Two Edinburgh teenagers have been selected by Scottish Book Trust to work on a project aimed at increasing opportunities for young people to access and contribute to literary culture across Scotland. Continue reading Edinburgh teenagers chosen for national writing project
It’s ‘Literary’ a hat trick for city authors!
A trio of Edinburgh writers have each won a prestigious award as part of the 2015 Saltire Literary Awards.
Edinburgh City Libraries’ Poet in Residence Ryan Van Winkle has won the Saltire Scottish Poetry Book of the Year Award supported by the Scottish Poetry Library for his latest collection The Good Dark.
Edinburgh-based writer Helen McClory has won the 2015 Saltire Society Scottish First Book of the Year Award for On the Edges of Vision, a collection of dark short stories and prose poetry about the limits of the conscious and the darkness within.
And the Saltire Society Scottish Non-Fiction Book of the Year Award has gone to Adventures in Human Being, a book that takes the reader through surgery, blood, dissection and much besides that keeps the human being ticking over, written by Edinburgh physician Gavin Francis, whose book Empire Antarctica was previously shortlisted for the 2013 Saltire Literary Awards.
Now firmly established as Scotland’s most prestigious annual book awards, the Saltire Society Literary Awards celebrate and support literary and academic excellence across seven distinct categories with the winner of each of six individual book categories going forward to be considered for the Saltire Book of the Year award.
The winner of this year’s headline award was “The Book of Strange New Things”, the latest work from Dutch-born, Scotland-based writer Michel Faber. The Saltire Book of the Year Award is supported by the National Lottery through Creative Scotland.
Faber is a past winner of the Saltire First Book of the Year award for his 2000 debut novel Under the Skin, which was later adapted into a 2013 feature film directed by Jonathan Glazer and starring Scarlett Johansson. His 2002 novel The Crimson Petal and the White was dramatised as a four part BBC television series starring Romola Garai and Richard E. Grant in 2011.
Set in a not-so-distant future where a global corporation has successfully colonised a planet in a neighbouring galaxy, Faber’s latest book is a genre-defying novel that tells the story of Peter, a Christian pastor sent to carry out missionary work amongst the aliens native to the planet. As the story progresses, Peter becomes increasingly uneasy about his situation and the mysterious disappearance of his predecessor and finds it more and more difficult to relate his experiences to his wife back home on Earth.
“The Book of Strange New Things” is a powerful examination of humanity and how a failure to communicate can gradually erode marital intimacy. Cloud Atlas author David Mitchell has called it “Michel Faber’s second masterpiece”. Others have variously described it as “gripping”, “heartbreaking”, and “desperately beautiful, sad and unforgettable”.
Commenting on winning the Saltire Scottish Poetry Book of the Year award, Ryan van Winkle (above) said: “Having chosen Scotland as my adopted home, this is a very special honour for me. I did not expect this at all and am proud that the Saltire Society found ‘The Good Dark’ worthy. I am flattered and grateful for this distinction.”
Winner of the Saltire Society Scottish First Book of the Year Award Helen McClory (above) said: “I am utterly delighted that On the Edges of Vision has won this year’s Saltire First Book of the Year Award. That On the Edges of Vision was published at all seems to me a minor miracle — a case of the right editor at the right moment. Erin McKnight, the Scotland-born American founder of Queen’s Ferry Press, took this collection of flashes, dusted and sharpened them where they needed to be, and ushered them into the world. For the collection to then win this prize is a huge boost not just to myself but the press as well, highlighting QFP’s innovative mission. Sparklers in both hands, quite honestly.”
Andrew Franklin, Managing Director at Profile Books, who published Gavin Francis’ (below) Saltire Society Scottish Non-Fiction Book of the Year Adventures in Human Being, said: “From the bottom of our hearts, lungs, livers, brains, feet and all the other body parts that Gavin writes so brilliantly about, we’re absolutely delighted that the Saltire Prize have chosen Gavin’s wonderfulAdventures in Human Being as the winner of the 2015 prize. Welcome Collection and Profile have always been Gavin’s biggest fans, and it’s fantastic to see his work recognised by such a prestigious prize.”
Executive Director of the Saltire Society Jim Tough said: “Given the sheer breadth and variety of writing talent on display, this has been a vintage year for the Saltire Literary Awards. I think our decision to split the Literary Book Award into two separate categories for fiction and non-fiction has been vindicated. These and indeed every one of the individual book awards were hotly contested, making the judges’ decision a particularly challenging one.
