.info
Deadline for Issue 25 is 17th August 2007, Issue 26 is 14th March 2008.

Sedburgh Story


Powfoot writer Vivien Jones is making more radio waves with a winning short story on BBC Radio Cumbria. 'Clarks Sandals' is one of three stories to be broadcast in August as part of the Sedburgh Book Festival. Vivien is a graduate of the Creative Writing Course at Glasgow University's Crichton Campus and winner of this year's Muriel Carmichael Prize.

Monday, July 09, 2007

Words & Music from the Renaissance


Saturday September 22nd, 7.30 pm
Broughton House. Kirkcudbright

The Galloway Consort presents...
Bellis for Danseris...

...a programme of 16th century
music and song on viols, recorders, renaissance guitar, lute and soprano voice from four great Renaissance nations (Scotland, France, England and Italy ) in this charming venue.

Tickets £8 (£5 con), which includes a welcoming glass of wine.
Info: 01461 700396 vivien@freeola.com.

Making Waves - New Writing & Music


Saturday 18th August, 7.30pm
Broughton House. Kirkcudbright
(part of Gaelforce Festival 2007)

Wednesday 3rd October, 7.30pm
Bladnoch Distillery
(part of the Wigtown Book Festival)

'Making Waves' - new writing and music on a watery theme with up and coming local poets, Jackie Galley and Vivien Jones and musicians, Richard Jones, Michael Hendry and Becky Hendry. An eclectic mix of folk, blues, jazz, contemporary and classical music motifs weave through the spoken word. A printed chapbook of the texts will be available at the performances.

Tickets (Kirkcudbright) £8 (£5 concessions), including a welcoming glass of wine. Info: 01461 700396 vivien@freeola.com.

Sunday, July 08, 2007

Crichton Campus University Writing Awards

Announcing the winners of this year's creative writing awards at Glasgow University Crichton Campus:

Kirkpatrick Dobie Prize 2007:
1st Prize
Three Poems by Laura Helyer
2nd Prize
Ullswater Requiem by Mike Smith
3rd Prize
Three Poems by Vivien Jones

Muriel Carmichael Prize 2007:
1st Prize
On Ticking Boxes
by Vivien Jones
2nd Prize
Laura Helyer
3rd Prize
Pam Gulland





Thursday, July 05, 2007

Poetry Doubles 2007

Announcing the return of one of the best series of poetry readings in Scotland... Poetry Doubles! We're proud to feature some the finest poets in Dumfries & Galloway reading alongside visiting writers with international reputations.

Monday 13th August 7.00pm
Robert Burns Centre Film Theatre, Dumfries
Daljit Nagra and Fiona Russell

Monday 20th August 7.00pm
Robert Burns Centre Film Theatre, Dumfries
Tom Leonard and Angus Macmillan

Monday 3rd September 7.00pm
Gracefield Arts Centre, Dumfries
Carola Luther & Jean Atkin

Plus, prior to the reading
Poetry Workshop with Carola Luther
2.30 –4.30 Georgetown Library

Monday 10th September 7.00pm
Robert Burns Centre Film Theatre, Dumfries
Jen Hadfield & Vivien Jones

Monday 17th September 7.00pm
Robert Burns Centre Film Theatre, Dumfries
George Szirtes & Laura Helyer

Plus Tuesday 18th September 10.00am – 12.00
Masterclass with George Szirtes
Submit your poem to be considered for inclusion as an e-mail attachment only by Friday 31st August. andrew@dgaa.net

Monday 24th September
Robert Burns Centre Film Theatre, Dumfries
Matthew Sweeney & Mike Smith

Monday 8th October
Flambard Press Special Event
Launch of debut collections from Gerry Stewart & Andrew Forster

Monday 15th October
Liz Lochhead & Hugh Bryden

Tickets £7.00 per reading (£5.00 concession – students and those in receipt of benefit). Special offer all eight readings for £49.00. Masterclass and workshops £3.00 each. Free if booked with ticket for appropriate reading. Full details and tickets from Andrew Forster 01387 253383 or andrew@dgaa.net.

