Starting to Write Workshops

Always wanted to write but don't know where or how to begin? This beginner's course is designed to introduce you to the joy of writing.

Run by Dumfries writer Lynn Otty at Dumfries Academy. Eight weeks from 19th January 2006, 7-9pm. Cost £28.80 (concessions available).

Contact 01387 243554 or 243555 (Community Learning).

Crichton Writers Go Global

Crichton Writers' new website is fast taking shape on the Glasgow University Crichton Campus site. It includes an events diary, a showcase of members' successes and previous publications. Soon to come: member's pages with individual profiles and samples of work.

A Sense of Place

Work by Powfoot writer Vivien Jones appears in the new anthology, A Sense of Place - a collection of new stories about Scotland to mark the first anniversary of Edinburgh becoming the first permanent UNESCO City of Literature.

'Diverse, lyrical, factual, perceptive and humorous - a kaleidoscope of views ona sense of place in Scotland at the beginning of this millennium.' - Tom Devine.

Drama Development Day

Drama Development Day

with
David Ian Neville BBC Scotland Radio Drama
Philip Howard Artistic Director, Traverse Theatre

Saturday 26th November :: 10am-4pm :: Royal Hotel, St Cuthbert’s Street, Kirkcudbright

Interested in writing for stage or radio?
This practical workshop offers a mix of hands-on advice and inspiration to anyone interested learning more about in the art and craft of playwriting for the stage or radio. It’s aimed at writers with some experience of drama or other forms of writing.

Led by David Ian Neville, (Development Producer, BBC Scotland Radio Drama), and Philip Howard (Artistic Director, Traverse Theatre), this all-day event is a rare chance to explore the nuts and bolts of playwriting with two Scotland’s most experienced new writing producers.

Philip Howard is Artistic Director of the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh, where he has directed 17 world premieres of plays by leading writers including David Greig, David Harrower, Catherine Czerkawska and Iain Crichton Smith. His productions have won three Fringe Firsts and toured to New York and Tehran.

David Ian Neville works as a Drama Producer, developing and producing plays and series for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 3. He has also worked as a producer on The Archers and as a freelance writer and director, winning an Edinburgh Festival Fringe First for his stage play ‘Exile’.

Up to 15 places are available. Cost £5. Book now by emailing andrew@dgaa.net, or ring 01387 253353 for more information.

This event has been organised by Dumfries & Galloway Arts Association, with support from the Scottish Arts Council.

Southlight

SOUTH
LIGHT

a new literary magazine publishing
the best in poetry, prose and critical work
***

Editorial Board : Jo Abbott , Jackie Galley, Angus Macmillan

***
SOUTHLIGHT is a creative collaboration between Crichton Campus Writers’ Centre and Dumfries & Galloway Arts Association. The first issue will be published in late November 2005. SOUTHLIGHT welcomes submissions of unpublished poetry and short stories. Writers are asked to submit hard copy in the first instance on single sided, double spaced A4 paper in size 12 font. Poems (max 6 x 60 lines) prose ( 2000 words) .

Submissions to
Isobel Gibson : SOUTHLIGHT
Crichton Campus. Rutherford-McCowan Building.
Bankend Road. Dumfries DG1 4ZL

Beyond the Wall

15th October until 12th November
Designs Gallery, Castle Douglas

Beyond the Wall
The latest exhibition of poetry and photography by Angus Macmillan and Derek Ross. It follows their earlier exhibitions 'Tidelines' and 'Canan's Solus', and is a poetic and photographic exploration of some of the physical and psychological roles that walls have in our lives.

Joined-Up Writing

Crichton Writers and Wigtown Scribblers have launched a new anthology, Joined-Up Writing, featuring prose and poetry by over twenty of the region's writers. Both groups are relatively new additions to the Dumfries & Galloway writing scene, with great things promised in this cracking anthology. Copies are available from Anne Dunford.

Wigtown Poetry Competition

Don Paterson

Entries are now being accepted for the first Wigtown Poetry Competition, launched at the recent Wigtown Book Festival. A top prize of £2,000 (£1,000 additional Gaelic prize) makes it the biggest poetry award in Scotland. The judges are Don Paterson and Aonghas Macneacail (Gaelic).

Entries in English, Gaelic or Scots are open to anyone aged 16 and over, both within and outside the United Kingdom. It's also possible to enter online here.

Herald Poem of the Day

'Solway Sunset' by Jackie Galley recently appeared in the national press as The Herald's 'Poem of the Day'
......

Solway Sunset

The early morning light picks out folds and ripples
in the saltmarsh
like bedsheets creased overnight
until the heat of the day irons them flat.