“The same was also true of this year’s Publisher of the Year Award. My congratulations to all of the winners and my heartfelt thanks to the judging panel and to all of our partners and supporters who helped to make the 2015 Saltire Literary Awards such a resounding success.”
Janet Archer, CEO, Creative Scotland said: “The list of winners takes readers on a journey from the diaspora of Scotland to the horrors of the First World War and out to the ends of the universe. The strength of this year’s shortlist is testament to the quality and scope of Scotland’s rich literary scene. These awards are important as they celebrate and recognise literary excellence in Scotland and highlight established and emerging authors to readers across the country. Huge congratulations to each of the category winners.”
Donate books for children at Broughton High School
Donating children’s books to be distributed in the run up to Christmas is the latest phase of the City of Edinburgh Council’s pioneering child poverty campaign.
The ‘Hungry for Books’ challenge is part of the council’s ‘1 in 5: Raising Awareness of Child Poverty in Edinburgh’ campaign currently running in five primaries and one secondary school.
The purpose of the initiative, taking place during Book Week Scotland, is to highlight links between child poverty and low literacy.
The public are being encouraged to donate high/good quality children’s books this week (up to Friday 27 November) which the pupils will then ensure go to food banks or other relevant organisations in time for Christmas.
Each school will be a hub for donation of books in different areas of the city – Broughton High School (north), Royal High Primary School (east), Sciennes Primary School (central), Gracemount Primary School (south), Dalry Primary School (west) and Hillwood Primary School (south west).
Councillor Paul Godzik, Education, Children and Families Convener, said: “The ‘Hungry for Books’ challenge is a positive way of trying to help more children living in poverty access the type of books other children enjoy. It is well-documented that children from poorer backgrounds lag behind at all stages of education so it’s important we do all we can to close the attainment gap.
“Donating books for children to read, both on their own and with their parents, is a positive way for the public to play their part in achieving this.
“The Council will continue the great work of our ‘1 in 5’ campaign to ensure every child in Edinburgh is given every opportunity to have the best possible start in life.”
Dalry Primary School Head Teacher, Grant Gillies, said: “The ‘1 in 5’ project has had a significant impact on the life of our school and the decisions we make because the children and families in our school community face real challenges. It is our job to equip them with the skills and aspirations to overcome these.
“More than that though, as a school we have social responsibility to ensure opportunities are for all and they are inclusive. That’s why pupils are very excited about being part of this Hungry for Books Challenge.
“Another good example of the impact of raising awareness within our school project is when we planned for our whole community outing at Christmas. We spoke about the way we charged for it in the past and this year we have a price structure that means bigger families pay less. It is these small things that make a difference.
“Small changes in our approaches make for big changes in our children’s lives.”
The ‘1 in 5’ project aims to raise awareness of the impact of child poverty and identify best practice and changes that can be introduced to make school more affordable for families on low incomes. The project involves working with children, staff and parents to challenge the stigma that affects children living in poverty.
Last week a poster competition was launched at Hillwood Primary School where pupils took part in creative art workshops led by artist Heather Lucchesi to design images which highlight some of the issues faced by children whose families live on or below the poverty line.
Winning images will be incorporated into a poster to be distributed to primary schools across the city along with guidelines for schools on how best to support families living on low incomes including actions to reduce the costs associated with school such as school uniform, trips and resources.
Councillors on the Education, Children and Families Committee heard last monththat just over 21% of children in Edinburgh live in poverty and this figure is forecast to increase significantly by 2020.
Every area of the city is affected with each Council ward having child poverty rates of over 10%. It’s estimated that the cost of delivering services to address the impact in the Capital is around £156m a year according to the which outlined various actions being taken by the Council to lessen the impact. Key areas identified include:
Other actions include increase breakfast club provision and further develop family engagement with a focus on strong home-school partnerships.
The report also highlights the importance of income maximisation to raising attainment. Research has shown that the level of household income plays a major role in attainment levels with more initiatives needed to increase wages, encourage take up of unclaimed benefits and other finance-related poverty costs.
Congratulations to Edinburgh’s first Reading Community
Edinburgh’s Craigmillar has been named as one of Scotland’s first ever Reading Communities. The new initiative, which was announced by Cabinet Secretary Fiona Hyslop at Craigmillar Library yesterday, also kicked off local celebrations for Book Week Scotland 2015.