Bernard Kops at the Bakehouse


Friday August 24th, 10.00 - 1.00
Monday August 27th, 10.00 - 1.00
The Bakehouse, Gatehouse of Fleet

The Bakehouse presents...
Playwriting workshops with Bernard Kops

Bernard Kops is one of the best known and most admired playwrights of his time. He achieved recognition with his first play The Hamlet of Stepney Green. Since then he has written more than forty plays for stage and radio, nine novels, seven volumes of poetry and two volumes of autobiography.

'Bernard Kops has a unique place in British Theatre. His work is zany and lyrical, his imagination and dialogue spark wildly and unpredictably like firecrackers, and the values that permeate his writing are Jewishly irreverent. His autobiography 'The World is a Wedding' (is) one of the most moving, honest and beautifully written I've ever read.' Sir Arnold Wesker

Bring a play you are working on, or ideas for a play you have yet to write. If you need help with dramatic dialogue, structure or are just looking for inspiration Bernard will help in the relaxed and supportive atmosphere of The Bakehouse. Bring a pen, paper and an open mind. Bernard is an inspiration. Two excellent new plays were written as a result of his last visit.

Book early to avoid disappointment! Ring 01557 814196 or email bookings@thebakehouse.info or chryssalt2@aol.com. Cost £30. Cheques in advance to be made payable to The Bakehouse.

Poetry Workshop with Kenneth C Steven


Monday 30th July 10.00 -12.00 & post-reading discussion
County Buildings, Wigtown


Presented by Wigtown Scribblers with the support of DGAA

Kenneth Steven's seventh collection *Salt and Light* will appear from Saint Andrew Press, later this year, along with a volume of his selected poems, *Wildscape*, from Peterloo in Cornwall. Kenneth has much experience of leading talks and workshops concerned with the writing and sculpting of poetry. In this workshop he will talk about the process of meditative writing and work through a poem to illustrate how it's taken from first draft to final.

£3.00 per place. contact anne.dunford@holmespun.co.uk

Open Stage - Music and Poetry Open Mic

Friday 27 July and 31st Aug 7pm
Pullman Room, Station Hotel, Dumfries

A first for DGAA, Open Stage welcomes local musicians and poets to get up on stage and perform. The night will be held on the last Friday of every month. As well as an Open Mic there will be some fantastic guest spots to spur things on – the 27th will feature folk singer/songwriter and poet Emma Forman and Mary Barclay of The Sensational Mary Barclay Band. Even if performing’s not your thing, don’t miss the chance to see and hear some great original material!
Whatever your tastes in music or poetry come along, showcase your skills and meet like-minded people in a chilled out atmosphere.

Entry £3. For more information or to make sure you get a slot in advance contact Jill Smith on 01387 253383 or e-mail: jillsmith@dgaa.net

Poetry in the Wilds - Threave Gardens


Saturday 4th August 2007 10am till 3pm
Writing workshop with Jackie Galley

With the support of Scottish Natural Heritage, another opportunity to hone your writing skills while exploring the beautiful environment of Dumfries and Galloway. Each day will be led by ecologist poet Jackie Galley, with support from a range of local experts, and will consist of a guided walk through some beautiful terrain, with a writing workshop to help you turn your observations and experience into poetry.

Wet and wonderful
Threave Countryside Centre, Threave Gardens
Explore the wildlife and wet landscape around Threave Gardens with a National Trust for Scotland Ranger, followed by a workshop which uses the morning visit as inspiration for poetry. Examples of how other poets have used the landscape as inspiration will be used as a starting point. No previous experience necessary.

Bring wellies, wet weather gear and a packed lunch.Numbers are limited so do book early.£3.00 per event. Contact Andrew Forster on 01387 253383 or andrew@dgaa.net

Poetry in the Wilds - Rockcliffe


Tuesday 24th July 2007 10am - 3pm
Writing Workshop with Jackie Galley

With the support of Scottish Natural Heritage, another opportunity to hone your writing skills while exploring the beautiful environment of Dumfries and Galloway. Each day will be led by ecologist poet Jackie Galley, with support from a range of local experts, and will consist of a guided walk through some beautiful terrain, with a writing workshop to help you turn your observations and experience into poetry.