In the afternoon
the tide slips out
leaving a trail of perspiration
under the stare of the hot sun

In the evening the estuary is the platter
on which is served Victoria plum sunsets,
ripe, soft red fruit
dripping juice on the Lakeland hills.

© Jackie Galley 2005

Fresh Talent from Scotland

Laura Marney

Four of Scotland's sparkiest new writers are descending on Dumfries as part of Ottakers' 'Fresh Talent from Scotland' tour. Sophie Cooke, Keith Grey, Susie Maguire and Laura Marney will be reading from their work and discussing the contemporary writing scene at the Crichton Campus (Rutherford-McCowan building) on Thurs 13th October at 6pm.
More info here.

Lockerbie Life

21 years in Dumfries and Galloway are being celebrated in an exhibition of writing, painting and photography by multitalented Lockerbie poet and artist Eric Davidson. It's running at Lockerbie Library from 30th Sept to 8th Oct, and rounds off with readings and music at the town's Library and Crown Hotel on Saturday 8th. Details here.

Poetry Doubles 2

Nine nights guaranteed to stir your soul!

The innovative Poetry Doubles series returns: ten of the country's finest poets pair with Dumfries & Galloway's rising stars for evenings of poetry, power and passion at venues across the region.



Monday 15th August
Special Launch Event
Helen Farish and Tom Pow
Robert Burns Centre, Dumfries

Wed 17th August
Don Paterson and Mary Smith
Mill on the Fleet, Gatehouse of Fleet

Monday 22nd August
John Stammers and Derek Ross
Robert Burns Centre, Dumfries

Monday 29th August
Choman Hardi and Irene Leake
Robert Burns Centre, Dumfries

Wed Aug 31st
Gillian Allnutt and Jackie Galley
Bladnoch Distillery, Wigtown

Monday Sept 5th
Jackie Kay and Anne Dunford
Robert Burns Centre, Dumfries

Monday Sept 12th
Kate Clanchy and Ron McKechnie
Robert Burns Centre, Dumfries

Monday Sept 19th
Adrian Mitchell and Laura Helyer
Robert Burns Centre, Dumfries

Thursday Sept 22nd
Les Murray and Alex Berry
Old Well Theatre, Moffat

All readings start at 7pm.
Tickets £5.00 from Dumfries and Galloway Arts Association on 01387 253383.
Special offer of £35.00 for the whole series.

Poetry in the Woods

Discover poems in their natural habitat...

Saturday 27th August
10am -3pm
Poetry in the Woods will feature a workshop with special guest tutor Colin Will. Colin worked at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh and is a renowned nature poet. He'll be leading a workshop on writing about the plants of the forest.

4.30pm
Dumfries Museum
Reading by Colin Will and workshop participants.

Poetry in the Woods workshops run 10am -3pm at Mabie Forest Education Centre. Booking via Ae Forest on 01387 860247. Workshops £3, reading free.

Stargazers - Old Music & New Writing

Crichton Writers & The Galloway Consort
present
Stargazers
:: a unique presentation ::
of old music and new writing on Renaissance themes


The Galloway Consort are early music specialists with 20 years' performing experience all over Scotland and the north of England. Crichton Writers are a vibrant new writing group based at the Crichton Campus (Glasgow University) in Dumfries. Together they have devised a programme of new writing in response to renaissance themes of love, war and the natural world to be accompanied by music from the 16th and 17th centuries played on appropriate instruments. Work will be read by actors from the Swallow Theatre in a candle-lit, herb scented ambience and a summer supper will follow for those who choose to stay.

Performance dates:

Sunday 28th August 7.00 pm
The Swallow Theatre, Whithorn
Concert ticket, including supper : £ 12.50
(Concert ticket only : £ 5.00)
Tickets & information : David Sumner Tel : 01988 850368
e-mail : mail@swallowtheatre.com
This performance is part of the annual St Ninian Festival

Thursday 29th September. 7.00 pm.
Bladnoch Distillery. Bladnoch
Concert ticket £5.00
Tickets & information : Book Festival Booking Office. County Hall. Wigtown.
Tel : 01988 402036 www.wigtown-booktown.co.uk/festival
This event is part of the Wigtown Book Festival


Wednesday 12th October 7.00 pm.
Drama Studio, Rutherford McCowan Building. Crichton Campus. Dumfries
Concert ticket £5.00
Tickets & information :Vivien Jones Tel: 01461 700396
e-mail : vivien@freeola.com

Scottish Film-Poet Margaret Tait

Tuesday 6th September, 7pm
Robert Burns Centre, Dumfries
Tickets £4.40 (£3.25) from 01387 264808

Gerda Stevenson introduces a rare showing of poetry films by Scottish artist, filmmaker and poet Margaret Tait (1918-1999), with an accompanying publication of essays, artwork and poetry. This rare opportunity is part of an international touring exhibition.