Set up by the Scottish Book Trust, special “reading champions” will lead the country’s four Reading Communities and will be tasked with delivering innovative projects with local communities to encourage interest in books from all ages.
Claire Askew, a poet, writer and creative writing teacher, has been appointed as Craigmillar’s champion and will take up her post in March next year. Claire said: “I am so pleased to have been selected and I’m especially pleased that I’ll get to work alongside the brilliant team at Craigmillar Library – I can’t wait to get started!”
Councillor Richard Lewis, Culture and Sport Convener, said: “Craigmillar being named as one of the first Reading Communities in Scotland is excellent news – congratulations to our new champion. This is a fantastic initiative and I am sure that it will help us to encourage people to make books an even bigger part of their everyday lives.
“Reading is such a wonderful pastime and thanks to the Capital’s public libraries, you can take books home free or read them online, I would encourage everyone to visit their local library today and find out just how much they have to offer people of all ages.”
Edinburgh’s libraries will host an array of authors throughout Book Week, who will be giving free talks about their work – times and places are on the website. Writer Cathy Rentzenbrink and Douglas Lindsay will be reading copies of Journeys, which is being given out free during the Week, on a tram at Edinburgh Airport this Friday.
Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, added: “I am delighted to announce our Reading Communities for 2016. We had a really high standard of applicants but I am sure the four areas we have chosen will deliver some really creative and collaborative projects with their dedicated Reading Champions, to involve and inspire their local communities.
“Scottish Book Trust also looks forward to working with the Champions and the libraries to engage local people with our programmes including our annual story gathering campaign and Book Week Scotland.”
The four Reading Communities, each to be led and nurtured by a dedicated Reading Champion and supported financially and practically for nine months by Scottish Book Trust, are Craigmillar in Edinburgh, Dalmuir in West Dunbartonshire, Thurso in the Highlands and Shetland.
Book your tickets for events at www.edinburghreads.eventbrite.
Book Week Scotland 23 – 29 November
For details go to http://scottishbooktrust.com/reading/book-week-scotland/book-week-scotland-2015
Granton and Craigroyston Early Years Centres ‘brought books to life’ at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre this morning – and top children’s author and illustrator Nick Sharratt joined in the fun and spread some magic too!
‘Bring Books to Life’ aims to excite imaginations and encourage parents to
read and explore books with their children. Accessibility to books in early
years significantly boosts literacy, emotional wellbeing and helps children to
thrive in later life. Reading is the key to a child’s future: it unlocks their potential and opens up a world filled with possibilities and, for our poorest children, reading well can be their best route out of poverty. It was heartening, then, too see such a great attendance of parents, carers and children at the Royston Wardieburn event.
Books can be truly magical things. Above all, reading stories should be FUN, and Nick Sharratt’s visit ensured it was fun all the way!
Nick, author of best-selling children’s books ‘Shark in the Park’, ‘Ketchup on your Cornflakes’ and ‘The Foggy Foggy Forest’ read from his books and took part in a drawing session with the children at the event – and the kids loved it!
We knew a lot about Londoner Nick before his visit. He’s illustrated close to 250 books, ranging from board books for babies to novels for young teenagers. He’s worked with authors including Julia Donaldson, Jeremy Strong, Michael Rosen, Giles Andreae, Kaye Umansky, Kes Gray and Dame Jacqueline Wilson and he’s also written around 40 of his own books, quite a number of which have won awards.
He was the official illustrator for World Book Day in 2006, he’s the proud owner of a gold Blue Peter badge and he now lives in Edinburgh. And we learned today that Nick loves cheese and lime pickle sandwiches!
So we all learned something new today – reading, fun and learning really do go together!
Lots more pictures on our Facebook page!
Study reveals growing popularity of using books with very young children
Hundreds more parents and carers in Scotland are using books to play, read to and engage with their very young children, according to a major Scottish Government-funded study carried about by ScotCen Social Research.
Growing Up in Scotland (GUS) – which has followed the lives of two groups of children from across Scotland for the last 10 years – shows a significant increase in the number of parents and carers who use books when engaging with their children at the age of 10 months.
Extensive research has highlighted the positive impact of reading to children in their pre-school years. Previously published GUS data has shown that children who are frequently read to in the first year of life score higher in assessments of cognitive ability at age 3-4.