Island Inspiration -Baron's Craig Hotel, Rockcliffe
A chance to visit Rough Island, off Rockcliffe, with a National Trust for Scotland Ranger and learn how island life has influenced and inspired poetry. In the afternoon there will be a workshop which will allow you to use your experience to write your own poetry. No previous experience necessary.

Wellies and wet weather gear required. Lunch available at Baron's Craig (not included).
Numbers are limited so do book early.£3.00 per event. Andrew Forster on 01387 253383 or
andrew@dgaa.net

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Online Short Story Course




DGAA Online Short Story Course is now underway with Virtual Writer in Residence Jules Horne. It's the second time we've run the course, which brings together writers around Dumfries & Galloway who are interested in an in-depth look at aspects of story technique, including character, structure, viewpoint, time and editing. There's also plenty opportunity for feedback on your work in progress.

If you'd like to take part or be added to the list for future courses, ring 01387 253383 for more information.

Wigtown Festival of the Book


Thurs 7 - Sunday 10 June
Wigtown

Wigtown Festival of the Book 2007

The 2007 Festival of the Book aims to bring you a wide angle view of the book - books in as many forms and meanings as we can, including: book binding, book making, paper making, calligraphy, layout & design, printing, libraries, newspapers, archives...

You'll find full information about the Festival of the Book, held in Scotland's Book Town, on the website, www.wigtown.org.uk.




Christine de Luca at the Bakehouse


Saturday June 30th at 7.00 for 7.30
The Bakehouse presents...

Shetland poet Christine DeLuca

Christine DeLuca is published both nationally and internationally, and writes in both Shetlandic and English. Her first two collections won The Shetland Literary Prize and in 2004 Makkin Sooth Eshaness, won the Rhoda Bulter Prize for Shetland Dialect. Poems have been translated into Swedish, Latvian, Polish, Austrian-German, French, Italian, Welsh and English.

"Her Shetland poems, written in the beautiful Scots of those islands - a blend of Old Scots and Norn - seemed to hanker for a simple and pure way of life which was marvellously evoked in image and sound .... They are poems with a sense of place, sympathy, commitment to language, the urge to celebrate life itself."
Douglas Lipton

Tickets £6.00 concs and regulars (includes a glass of wine); £7.50 until you join!
Ring 01557 814196 or email enquiries@thebakehouse.info or chryssalt2@aol.com.
Book early to avoid disappointment.

Friday, May 25, 2007

Catriona McPherson on Crime Prize Shortlist


Catriona McPherson's society sleuth Dandy Gilver is making crime waves: After the Armistice Ball, the first novel by the New Galloway writer, has been shortlisted for the industry-acclaimed Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. It's billed as the only literary prize of its kind to be decided by the public and is online here as part of this year's Harrogate Festival. Cast your vote on the site or in any branch of Waterstone's.




Thursday, May 10, 2007

Wigtown Poetry Competition Winners 2007

Congratulations to the winners of the 2007 Wigtown Poetry Competition, judged by Jackie Kay and Rody Gorman (Gaelic judge). Look out for the judges' reports being posted on the competition website shortly.

Ist Prize
My Darling, My Cliché - Kathryn Simmonds

2nd Prize
Pride - Judy Brown

3rd Prize
Odysseus and the Sou’Wester - Jen Hadfield

Gaelic Prize
An fhior bheinn - Aonghas MacNeacail


Commended Poems
Pigeon’s Egg - Isla Duncan
Lead, Kindly Light - Jennifer Copley
Tabernacles - Atar Hadari
Aftermath of Love - Chloe Morrish
Parasites - Christie Williamson
Night Train from Parma - Anna Wigley
The Dead - David Winston Lee
The Hardest Lines - Ronald Kerr
In a Small and Private Room - Anne Stewart
Agoraphobic in Love - Kathryn Simmonds

Saturday, May 05, 2007

Tom Pow & Hugh McMillan at the Bakehouse


Saturday June 2nd 7.00pm for 7.30pm
The Bakehouse presents...

