Jen Hadfield opens Poetry Prizewinners mini season

Special poetry events in July! DGAA will be hosting a mini season 'Poetry Prizewinners and their Craft' this July, the first event being none other than Jen Hadfield, winner of this year's T S Eliot prize. Jen will be reading from 'Nigh-No-Place', her winning collection, at the Robert Burns Centre Film Theatre on Wednesday 1 July at 7.30pm. Tickets are available from the RBCFT, £5.50/£4.10 concession, tel 01387 264808.
Next up on Friday 17 July at 7.30pm will be Rab Wilson, winner of the McCash prize. Rab, a very popular reader of his own work, will be launching his new collection 'Life Sentence' in Bar DG at DG One in Dumfries.
And on Monday 27 July we welcome Douglas Dunn, one of Scotland's foremost living poets, who will be reading his work in RBCFT. A further treat for writers is that Douglas has agreed to run a Masterclass on Tuesday 28 July - do book early for what will be a lively and stimulating masterclass on the craft of poetry. If you're looking for advice on developing your own skills, here’s a chance to get some helpful feedback from one of the foremost practioners of the craft.

Please submit any poems you wish to have considered by Friday 17 July to davie@dgaa,net. Douglas will then make a selection from the submitted poems to provide feedback in the masterclass.

Book Launch at Thomas Tosh for JoAnne McKay

Penpont poet JoAnne McKay is about to launch her first poetry pamphlet, 'The Fat Plant', whose quality, if you ever doubted it (which you shouldn't have) is vouched for in an introduction by Hugh McMillan. Hugh's verdict: 'The Fat Plant is a skilful collection. The poems are taut, laced with black humour and pack a real punch'.

I have to add, I took a copy home for the weekend, and thoroughly enjoyed it. The title poem is a real barnstormer. It took me back to days living in a town clouded with the reek of a glue factory, and earlier still, to the insidious pressure of priests and nuns on childhood. These are sharp, distinctive poems. Don't miss out!

JoAnne will be reading from 'The Fat Plant' at 3pm, Thomas Tosh in Thornhill on Sunday 12 July, and there will be drinks and canapes! You are more than welcome.

You can also get hold of a copy by e-mailing JoAnne at Titusmckay@aol.com and then sending, as she puts it, a crisp fiver! Or a cheque for £5. Don't miss further entertainment at JoAnne's blog - http://titusthedog.blogspot.com/

Jen Hadfield TS Eliot Prizewinner reads in Dumfries

Something very special on Wednesday 1 July at 7.30pm!
Jen Hadfield, 'surprise' winner (but not to us!) of the T S Eliot Prize this spring, is making a special stop-off on her tour to read in Dumfries as part of DGAA's short season of Poetry Prizewinners in July. Poetry Prizewinners will also include winner of the McCash Prize this year, Rab Wilson.

Tickets available from DGAA on 01387 253383.
‘Nigh-No-Place’, her winning collection, was described by the former Poet Laureate Andrew Motion as “a revelation; jaunty, energetic, iconoclastic - even devilmay- care”. Jen's poems evoke the natural landscape through her witty and playful use of sound.

Read this short poem, and then book your ticket!

A835

In sun the moor turns harlequin and whisky sours.
The road runs down to single-track.
In rain, headlamps bloom chrysanthemum
but she sleeps on, sways
with lax complexity of bladderwrack.

Congratulations Hughs Bryden and McMillan!

The 2009 winner of the Callum Macdonald Memorial Award was indeed Postcards from the Hedge by Hugh McMillan, published in Dumfries by Roncadora Press. The winners received the Callum Macdonald Quaich at a ceremony held on Friday 29th May at the National Library of Scotland.

Well done, and very, very well deserved. I love this book.

And it's good to know you did your bit for Scotland's economy in terms of umbrella sales... (though this summer will be different).