Rab reads tonight at Trongate 103

Rab Wilson, our very own Robert Burns Writer in Residence, is reading tonight at the brand new Trongate 103 in Glasgow. He's there for the Launch Night for Reading The Waves magazine, who have (quite rightly) billed him as 'Political, poignant, and humorous'. Trongate 103 is in for a good night!

Poetry Doubles welcomes David Constantine and Laura Helyer

Next Monday 26 October brings the chance to enjoy some great poetry down at the Robert Burns Centre Film Theatre in Dumfries. Freelance writer, poet and translator David Constantine has published several volumes of poetry, most recently Nine Fathom Deep. He has a great ear for the sounds of words, and his poetry is inventive and rich in imagery.

Laura Helyer was commended in the Cardiff International Poetry Competition in 2006, and won the Kirkpatrick Dobie Prize in 2007. She is currently working towards a first collection. Her poetry is observant and crafted, often exploring the relationship between art and the environment.

Tickets for this Poetry Doubles evening, which starts at 7pm, are available from The Midsteeple, High Street, Dumfries, or on the door.

If you're curious about poetry in translation, come along on Tuesday 27 October to a workshop led by David Constantine. You don't have to be fluent in a second (or third!) language - English will do! This is about how poetry can be created and re-created in your own voice, working from another translation. For those who enjoy words this will be a fascinating and absorbing workshop.
The workshop starts at 10am in Theatre Studio Room 131 at the Rutherford McCowan Building on the Crichton Campus, Dumfries. Tickets are £5, available from the Midsteeple, or ring Davie on 01387 253383.

Mary Smith reads from No More Mulberries Wednesday 21 October

Come along to Midsteeple, Dumfries at 7pm on Wednesday 21 October, when local writer Mary Smith will read and talk about her new novel, 'No More Mulberries'. Set in Afghanistan, 'No More Mulberries' is a story of commitment and divided loyalties, set against a country struggling through transition. Mary, who has first hand experience of living in Afghanistan, will read from her novel, and chat with the audience.
Tickets are £2, from Midsteeple or on the door, and include a complimentary glass of wine.

Poetry Doubles welcomes Imtiaz Dharker and Hugh McMillan

Make a big star in your diary beside Monday 12 October, when the Poetry Doubles stage will be shared by Imtiaz Dharker and Hugh McMillan.

Imtiaz Dharker describes herself as a Scottish Muslim Calvinist, brought up in a Lahori household in Glasgow, working in Bombay. She is a poet, artist and documentary film-maker and all her books, Purdah, Postcards from god, I speak for the devil and The terrorist at my table, include her own drawings. She now lives between India, London and Wales.
Her work is inspired by themes of displacement and freedom, and her poetry is richly vivid, with striking imagery.

Hugh McMillan lives in Penpont and teaches at Dumfries Academy. He has published both collections and prize-winning pamphlets. Hugh is an excellent performer of his own work, which is spare and often darkly humorous.

Tickets are available from DGAA on 01387 253383 or from the Midsteeple, or on the door at RBCFT on Monday evening. The performance starts at 7pm.

Andrew Forster makes it onto the syllabus

Andrew Forster, ex-Literature Development Officer for DGAA, whose book 'Fear of Thunder' made the Forward Shortlist for First Collection this year, has exam boards bidding to use his work in the school curriculum.

Andy's poems 'Brothers' and 'Horse Whisperer' are to be included in an anthology for schools. (We hope they all have to buy one Andy). And his already widely admired poem, 'Mother, Diving' has appeared on a sample exam paper. I'll treat you to a short extract:

'The high diving board at the open-air pool
taunted my mother like a tongue. While young boys
leapt from the first board, clenched like stones,
she held herself in by the pool-rail.'

Andy will see his second collection, 'Territory', published in May 2010. Let's hope he can be persuaded to come back to D&G and read it to us!

National Poetry Day at the Midsteeple Thursday 8 October

National Poetry Day is happening all over Britain on Thursday 8 October. We invite you to come along to the Midsteeple in Dumfries to join in with a splendid celebration of poetry in Dumfries and Galloway.
Everything's free.
Drop into the Poetry Porch at Midsteeple where you'll find a rota of welcoming poets in residence. They'll read their favourite poems, or one of yours, or one of their own. You can choose a free Poetry Postcard from the Scottish Poetry Library. There'll be free Poetry Balloons for kids of all ages. You can nominate your favourite poem for West Sound's Favourite Poem Prize Draw. You can bring a poem of your own to read, or add it to our Wall of Words. You can get creative right there and then and add some lines to our Giant Dumfries Poem, which will be written by as many poets as add words to it!

Look forward to seeing you next Thursday!