KNOCKOUT! Readings from new publications by Tom Pow and Hugh McMillan

Tom Pow's new work TRANSFUSION, a poem in praise of two twentieth century icons -Muhammad Ali and Nelson Mandela - takes us on a dramatic journey across the landscapes of Africa. It is a frieze against which heroic acts take place, ones which have become part of our own biographies.Performed by Tom Pow and Tony Bonning. And Hugh McMillan reads from STRANGE BAMBOO, his sparkling new collection of ten years of poetry.

Tickets £6.50 (includes a glass of wine)To book phone the Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival Box Office 01387 260447 or The Bakehouse 01557 814196

Friday, April 27, 2007

Online Worksheet: Novel Writing with David Bishop

A few weeks back, novelist, screenwriter and general tornado David Bishop ran an excellent workshop on novel writing in Dumfries. Sadly, a few people had to be turned away, but don't despair - David has kindly provided an online version, which is now on the DG Writers' Hub right here. He takes a refreshingly realistic look at the life of a working writer. Essential reading for anyone with that novel still inside them, and wondering how to bring it out.

'...You enjoy the physical process of working with words. You experience a vicarious thrill from entering the worlds within your imagination, from being surprised by your characters and your choices...'

'...books are written one word, one sentence, one paragraph and one page at a time...'

David Bishop's writing blog.

Hugh McMillan - Strange Bamboo


Hugh McMillan’s fourth full collection ‘Strange Bamboo’ is about to be released by Shoestring Press. This book reveals him as one of Scotland’s sharpest and most accessible talents. His subject matter ranges from the local to the universal but all is observed with clarity, an unsentimental compassion and, often, a rollicking sense of fun.

Much modern poetry is portentous and self-consciously clever. McMillan’s is, as Robert Nye once pointed out, “ a breath of fresh air.”

“McMillan is unique in the angle and tone of his attack on the familiar.” Ian Duhig

Strange Bamboo ISBN-13 978 1 904886 51 8 £8.95 from Shoestring Press
Visit Hugh's
podcast
and poetry blog.

*****

Out of the Way

Lydia has pink sandals

and butterfly clips:

it’s sunny in the gardens,

the grass tiger stripes,


the news only a distant wheeze

from a kitchen radio,

drowned by bees,

a breeze, the birdsong.


This is why we’re here:

nothing to worry over

but tumbles on soft lawns,

that and the vicious roar


of fighter bombers, spinning

like needles over garden sheds,

practicing pitching bombs

on babies’ heads.


Thursday, April 26, 2007

Writers on Writing: Interview with Jacob Polley

The second in our new series of audio interviews with working writers, giving a unique insight into their art, craft and inspiration.

Jacob Polley

Poet Jacob Polley is one of the 2004 Next Generation poets, and a Eric Gregory Award winner (2002). His new collection, Little Gods, is published by Picador.

Here he talks about getting started in poetry, his inspiration and his process. This interview was recorded during a recent reading in Dumfries as part of the acclaimed Poetry Doubles series.

'...it comes from the desire to create something, to make a mark on paper...'

'...in order to write, you need to be reading...'


'...reading is about learning the sinews of other people's work...'

To hear Jacob Polley's audio interview, click here. For the general podcast page, click here.

Please be patient - 2MB file.
© 2007 Jacob Polley.

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

'Markings' Launch with Alan Franks


Saturday April 28th, 7 for 7.30pm
The Bakehouse 44, High Street, Gatehouse of Fleet


An evening of poetry and songs to launch the latest issue of 'Markings' magazine.

Alan Franks is a poet, playwright, novelist, Times feature writer, diarist, humourist and musician and winner of four major poetry competitions (including Wigtown) in the last three years! One of his songs, The Wishfulness Waltz, is the title track of a recent compilation CD by the Fairport Convention.'

