D&G Poets at StAnza 2006

Three D&G poets are making their debut at the prestigious St Andrews Poetry Festival, StAnza:
Andrew Forster * Jackie Galley * Rab Wilson

Rab Wilson

Friday 17 March 11.30am
Reading: Pamphlet Poets (£3.50/£2.00)
St John’s Undercroft, South Street
Tessa Ransford, Andrew Forster & Valerie Thornton
Three distinct voices all published in pamphlet form launch this series A poet, translator, editor and cultural activist campaigning over the last 30 years, Tessa Ransford is president of Scottish Pamphlet Poetry, the founder of the Scottish Poetry Library and current president of Scottish PEN. Awarded two SAC bursaries (1998, 2002), Andrew Forster has published a pamphlet Dress Rehearsals (Flarestack) and a poetry card Locked Gardens (School of Poets), as well as appearing widely in magazines and anthologies.

Saturday 18 March 2.15pm
Reading: Voices of Scotland (£3.50/£2.00)
St John’s House Undercroft, South Street
Matthew Fitt & Rab Wilson
Born in Dundee in 1968, Matthew Fitt is a former holder of the Brownsbank Fellowship. His writing in Scots has been hailed as ‘ground-breaking’. His first collection of poetry, Kate o Shanter’s Tale, was published in 2003, hard on the heels of his first novel, the SF But n Ben A-Go-Go also in Scots. Writing mainly in Scots, Rab Wilson has appeared at the Edinburgh Festival, Burns an’ a’ That, Perth’s The Word’s Out! and the Robert Burns International Festival. Twice a recipient of the McCash Poetry Prize, his second collection of poems, Accent o the Mind (Luath), was published in Spring 2006.

Saturday 18 March 10am
Workshop: Puppets & Poems (free/ticketed)
St John’s House Undercroft, South Street
Maureen Sangster & Jackie Galley
Create your own animal fables through puppets and masks and poems with Maureen Sangster and Jackie Galley. Inspired by the fables of Dumfermline poet Robert Henryson, this workshop will take you on a journey back in time, into the hearts and minds of animals. Suitable for ages 7-11.

Sunday 19 March 12 noon
Performance: Animal Fables (£3/£1/£6/family)
Crawford Centre Studio Theatre, North Street
Maureen Sangster & Jackie Galley
A lively retelling, using specially created masks. 15th century Scots poet Robert Henryson's fables reinterpreted for today by poet Maureen Sangster and writer & ecologist Jackie Galley. The show takes a fresh look at environmental concerns. Suitable for ages 5-11 and families.

Full details at www.st-andrews.ac.uk/standrews/stanza

Des Dillon Reading, Castle Douglas

Dumfries and Galloway Writers' Network present...
a Writers' Evening with special guest
Des Dillon

Douglas Arms Hotel, Castle Douglas
Wednesday 29th March 7:30pm
Tickets £2.00

Des Dillon was born in Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, Scotland, in 1960, and read English at Strathclyde University. A former teacher, he now writes for television, stage and radio and has taught Creative Writing at the Arvon Foundation. He was Writer in Residence at Castlemilk, Glasgow, between 1998 and 2000, and now lives in Galloway. Des will be reading across the range of his novels, stories, plays and poems, and there will be opportunities for local writers to sign up for 5 minute floorspots.

The latest in a regular series of events from the recently-formed Writers' Network.

Contact: Ann Dunford 01988 500175 anne.dunford@holmespun.co.uk

James Robertson in Kirkcudbright

Tuesday March 7th 7.30pm
Kirkcudbright Literary Society presents...

James Robertson: 'History, Fiction and the Spaces In-Between'
Lesser Town Hall, Kirkcudbright
Award-winning writer James Robertson will be talking about his novels 'The Fanatic' and 'Joseph Knight' and giving a sneak preview of his new novel 'The Testament of Gideon Mack'. Don't miss it!
Tickets £2
Contact: Carol McQuistan 01557 330894

Kirkpatrick Durham Poetry and Prose Night

Saturday 18th March 8:00pm

Poetry and Prose Readings
The Crown Hotel
Kirkpatrick Durham

Bring along something to read, by yourself or other people, or just come along and listen.

Further details from John Manson 01556 650450

Children's Poetry Bookshelf Tour

Wednesday 26th April 4:00
Georgetown Library, Dumfries

Scottish Poetry Library presents...
Children's Poetry Bookshelf Tour
with Elspeth Murray (www.elspethmurray.com) and Richard Medrington
(www.puppetstate.com)

Presented in association with the Poetry Book Society's Children's Poetry Bookshelf, these events are designed for teachers, librarians, writers, parents, or anyone interested in promoting and encouraging poetry for children.

