Showing posts with label Scottish Book Trust. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Scottish Book Trust. Show all posts

Sunday, 11 August 2019

Scottish Book Trust Live Literature

Back from holiday and work commitments and MSc dissertation preparations to find the wonderful Scottish Book Trust have updated the Live Literature Author Directory database with a snazzy new frontend. Lots of fantastic, surprising and inspiring authors and poets and so much more available to come to your writing group, school, college etc.

Fascinating for writers to check out the range and heft of Scottish writing talent too.



You can play with it here:

https://www.scottishbooktrust.com/authors/

The profile itself was fun to write - here is my quote:

"Some people describe me as a nature writer. This is fine with me as I think nature makes sense of the world. Disruptive text, sound art, art poetry, spoken word, scraps, recipes, contextual poetry, peripatetic writing, engineering, hacking, online text. That's more like it."




Monday, 30 November 2015

StAnza 2016 programme & new website out now

Great news as almost full details are released on St Andrew's Day. (You know they like to keep a few little surprises to whet our appetites). And I am delighted to be reading in a Scottish Book Trust New Writers' Showcase alongside the very wonderful Em Strang, Lindsay Macgregor and Samuel Tongue.




Full details here http://www.stanzapoetry.org/festival and @khursheb here http://www.stanzapoetry.org/festival/poets-artists/khursheed

Monday, 29 June 2015

Scottish Book Trust New Writers Awards 2016

I can't recommend these awards enough.

If you live and work in Scotland, the Scottish Book Trust New Writers Awards are a fantastic and unique opportunity for individuals committed to developing their writing. And you will join an instant network of writers of all disciplines, not just poetry; and throughout the different award years.



The goodies are as follows:

  • £2000 cash award
  • tailored professional development package
  • training in PR
  • performance and presentation training
  • opportunity to showcase work to publishers and agents
  • week-long retreat at Cove Park. 
And the Scottish Book Trust team you will work with are expert, friendly, supportive and have great biscuits!


Writers over the age of 18 can apply for one category, provided they meet the eligibility criteria. (You need to read these!) There is no upper age limit to apply.

Deadline is 5th August 2015. More details available here http://scottishbooktrust.com/writing/scottish-book-trust-training-awards/new-writers-awards

Friday, 10 April 2015

Poetry machines Edinburgh International Science Festival #EdSciFest 15th April 2015

I have been spending an interesting day researching and inventing some poet&geek activities for my date at the Edinburgh International Science Festival next week.

Around about lunch time, I will be taking a quick look at poetry riddles, QR code poetry and how (and indeed whether) we can make poems using computers at the National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF. I am on the Grand Gallery stage for this pop-up event which is at 1pm and is free. So come and join in - children especially welcome.



Later on in the day I will be reading and talking about how science inspires my poetry at Summerhall. Being p&g, this will include otters, dye chemistry & blood - well certainly - circulation, how to get inside the Megget Dam without being James Bond and ecopoetry. All this and fabulous writers 2014 Manchester Fiction Prize winner Martin MacInnes and Lucy Ribchester (Simon & Schuster) too. This is a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award winner event in collaboration with #EdSciFest.

This event is ticketed £8 and £6 concessions and starts at 8pm and takes place, appropriately enough, in the Anatomy Lecture Theatre, Summerhall, Summerhall Place, Edinburgh EH9 1PL. You can find more details and buy tickets here http://www.sciencefestival.co.uk/event-details/the-science-of-storytelling.

Thursday, 5 February 2015

Big mouth strikes again

The Scottish Book Trust New Writer Awards showcase at The Jam House was great. Nice atmosphere. Endless delectable poetry. And prose. And people. Cool lights & DJ....



Here is p&g editor Bridget Khursheed in full flow. She doesn't like this photo for some reason!

More photos and stuff here https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.153463134778581.12556.153148451476716&type=3

Tuesday, 20 January 2015

Scottish Book Trust New Writers Awards Showcase 29th January 2015 Edinburgh, Scotland

This is the last event of the year for the New Writers 2014. Including p&g's Bridget Khursheed. And as we have had a sneak preview, we can vouch it will be a good night out.



You are promised the hottest new writing talent in Scotland performing their work: Scottish Book Trust New Writer Awards identify and help to develop the authors of some of the most affecting, exciting and engaging new writing in Scotland. Awardees are selected from hundreds of entries by writers including Liz Lochhead and John Glenday.

This event takes place at The Jam House: doors open: 7pm; showcase: 7.30–9.00 pm. Only £2 - nice price for all this!

You can get tickets here http://www.thejamhouse.com/edinburgh/live-music/event/3490/scottish-book-trust-celebrates-the-new-writers-awards--january-2015.htm and find out about the latest group of new writers here http://scottishbooktrust.com/writing/scottish-book-trust-training-awards/new-writers-awards

Wednesday, 3 September 2014

Job opportunity for a poet and geek?

Poet and geek? Books and code? Fancy working for the Scottish Book Trust in Edinburgh, Scotland as their Senior Web Editor.



You will have to be quick, mind, as the closing date is the 5th September.

You can find out more here http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/about/scottish-book-trust-team/vacancies#seniorwebsiteeditor

Tuesday, 1 July 2014

Where to write

Not that we would presume to tell you!

But you might enjoy p&g's own Bridget Khursheed blog on the subject over at the Scottish Book Trust.


You can find the blog post here. http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/blog/writing/2014/06/where-i-write-old-school-desk.

And if you want to delve further into the Khursheed psyche you can try her on the subject of home http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/reading/stories-of-home/story/the-things-that-remind-me-of-home.

Tuesday, 15 April 2014

Writing retreat

I am heading for Cove Park in Argyll and Bute in Scotland next week to write. For a whole week*.



This is writer heaven really - close to the sea, a space to work, time, quiet, congenial company - but a couple of questions have occurred.

How do I get the most written? and how do I accommodate my peripatetic habits?

I don't have a problem with writer's block - in fact the opposite (I can speak for about a million years too so avoid guided tours I take unless you have an hour or two). If I have some time, I will write. Laptop. Camera etc. I have a book of ideas - impressions - the many scribbled phrases and words in notebooks to give me a jog if it doesn't appear. It being my overweight receding red hair definitely Scottish male muse in its current incarnation; rather attractive as muses tend to be. I can also transcribe a long poem I wrote for a year and a day from April to April 2012-2013...don't know how this will turn out. I have not even looked at it since then; just left it cooking. Next week will be like Christmas opening it up again.

So really no problems there.

But I go mad if I am cooped up. I need my circular walk. I need to take the car out. The spaces have big windows so if I am perambulating imagine I will feel shifty and self-conscious at least until I am out of sight. Dark glasses and hat? Then hopefully I will hear a willow warbler, first of spring for me, and forget all about everything except uncovering what I need to go on writing.

I will let you know how it works...

Thanks again to the Scottish Book Trust New Writer Award which is allowing me to go http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/ and more on Cove Park - open to all artists and writers for residencies - here http://covepark.org/


*And that is a proper week too - not a working week.


Tuesday, 14 January 2014

New Writers Awards 2014

The line-up for this year Scottish Book Trust New Writers Awards is now official and glad to say that p&g's own Bridget Khursheed is one of the recipients. A great line up of writers including poets Em Strang, Ann Elizabeth Mackinnon and Jonathan Durie.