Talented young Dumfries writer, Laura Helyer, who is a graduate of St Andrews University, has won the GAMA (Gatliff/Angus McLeod Archive) award for 2009. This is funded by The Gatliff Trust and The Islands Book Trust to allow students to spend time in the Western Isles in order to carry out their research, which is then published. Laura was inspired by the life and work of Angus ‘Ease’ McLeod (1916-2002) of Calbost, South Lochs, Lewis.
This booklet, Paper Cairns, contains a range of poems and a short essay based on her visits to Lewis in the summer of 2009.
Paper Cairns will be launched in Lewis on 27 February at the Angus McLeod Archive, with readings by Laura.
Laura has taken part in DGAA’s renowned Poetry Doubles series, reading in 2007 with George Szirtes and in 2009 with David Constantine. She is a very talented poet, runner up in the 2006 Academi Cardiff International Poetry Competition, winner of the George Crabbe Memorial Poetry Competition in 2007, and winner of the Kirkpatrick Dobie Poetry Competition in 2008.
We wish her all the best, and hope she’ll be in The Midsteeple shortly for the Dumfries launch of Paper Cairns.
A Word or Two on Writing Workshops
3 days ago