Both Richard and Elspeth are experienced performers with substantial experience of working in schools. They will perform classic children's poems and their own work, alongside talking about their work in schools and taking questions from the audience. Introduced by Julie Johnstone, Education Development Officer with the Scottish Poetry Library.

Free event. To book, contact Andrew Forster on andrew@dgaa.net or 01387 253383

Poetry Reading with Galway Kinnell

Tuesday 14 March, 7:00pm
Lochthorn Library, Edinburgh Road, Dumfries

Galway Kinnell's Selected Works

In association with the Scottish Poetry Library and Stanza:Scotland's poetry
festival, DGAA presents Pulitzer prize-winning poet Galway Kinnell. A rare opportunity to hear one of the most important American voices of his generation.

Galway will be reading from his work and, following the successful Scottish Poetry Library 'Selected Works' series, he will also present a selection of his favourite poems by others, in conversation with Scottish poet Ken Cockburn. He will make his choice from the Scottish Poetry
Library collection in the Ewart Library, Dumfries.

If you enjoyed the Poetry Doubles season, don't miss this!

"One of the true master poets of his generation. . . . There are few
others writing today in whose work we feel so strongly the full
human presence." -Morris Dickstein, New York Times Book Review

Book tickets with Andrew Forster, Dumfries and Galloway Arts
Association, 01387 253383 or e-mail andrew@dgaa.net £3.00

Poetry Podcast Project

Thirteen of the region’s noted poets have embraced the digital age with a pioneering poetry podcast project – a regional showcase of audio recordings on the internet. It’s the first such poetry archive in Scotland, and it’s hoped it will attract a new international audience for the exciting poetry scene in Dumfries & Galloway.

The podcasts feature local poets with growing and national reputations:

:: jo abbott :: judi benson :: jackie galley :: vivien jones ::

:: douglas lipton :: hamish macdonald :: angus macmillan ::
:: hugh mcmillan :: liz niven :: derek ross ::
:: tom pow :: mary smith :: rab wilson ::

The poems include work in Scots, English and Gaelic in settings stretching all the way from Bellymack to the highlands of Afghanistan, and covering an astonishing range of subjects, from cooking an octopus, to SQA exam-marking, to the tragedy of the Solway Harvester.

The Podcast Project is hosted by DGAA’s Writers’ Hub, www.dgcommunity.net/writers, set up by Dumfries & Galloway Arts Association as a resource for writers in the area, with support from the Council’s Library and IT Services.

We hope that hearing the authors' distinctive voices will add an extra dimension to their work, and showcase the quality and diversity of poetry in the region. We particularly hope that language and literature students abroad will be interested in hearing contemporary recordings in the different languages and accents of Scotland. More...

Joined Up Writing Book Launch

Saturday 4th March, 2pm
Scottish Poetry LibraryCanongate, Edinburgh

Crichton Writers and Wigtown Scribblers hold the Edinburgh launch of their joint anthology of poetry and prose. Your chance to hear new writing by members of the south-west's most dynamic groups. Local hospitality and copies of the book at £3 .

Info: 0131 557 2876 or email reception @spl.org.uk

Crichton Writer on Radio 4

BBC Radio 4 is broadcasting a short story by Crichton Writers' member Vivien Jones on Wednesday March 1st. 'Tomato Sauce' will be read by Monica Gibb and aired at 3.30pm as part of a week of stories by Scottish writers.

The story was written as one of a series of memoir pieces on Vivien's childhood time in Malta, as part of her membership of Crichton Memoirs Group.

Burns on the Solway

Oran Mor, Glasgow, week of February 20th

A new play by Catherine Czerkawska, Burns on the Solway, is being staged as part of the acclaimed Oran Mor season, A Play A Pie and a Pint. Carmen Piericinni returns to the theatre to play Jane Armour after two years in River City in the touching love story set on the Solway Firth at the end of Robert Burns’ life. Directed by Michael Emans. Burns to be cast – watch this space!

Tickets priced at £10 (includes: the play, a pie and one drink).
Tickets available from the SECC on 08700 13 26 52, or from www.secc.co.uk, or on the door on the day.

Doors open 12.30 pm. Play starts 1.05 pm.

Visit Catherine Czerkawska's writing blog here.