A Literary Girls' Day Out in Moffat

Cast off the greys of winter! On Saturday 16 April Moffat Book Events offer a day of treats titled - 'Love and Marriage in Moffat'. Check it out at http://www.moffatbookevents.co.uk

Go with a couple of girl friends and raise a glass of champagne at the launch of the reissue of 1936 light romantic classic 'Miss Buncle, Married' by long-time Moffat resident, D E Stevenson. It's suggested by the publishers, Persephone Books, that the continuing attraction of D E Stevenson's books is (as Oscar Wilde put it) that “The good ended happily and the bad unhappily. " Or, as D E Stevenson's granddaughter Wendy, who still lives in Moffat, puts it: the novels are ‘a soothing balm’ at times of stress and exhaustion. Sounds good to me.

The afternoon offers a highly tempting presentation by Edinburgh-based style guru Lynne McCrossan, www.lynne-mccrossan.blogspot.com, author of the illustrated shopper’s handbook ‘A Girl’s Guide to Vintage’ featuring tips for event goers of all ages on how and where to find that special outfit on a shoestring.

Food has not been forgotten - at this point you and your pals repair to indulge in a slap-up retro traditional afternoon tea with musical accompaniment.

And as an added extra, in the evening there will be the opportunity to attend an exclusive sneak preview of Edinburgh Fringe weddings-themed cheeky musical entertainment ‘Abi Roberts Takes You Up the Aisle.’ www.abiroberts.com

Venue: Moffat House Hotel, High Street Moffat www.moffathouse.co.uk
Tickets are available from dgArts at the Midsteeple between 10.00am and 4.00pm, by telephone 01387 253383 or online www.dgarts.co.uk. Also on sale in Moffat at the Book Exchange in Well Street.

Tickets £6.00 per session, £9.50 for thirties style tea or £24 for all day ‘book lovers’ ticket including tea. For a quirky insight follow event organiser, Liz Roberts, on her blog http://wwwlizmoffatbookevents.blogspot.com/

Launch of Southlight 8 tomorrow night

You are warmly invited to the convivial Gracefield Café Bar to meet the editors of South West Scotland’s literary magazines, Southlight from Dumfries and Galloway and The Eildon Tree from the Borders. 7pm, free entry.

It'll be a friendly crowd with a warm welcome for newcomers. Hear writers reading from their published work and find out how you could increase the chances of success for getting your work accepted by literary magazines.

This is also an opportunity to view Peter Scott Tudhope’s Landscapes of Southwest Scotland, which will be on display at Gracefield.

Rab and his new book go to StAnza!

Rab Wilson will star at StAnza this week, with me as his trusty bagcarrier and blogger...
On Friday our Dumfries & Galloway Burns Writing Fellow is billed as one of the highlights of this year's StAnza when he'll introduce the screening of his poetry documentary. Rab's produced a film charting his personal response to the rise and fall of coal mining and the impact it has had on local communities and their landscapes.
And on Saturday he'll be launching his new collection 'A Map for the Blind', from Luath, and he'll read with George Nakhutsrishvili. Here's the smallest ever photo of 'A Map for the Blind', which is recommended to you by SPL's Reading Room http://www.readingroom.spl.org.uk/poetry_issues/issue_18.htm

Charlie Poulsen exhibition at Gracefield explores art, land - and daffodils

Growing is a new exhibition by Scottish Borders based sculptor Charlie Poulsen. It opens to the public for the first time at Gracefield Arts Centre, Dumfries on Saturday 19 March before going on tour across southern Scotland.

Charlie Poulsen is known for his ambitious landscape projects such as the 2005 ‘Point of Resolution’ on the Southern Upland Way above Innerleithen in The Scottish Borders - but here at Gracefield you'll find the scale a little smaller - but just as surprising and insightful.
The Gracefield grounds have been planted with a living sculpture 'Host', which has inspired a link with The Wordsworth Trust on 13 April. As a fresh interpretation of a lovely but hackneyed poem, it made me smile. Come and have a look.

In Gallery 2 you'll find Charlie’s striking monochrome drawings. They're not drawing for sculpture but a separate though connected activity. His current abstract drawings have been inspired by the structure of hedges, trees and ploughed fields in winter.

The latest series of Charlie’s sculptures all use part of a tree as a starting point. Combining the materials of wood and lead takes the object away from the familiar. In Charlie’s words; “I am aiming at a point where the response to seeing the piece is not tree but something other - a suggestion of a machine perhaps."