'Margaret Tait was one of Britain's most unique and individual artist filmmakers. Over the course of forty-six years she produced over thirty films including one feature, Blue Black Permanent (1992) and published five books of poetry and short stories, while living between the Island of Orkney and Edinburgh. Margaret described her life's work as consisting of making film-poems. Her clarity of vision and purpose with an attention to simple commonplace subjects combined with a rare sense of inner rhythm and pattern give her films a transcendental quality, while still remaining firmly rooted within the everyday.' — Lux

Linda Cracknell - Short Story Workshop

Monday Sept 5th
1-3pm
Short Story Workshop
with Linda Cracknell,
Brownsbank Writer in Residence
Drama Studio, Rutherford McCowan Building, Crichton Campus, Dumfries
Tickets £5 from Vivien Jones
01461 700396
Crichton Writers Event

Windmill Windfall Writing Workshops

Dumfries Museum and Camera Obscura

5th September 4-6pm with Angus MacMillan
12th September 4-6pm with Laura Helyer


All levels welcome. The workshops will take the museum collections as their theme and muse, and participants will be encouraged to submit their pieces for display in a small exhibition. Places are limited to ten people per session.

Please book early to avoid disappointment on 01387 253374.

Des Dillon at the Edinburgh Fringe

Following on the success of 'Six Black Candles', Garlieston writer Des Dillon's new play 'Singin' I'm No a Billy, He's a Tim' is now in full swing at the prestigious Gilded Balloon at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, starring Simon Weir, Gordon Brown and Andy Townsley.

Tickets are available online at the Gilded Balloon, or by phone from 0131 668 1633.

The show runs until 20th August, tickets £9 (8).

Newsbytes

Rab Wilson of Sanquhar has been commissioned by Cathy Jamieson MSP to write a poem as part of the Scottish Parliament poetry project, Holyrood Poetry Link 2005. Labour appears on the SPL website here.

MSP Elaine Murray has meanwhile commissioned a Holyrood poem, The Canny Moment, from Dumfries-based poet Douglas Lipton. His own site is here.

Vivien Jones has been awarded a New Writers' bursary by the Scottish Arts Council - another success for the multitalented Powfooter, who's also appeared in the Scotsman-Orange fiction anthology.

Crichton Campus

Glasgow University Crichton Campus Writing Prizes 2005:

Kirkpatrick Dobie Poetry Prize:
Joint winners : Jackie Galley for ‘Bearings’ and Laura Helyer for ‘Camera Obscura : a sequence'.
Third prize : Irene Leake for ‘Three Poems’.

Muriel Carmichael Prose Prize:
Ist prize : Jackie Galley for ‘The Rookery’.
2nd prize : Jo Abbott for ‘Rough Magic’.
3rd Prize : Vivien Jones for ‘Still, Small Voice’.

Steven Runciman Prize for Writing :
Pamela Stokes for ‘The historical trajectory of a scientific controversy and a discussion of the factual and theoretical contentions that have fuelled it’.

See previous prize-winners here:

Hugh Nughs

Congratulations to Dumfries poet Hugh McMillan, first stage winner in the prestigious Smith Doorstep/Poetry Business Poetry Pamphlet Competition, whose collection After the Storm has just been launched at a rocking night in the Tam O'Shanter pub. Wry, dry, and moving... and, to quote Ian Duhig, 'each poem contains a little warhead primed at the emotions'. Grab your copy now!

mentoring

Do you want to develop your writing?
Are you working on a specific project?
Are you prepared to commit some time?
*********************************

This is a opportunity for writers in Dumfries and Galloway who are keen to progress their work, willing to engage with it objectively and open to supportive feedback.

DGAA’s Virtual Writer in Residence, Jules Horne, will be offering individual mentoring to a number of writers who are committed to developing their writing over the next year.

Writers at any stage can apply. Assignments, deadlines and type of feedback will be agreed with each writer, depending on personal writing aspirations. What’s important is a commitment to your craft, and an open mind. You'll also need to be able to send e-mail attachments.

To apply:

Send a sample of your writing (no more than 2,000 words of prose, 6 poems - up to 40 lines each, 8pp of drama), with a paragraph each on

o your writing goals and what you’d like to achieve in nine months’ time
o your writing background, and any publications or productions
o how you think your writing would benefit from mentoring
o why this form of mentoring would be useful to you.