The PlayTalkRead campaign was launched by the Scottish Government in 2009. It aims to encourage parents and carers to play, talk and read with their children from birth to boost their development and learning. The campaign uses advertising and social media and provides free items to support parents with the website receiving more than 130,000 visits in 2014-15. The roadshow features three buses which travel across Scotland delivering face-to-face sessions to parents and carers, offering them advice and support.
The Scottish Government-funded scheme Bookbug, which promotes reading to children, including babies, launched in 2010.
A new paper published to the mark the 10th birthday of the landmark GUS study shows that the number of parents and carers using books when their child was 10 months old grew from 66% before the launch of Bookbug to 69% after the start of the scheme – the equivalent of more than 1700 babies being read to every year.
It will be published at an event at Edinburgh University tomorrow.
Children’s Minister Aileen Campbell said: “Improving literacy in our children and young people is a key priority for this Government and we know that learning begins long before school.
“Therefore it is extremely heartening to learn that hundreds more parents and carers across Scotland have embraced the crucial role books can play in helping children to develop and acquire important pre-school skills and attributes such as speaking, a sense of curiosity and a life-long love of books.
“In June this year we committed a further £2.7 million for pre-school programmes to improve literacy in children. This included the record-breaking PlayTalkRead campaign – whose website and outreach buses attracted 160,000 visits in 2014 and book gifting scheme Bookbug. We are also piloting plans to make every child in Scotland a member of their local library.
“Such valuable work, combined with the good progress reflected in the GUS report, leaves me in no doubt that the number of parents and carers using books to give their children the best start in life, will only continue to grow.”
‘Tackling Inequalities in the Early Years: Key Messages from 10 years of the Growing Up in Scotland study’ will be published in full on Tuesday, October 6.
‘There is nothing like a library to make you smile’: Forthview’s Patron of Reading opens school library
‘I love being an author. The best bit is writing stories and adventures, but I love lots of the other bits of being an author too. I enjoy redrafting and I really love working with editors. I love meeting readers and talking about my books too. But the one bit of being an author that I really don’t enjoy is … getting my photo taken!’
Edinburgh-based author Lari Don called in to Forthview Primary School this morning to officially open the school’s new library. Award-winning writer Lari, who became the West Pilton school’s Patron of Reading in May last year, said the new library offers ‘endless possibilities’.
Before welcoming the Lari and guests, Forthview Head Teacher Eileen Littlewood explained: “One of the first things I wanted to do when I came to Forthview was to re-open the school library, which was being used for other purposes.
“We were able to do this thanks to funding from the Scottish Government’s Raising Attainment for All initiative along with a grant from the Foyle Foundation. Our parents have been so much help in planning and putting the library together, so we have a lot to celebrate today.”
Cutting a ribbon to mark the event, Lari told the children: “I always feel happy when I walk into Forthview, because I always meet kids with amazing imaginations so I’m always smiling.
“But today, I came into the library and I just couldn’t stop grinning. Because there’s nothing like a library to make you smile, to make you feel endless possibilities – and you have got the most beautiful, the most spacious, the most cheerful, the most colourful, the most magical library and I really hope you all enjoy it! And now, I’m so happy to declare the Forthview Library open!”
Official duty performed, Lari went on to host a workshop for Forthview’s young writers. And yes, she had her photo taken too!
“When a child connects to a book – even if it’s a book that we as adults might not care for – it can really change the course of that child’s life.” – Dan Pilkey, author
Edinburgh’s libraries are thriving – more people are using our city’s library services than ever before.
A report to the Council’s Culture and Sport Committee tomorrow (Tuesday 18 August) will detail achievements such as a 2% increase in visits to libraries and 16% increase to special events, a 4% rise in transactions, significant upgrades to buildings and an expansion of digital services.
The Next Generation Library Strategy 2012–2015, based on a major public consultation involving customers, staff, local communities, partners and stakeholders, was approved in March 2012 and sets out key objectives for the development of the service.
Achievements include:
• The doubling of membership of the Central Children’s Library since the new service began in 2014;
• The launch of Level-UP, an innovative reading and gaming scheme for boys aged 11-14;
• The award-winning Digital Toybox project at Drumbrae;
• Free books for four-year-olds of high social need through Reading Rainbows Literacy;
• The first MoreFun Book Festival in Moredun in June this year;
• New buildings at Drumbrae and Craigmillar;
• Eleven libraries earning the in-house Gold Standard Programme.
