Every year for Book Week Scotland, national charity Scottish Book Trust releases a book of stories around a theme. As part an annual campaign to get Scotland writing, the public were asked to write pieces on ‘nourish’ and what it means to them. Hundreds of wonderful stories from across Scotland were submitted, and can be viewed here.
32 submissions will be collected in the Nourish book, selected by Scottish Book Trust, Gaelic Books Council and Scottish Poetry Library. Famous names such as Mary Contini, bestselling author of Italian life and cooking, and Dave Myers of The Hairy Bikers, are also included. The book will be downloadable for Book Week Scotland, which runs from 27 November to 3 December. There will also be an e-version available from library lending services, and an audiobook available from Scottish Book Trust’s Soundcloud.
Stories from Edinburgh writers included are:
• Cake Bribe by Daniel Brady Fernie
• Hospitalitea by Penny Stone
• Making It Stop, Neil Clark
• Refuse to Fail, Katrina McDonald
• After the Gas Board: July 1974 by Greg Michaelson
• Aidy’s First Christmas by Heather Hughes
• The Button Jar by Jane Walker
• Costa Vale by a group at Scottish Storytelling Centre
Daniel Brady Fernie (above) said: “Sometimes a giggle tickles parts that can’t be reached. I wanted to change something and it is true, the pen is mightier than the sword. I got it fixed and I got published. Double whammy!”
Neil Clark said: “Hangovers are awful and the struggle is real, especially here in Scotland. Greasy food is by far the best form of salvation in those difficult times. The unhealthier, the better. I wanted to write a piece to raise awareness of this medical fact, and am delighted and honoured to be included in this book.”
Greg Michaelson said: “I wrote the story in memory of a stranger’s act of kindness to me, on a hitch hiking trip from Edinburgh to Athens, between a programming job and post graduate study. I also wrote it as an homage to the Beat writers for whom physical journeys were a metaphor for living. When young and poor and on the road, food is an ever present concern, so I’m delighted to be included in Nourish.”
Heather Hughes (above) said: “I’m really delighted that my story was selected in this year’s collection. My story is about how food brings people together, which I think most people have experienced. There’s no leveller quite like sharing a meal – that’s the beauty of the subject. It’s a wonderfully rich territory for storytelling.”
Jane Walker said: “The starting point for the story was the rediscovery of a curious family treasure and the realisation that some of my family didn’t know what it was and why it needed to be kept. The project seemed like the ideal opportunity to get the story written so that it wasn’t forgotten again.”
Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said: “We were delighted by the number of submissions this year for our Book Week Scotland book. The stories collected range from challenging to uplifting, but they are united in nourishing the reader. Our annual writing campaign proves that there are many talented writers in Scotland, waiting to be discovered.”
23
0
20
