Scottish writing
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I’ve been musing a little about the usefulness or otherwise of the term “mainstream” in relation to Scottish poetry. I think it’s fair to say that, in UK terms, Hugh MacDiarmid would not be regarded as mainstream. His non-mainstream status is emphasised by the fact that he turns up in the marvellous PENNsound archive, which
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I discovered some more rich seams of poetry recordings on the web this week. First off, there’s the Internet Poetry Archive, an American site not to be confused with Britain’s Poetry Archive. The Internet Poetry Archive very small, with recordings from only seven poets so far, but some significant names. I was pleased to find
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1My recent visits to the HappenStance site have revealed that a lot has been going on behind the front page. The publications and chapbook reviews sections have been completely overhauled, with a very swish look and a good deal of new features. 2 The website of Chapman, the grande dame of Scotland’s literary magazines, had
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1 I recommend a listen to this week’s edition of “Poets and the Nation”. It’s a good, intelligent piece of broadcasting about how cultural change in Scotland has been reflected in poetry through the ages. It bounces about time a bit more than last week’s, which is one thing in its favour. 2 Radio 3
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In the preface to Antonio Machado: Selected Poems, the translator Alan S Trueblood (what a gift of a name!) writes: “One cannot hold today that a poet’s voice in translation should sound as if he had been writing in English all along. … Some aura of foreignness, individually and culturally marked, should survive re-creation.” By
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Radio Scotland is airing a three-part series on Scottish poetry called “Poets and The Nation” on Mondays from 11:30 to 12:00. You can listen online from the features page (I assume each programme is available for the standard seven days after broadcast). The first instalment, which was broadcast Monday this week, explored how Scottish poets
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After the horror of the photoshoot, we settled down to writing, with Ken first recording an introduction to the renga for the BBC Radio Scotland arts show Radio Cafe. Elspeth had to shuffle off for a live studio interview with them at lunchtime, but Richard and I were left voiceless on the airwaves. Participating in
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The programme for StAnza 2007 is now available. It’s the 10th StAnza, and the line-up is a good ‘un. I’m particularly interested in hearing Jorie Graham, but I’m disappointed that the Eric Gregory Award showcase reading is at a time utterly inaccessible for me. However, I’m appearing in The Gathering: 100 poets reading a poem
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The Spring programme for the Poetry Association of Scotland came through the door this morning. The blurb for my reading with Gerrie Fellows on 7 February proclaims us: “Two poets who describe the modern world with an ironic yet lyrical voice.” Other events in the season include a reading by Robert Crawford, Douglas Dunn lecturing
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The Scottish Poetry Library’s third annual online choice of Scottish poems published in the past 12 months or so–Best Scottish Poems 2006–went live on St Andrew’s Day. As ever, it’s a highly inpidual choice by this year’s editor, Janice Galloway, as you can see if you compare it with the 2005 choice by Richard Price
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On Saturday night, the Shore Poets celebrated Stewart Conn‘s 70th birthday at the Counting House in Edinburgh. The evening, which was open to the public and more or less sold out with various bodies from the poetry world, involved readings from a number of poets whom Stewart admires and counts among his friends, including Anne
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Went to hear the fine Gaelic poet, publisher and scholar Derick Thomson (or Ruaraidh MacThomais in Gaelic) read on Wednesday at the usual haunt. The audience was far smaller than that for Sharon Olds. That, I suppose, is predictable, but it’s also a poor reflection on the knowledge of the poetry-reading public in Edinburgh. Gaelic
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The inaugural Linlithgow Book Festival took place today. I managed to get along to three of the events: the opening talk, the poetry workshop and the closing reading. In the first event, Lithgae resident John Fowler talked on the subject of his book Mr Hill’s Big Picture, namely, David Octavius Hill and his huge painting
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The British Council Scotland website has some pages with new Scottish poetry. It’s a good selection of poets, if a short one: John Burnside, Matthew Fitt, Ann Frater, Rody Gorman, Alan Jamieson and Jackie Kay. There are poems in Scots, English and Gaelic. Matthew Fitt’s “Scottish National Diction” is a smashing poem with more than
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In case you hadn’t noticed, the Booker longlist is out and the media have begun their febrile speculation as to who will win the prize. (They never do that with the Forward shortlist, now, do they?) The BBC upholds journalistic standards by reporting on the bookies’ odds rather more than the books, but The Guardian
Amy Jo Philip 