The strategy’s eight objectives are:
• Access to library and information services through a community based network of small libraries, neighbourhood libraries and larger neighbourhood hubs;
• Buildings fit for purpose, in the right place;
• Innovative and excellent 24/7 electronic access to library services;
• Improved literacy and digital skills and enhanced love of reading;
• Effective use of technology to deliver service improvements;
• Empowered and motivated staff delivering excellent customer service;
• Best Value from resources and assets through partnership, innovation, income generation and new ways of working;
• Increased customer base supported by clear marketing and promotion of the service.
Edinburgh has 28 public library buildings, a mobile library service and outreach library services for looked after children, hospitals, care homes, and HMP Edinburgh.
Councillor Richard Lewis, Culture and Sport Convener, said: “I am delighted that all of the hard work put in by staff to make libraries so appealing is paying off, and that so many people have discovered what wonderful places they are.
“Our libraries are fantastic, inclusive facilities that can be enjoyed by all ages and backgrounds. They cater for all, whether you want to borrow books or read newspapers, or if you’d rather play computer games or take your children to a rhyme time session. Best of all, these services are either free or at a very low cost.
“We will keep delivering on the objectives of the strategy, so that we can continue to develop the diversity of services provided by libraries.”
well, one’s a Leither!
Edinburgh-based writer Lynsey May (32) and poet and playwright Michael Pedersen (30) have been named by Scottish Book Trust as two of four recipients of a 2015 Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowship, involving a month-long writing residency in France (above).
Lynsey, a previous Scottish Book Trust New Writer Awardee, lives in Leith and will attend the residency in June. She has placed fiction in a variety of journals and publications and has read at a number of literary festivals across the country. During the residency she will work on a new novel set in Leith. Lynsey has lived in and around Edinburgh her whole life, attending university and starting a career in the city.
Lynsey said: “I couldn’t be more grateful for the wonderful gift of time, space and inspiration the RLS Fellowship offers -and plan to make the most of every minute! I’m particularly looking forward to briefly disengaging with all of the stresses and distractions of everyday life and completely immersing myself in the novel I’m working on.”
Michael, who will attend the residency in November, has published two celebrated chapbooks, and a debut collection Play with Me with Polygon. He is a Canongate Future 40, a 2010 Callum McDonald Memorial Award finalist, the John Mather’s Charitable Trust Rising Star of Literature 2014; as well as a budding playwright and lyricist, and co-founder of the Neu! Reekie! collective. During the residency he’ll work towards a second collection of poetry and on sculpting a feature film script – a collaboration with Scottish Director Robert McKillop.
Michael said: “I’ve had my lasers set on the RLS Fellowship for a couple of years now but 2015 (for a veritable swarm of reasons) is the paragoning point for it – there’s something more tectonic at play.
“As well as my poetry taking on fresh shapes and forms, I’m exploring a new medium in script writing. Sequel collections and inaugural scripts are both formidable endeavours and what more inspiring a place to tackle such literary behemoths than Grez-sur-Loing. Not only to tackle but to have an arsenal of anointments behind you – those being the RLS Fellowship and its history of lustrous literary and artistic visitants – steam to the engine and then some.
“I was elated to receive the call. There may have been a jump and some sort of rhythmical shimmy that resembled a cumbersome dance-move from decades beyond.”
The Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowship was initiated in 1994 by Franki Fewkes, a Scottish RLS enthusiast, and is supported by Creative Scotland. Intended to give writers a chance to escape the hustle and bustle of their everyday lives to devote time to their writing, it provides residencies for four writers at the Hôtel Chevillon International Arts Centre at Grez-sur-Loing. Travel and accommodation are paid for, and there is a grant of £300 per week to cover living expenses.
Grez-sur-Loing is situated at the edge of the Forest of Fontainebleau (top), and was chosen because of its connections with Robert Louis Stevenson who first visited in 1875. It was there, at the Hôtel Chevillon, that he met his future wife Fanny Osbourne. Stevenson found both the place, and its community of writers and artists, highly attractive and he returned to Grez-sur-Loing for three successive summers.
Caitrin Armstrong, Head of Writer Development at Scottish Book Trust, said: “We’re delighted to offer this fantastic opportunity to such talented, engaging writers. These residencies are a great opportunity for writers to spend time on their work without the distractions of everyday life. I look forward to reading the work Lynsey and Michael produce in such inspirational surroundings.”
The two other successful 2015 Fellows are writer, director and translator Alan McKendrick and debut author Malachy Tallack.