All applications should be sent to arrive by Friday 20th May to:

Jules Horne, Dumfries and Galloway Arts Association, Gracefield Arts Centre, 28 Edinburgh Road, DUMFRIES, DG1 1JG

or as Word files to jules_horne@yahoo.co.uk.

For more information, ring 01387 253383 or email.

blogging workshop

The Basics of Blogging
or
How to set up a simple website in under an hour

Thursday 19th May 2-4pm, Wigtown Library

NB places are limited - please ring Andy on 01387 253383 to book

************************************************************

What can blogging do for you? Take a look here.

A blog (short for weblog) is basically a very simple website. Most blogs are free to set up, and don’t need any special software. People use them for many different purposes, including online diaries, journalism, writing showcases, political activism and group collaborations.

This workshop will take you through the basics of blogging, from setting up a free account, to posting some writing on the internet.

At the end of the workshop, you’ll have

opened a free blog account with www.blogger.com
posted some of work on the internet
practised creative formatting

Afterwards, you’ll be able to change your website at any time via the internet.

What you’ll need:

an email address
basic Word skills (including copying and pasting text)
basic internet surfing skills

Please bring to the workshop:
o your email address
o five poems or pieces of prose. These should either be brought on a floppy disk or USB flash drive, or sent as an email attachment to Jules two days before the workshop
o ideas for your website address. This will have the format http://www.yourname.blogspot.com/. Have a few alternatives in mind, in case your name is already taken.

For more information, ring 01387 253383 or email Jules.

hark! the herald...

Recent snippet from Sunday Herald:

'Three cheers for ever-innovative Dumfries and Galloway, which has appointed the nation's first virtual writer in residence, Jules Horne. Her plans include online writing resources, a mentoring scheme to assist writers and workshops experimenting with new media. To start the ball rolling, Ms Horne - who writes plays and short stories - is embarking on a series of roadshows, when she will read from her own word and discuss the residency...'

(Sadly, the sessions at Dumfries Crichton Campus, Castle Douglas, Newton Stewart, Lockerbie and Lochthorn have now been and gone. But fear not - you can still email.)

frequently asked questions

What’s a ‘virtual writer’ anyway?

It does sound a little strange – could it be a cunning ploy to save money on REAL writers? It's not that sinister. The virtual residency is a way of using IT to reach parts other writers in residence can’t easily reach. D&G is a huge region; feedback from writers has shown that they often find it hard to attend events. So we’re trying to address that by harnessing the power of IT.

What sort of thing will you be doing?

First off, we’re setting up a mentoring scheme for writers who want to move on to another level. Groups can provide a certain amount of support and enjoyable social contact, but individual writers do have very different needs, aspirations, and interests. So a number of writers who are committed to progressing their work over the next year will be offered individual mentoring (see other sheet). This will take the form of email and other feedback in line with agreed personal goals.

We’re also working with the council library service on a website that will act as a showcase and resource for the region’s writers. There will be links to stimulus material and worksheets for groups and individual writers, as well as links to other sites that offer online communities, feedback, and publishing information. Into summer we’ll be adding bulletin boards that will act as online meeting points for writers wanting to exchange material for feedback.

Personal or group websites are another obvious avenue. This used to be expensive and difficult – something only a writer with strong geek tendencies would attempt! But with the arrival of blogging, website building has become very simple and (even better) free. Blogs have many uses; one of these - which many writers are now exploiting - is as an online showcase for their work. Writers’ groups might also like to consider a simple website showing their contact info. I’ll be running a few blogging workshops, and also putting instructions online that anyone can use.

One area we’re exploring down the line is online conferencing using internet chat. This is already being done by some of the universities (eg Manchester) which offer e-learning writers’ courses - the idea is you can log in from wherever you are, and take part in an online seminar with a visiting writer (who could also be anywhere at all). We’re planning to pilot this system here, and hoping D&G’s ever-intrepid writers will join in.

Let’s not forget also that the new media are bringing a whole wave of innovation, including forms such as kinetic poetry and hyperfiction, or the growth of flash fiction and blog-based or epistolary fiction using emails. We'll be keeping you up to date with digital writing experiments, and are hoping to try some of them out.

Is this approach new?

No - some universities and online writing sites are trying out similar ways of working. But it's the first time the SAC has funded this kind of post. So we’re hoping that writers in D&G will join in with a measure of pioneering spirit, feed back on what they feel works best, and being part of developing something that is being watched with interest in other parts of Scotland (to quote – unashamedly - the Sunday Herald: three cheers for the ever-innovative Dumfries and Galloway…)

If you’d like to know more, ring 01387 253383 or email the virtual writer in residence.