"…(Alan's) poems show a great ear, exude a terrific confidence and imaginative freedom - and a reckless, romantic drama that you'd have to have a heart of stone to remain unmoved by." Don Paterson

'Franks' songs are wonderfully true, complex, addictive things. I wish I think, write and play like him….This is the real thing, I promise.' Jake Thackray

Alan will be followed by readings from contributors to Markings 24.
Tickets £7.50 (£6.00 concs). To book ring 01557 814196 or email bookings@thebakehouse.info or chryssalt2@aol.com, or take a chance on the door.

Monday, April 09, 2007

Writers on Writing: Interview with Eleanor Yule

The first in our new series of audio interviews with working writers, giving a unique insight into their art, craft and inspiration.

First off the block: Eleanor Yule

Eleanor Yule is a screenwriter and Scottish BAFTA-winning director whose many screen credits include the feature film Blinded, and awarding-winning documentaries for the BBC (RD Laing, Muriel Spark and the Scottish colourists).

Here, Eleanor Yule talks about the differences between writing for the screen and other media, and opportunities for screenwriters in Scotland.

'...really what screenworks are about is a present-tense narrative unravelling in front of your eyes...'

'...screenwriting, more than any other kind of writing, is an understanding of the film-making process...'


'...if you're coming from novel-writing, you carry a lot of baggage... the narrator is very powerful, the internal world of the protagonist is hard to do filmically...'

To head direct to the audio interview, click here. For the general podcast page, click here.

Please be patient - 2MB file.
© 2007 Eleanor Yule.

Friday, March 30, 2007

Novel Approaches Workshop

Dumfries Ewart Library was the venue for an evening of inspiration and perspiration by nearly 20 writers from across Dumfries & Galloway who gathered to meet novelist, screenwriter and all-round tour de force David Bishop on Thursday. It was a chance to hear about story, structure and other tools of the novelist's trade, as well as insights into the realities of life as a working writer. For those who missed out on this sell-out workshop, an online version is now here - and visit his website here.

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Lancaster Spotlight Twinning


Four poets from Dumfries & Galloway travelled south to take part in Spotlight Lancaster at the Spotlight Club, the northwest's live writing venue, last month : Jackie Galley, Vivien Jones, Angus Macmillan and Mary Smith joined Lancaster writers to read from recent work and introduce D&G's new literary magazine, Southlight. It's hoped the Lancaster literary twinning will continue later in the year.

Craiturs Book Launch







Copies of 'Craiturs: Snapshots of Life' by Alex Berry and Elaine Palmer has been selling like toasty scones these last couple of months as word-of-mouth spreads around the region. A feisty collection of poems and stories from Karachi to Portpatrick and edited by Robert Burns Writing Fellow Hamish MacDonald, it's available from DGAA at Gracefield, 28 Edinburgh Road, Dumfries, DG1 1JQ (01387 253383) - or call in directly at the portacabin...

Mentoring Scheme 2007

Deadline: Fri 6th April

“Extremely useful – if I hadn’t been on the mentoring scheme, I probably wouldn’t have turned my idea into a concrete reality’

‘The mentoring experience helped me to gain confidence and focus in my writing’

‘It was very useful to set myself goals and be able to discuss them and find ways forward’

Just a few comments from writers who took part in our inaugural mentoring scheme with Virtual Writer in Residence Jules Horne. Now we’re offering a similar one-to-one opportunity to five writers in the region.

It doesn’t matter what stage you’re at – it’s far more important that you’re really keen to progress your writing, prepared to commit some time to it, and willing to engage objectively and open-mindedly with your craft. This opportunity would particularly suit writers with a specific idea in mind for the next 6-9 months.

You'll need an email account and the knowledge to send word documents as e-mail attachments. It’s envisaged that the mentoring will cover four pieces of work/feedback sessions, as well as the chance to talk through your writing aims more generally.

If you’d like to know more, ring Jules or Andy Forster on 01387 253383 or email jules_horne@yahoo.co.uk

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Poet Partners with Vicki Feaver


The Scottish Poetry Library, with support from the Paul Hamlyn foundation, are presenting a series of mini-residencies, 'poet partners', to promote their outreach collections. In Dumfries & Galloway we are fortunate to have award-winning poet Vicki Feaver taking part in a short series of events.