The exhibition, supported by dgArts, runs until 14 May and is open Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 5pm. On Wednesday 13 April Charlie will give an illustrated talk about his work as part of a day long series of activities entitled Homage to Wordsworth, also includes free poetry events run by The Wordsworth Trust – see www.dgarts.co.uk or www.dumgal.gov.uk/gracefield for full details. This is a free event but booking is essential – telephone 01387 262084.

Scottish South West PEN - hear the work of Lui Xiaobo

PEN Event

King's Arms, Castle Douglas 7.30pm Sunday 20 March - free admission

Scottish Pen South West is joining Worldwide readings being held on behalf of Chinese writer Liu Xiaobo. Come and hear the work of this remarkable writer in the convivial surrounds of the Kings Arms, hosted by Liz Niven and PEN friends. Music makers welcome too – bring a song or a tune along.

Liu Xiaobo is currently the world’s only winner of the Nobel Peace Prize still held in detention. In 2009, after co-authoring ‘Charter 08’, a manifesto calling for greater freedoms and democracy in China, Liu Xiaobo was sentenced to eleven years in prison on a spurious charge of “inciting subversion of state power”.

To find out more contact Carolyn

carolyn@dgarts.co.uk

07773 797 495

Singing Over The Bones 2 in Dumfries next Wed

If you missed this event on International Women's Day then do come along to Midsteeple in Dumfries on Wednesday 16 March at 7pm to join poet Liz Niven, who will be speaking at the Dumfries launch of the Wigtown Women's Walk anthology, 'Singing Over The Bones 2'.

'Singing Over The Bones 2' draws on historical sources to celebrate and explore creatively the achievements and contributions of women in the Machars. Enjoy a glass of wine with us, and take in real places and real women along with the wit and wisdom of Liz Niven and the members of Wigtown Women's Walk.

And we need to say that of course this event welcomes the men among you too!

Galloway author Alan Temperley shortlisted for UKLA National Book Awards

Alan Temperley’s 'Scar Hill', a novel for teens, has been short-listed for the UKLA National Book Awards. Congratulations Alan!

Here's Alan talking mud, tree-climbing, dens, trouble and ant attack tales with his audience during a recent reading in The Midsteeple, Dumfries.

World Book Night attracts 200 readers to the Ewart

World Book Night at the Ewart Library, Dumfries attracted around 200 people! Books were given away, and the joys of reading celebrated. Vivien Jones says:
"What a joy it was to see the Ewart humming on Saturday night, and how privileged I felt to have been invited to read and be a book-giver. Quite by chance the choice of readings was a diverse as could be - no surprise that so many books were given away. A special thanks to Ann and Ruth for organising the evening so seamlessly - and for the wine. Three cheers for the Ewart - don't forget to support your excellent local libraries!"

Liz Niven at Wigtown Women's Walk Anthology Launch

Come to the Supper Room at the County Buildings at Wigtown on International Women's Day on Tuesday 8 March to join poet Liz Niven who will be speaking at the launch of the Wigtown Women's Walk anthology, 'Singing Over The Bones 2'.

Wigtown Women's Walk raises awareness of the achievements and contributions of women in the Machars.

Tickets £3 (includes a glass of wine) from 01988 403329

Rab Wilson and John Burns reading at Gracefield Arts Centre this Wednesday

We're looking forward to 7.30pm Wednesday night (that's the 2nd) when Rab Wilson and John Burns will read from their new collections from glorious Roncadora Press. John Burns will introduce 'Open Sky', richly illustrated by Roncadora, and Rab Wilson, Dumfries & Galloway's Burns Writing Fellow, will read from 'Ye're there Horace! Horace's first buik o satires owerset and adaptit into Scots'.

Gracefield Arts Centre Gallery 2 is hosting an exhibition of Roncadora's new work until 12 March. Hugh Bryden, artist, poet and publisher, has created an extraordinarily various range of work for his publications since the imprint began in 2005. Roncadora Press pamphlets have swept away the Callum Macdonald Memorial Awards and were shortlisted in the even more prestigious Michael Marks Award.

The Cafe makes a great place for a reading and a glass of wine, and these poets will take you all the way from blackly humorous satire through aching beauty via the meaning of humanity... Free, as well. Hope to see you there!