Whether you have never read poetry before and want to know where to start, or if you're a committed poetry reader, theses events offer a unique opportunity to explore reading poetry with one of its finest practitioners.

Thursday April 26th
2.00 - 3:00pm Newton Stewart Library
6:00 - 7:00pm Ewart Library, Dumfries
Vicki Feaver talks about getting into poetry and reading some of her favourite poems.

Thursday 31st May
2:00 - 3:00pm Newton Stewart Library
6:00 - 7:00pm Ewart Library, Dumfries
Vicki Feaver reads the poetry of Steve Smith and Sharon Olds and talks about their influence on her own work.

Thursday 28th June
2:00 - 3:00pm Newton Stewart Library
6:00 - 7:00pm Ewart Library, Dumfries
Vicki Feaver talks about the process of writing a poem using drafts of her own poetry, and close-reads a poem from the SPL collection.

All events are free.
To book a place contact Andrew Forster on 01387 253383 or andrew@dgaa.net

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

World Book Day in D&G


Saturday 17th March, 8pm
The Crown Hotel, Kirkpatrick Durham


Distinguished poet and translator John Manson invites writers in Dumfries & Galloway to celebrate World Book Day with a gathering in Kirkpatrick Durham. Bring along poems or prose to read - whether your own or by a favourite writer - or simply come along to enjoy!

It's the tenth anniversary of World Book Day in the UK and Ireland, and the event is now firmly established as the biggest annual event promoting the enjoyment of books and reading.
For more information, contact John on 01556 650450.

Tom Pow Wins Creative Scotland Award


Warm congratulations to Dumfries poet and playwright Tom Pow, one of ten leading Scottish artists to win a prestigious Creative Scotland Award in 2007. Tom will use the £30,000 award to develop his project 'Dying Villages' – a group of poems and prose pieces which explore the cultural and natural ecology of dying villages in Europe.

Monday, March 12, 2007

Poetry Doubles: Jake Polley & aonghas macneacail

Monday 26th March, 7pm
Robert Burns Centre Film Theatre, Dumfries

We're delighted to present a spring taster for the new series of Poetry Doubles in the summer.

Bright young star Jacob Polley makes a welcome return to Poetry Doubles celebrating the publication of his brillant new collection 'Little Gods'. Jake will be reading alongside Scotland's foremost Gaelic poet, Aonghas Macneacail, as he prepares to launch his first collection of poetry in 11 years.

Tickets £7.00 (£5.00 concession) from Andrew Forster 01387 253383 or andrew@dgaa.net

Novel Writing Secrets with David Bishop


Thursday, March 29th, 7-9 pm
Ewart Library, Dumfries

Thinking of writing a novel but you don't know how to start? Perhaps you've started a novel but don't know if you've got the stamina to finish it? Then David Bishop's inspiring workshop is for you!

David Bishop is a professional scribe with a prodigious work rate who believes creative writing can be rewarding - both personally and financially. His practical workshop offers insight into the life of a working writer, and provides motivation for anyone who's ever toyed with becoming an author. He talks about the journey from inspiration and perspiration to publication, and tells you how to get real about your writing!

David Bishop has been a professional writer since summer 2000. Since then he's had a dozen novels published, more than twelve hours of audio drama released on CD and the BBC broadcast his first radio play last June. He had half a million words published last year across various media. In his copious spare time, he is completing a screenwriting MA at Screen Academy Scotland in Edinburgh and is being mentored in scripting TV drama for nine months by award-winning writer-director Adrian Mead. He also directs, acts and produces amateur theatre in the Lanarkshire village where he lives.

No previous experience necessary - all you need is pen, paper and an imagination!
Tickets £3. Book with Andrew Forster on 01387 253383 or andrew@dgaa.net

!!Update!! For a shortened online version of this workshop, go here.

Screenwriting Meetings


Screenwriters who recently attended the excellent Writers' Factory course run by Eleanor Yule are hard at work on their first screenplays. There's a chance on Sat 10th and Tues 13th April to catch up with fellow writers for mutual feedback before submitting your final script. Ring Film Officer Alice Stilgoe on 01387 263094 for more information on this or anything to do with film and screen activities in the region.