Tag: creative writing

Citizen: A hearty helping of Stories and Scran at the Book Festival

I was delighted to be part of Edinburgh International Book Festival’s ‘Stories and Scran’ event on Tuesday evening.

The event was a celebration of the book festival’s Citizen programme.

Over the last 12 months, Citizen Writer in Residence Eleanor Thom and poet Leyla Josephine have been working with local groups to discuss and respond creatively to themes such as home, identity and belonging.

The evening – a lively mix of live readings, stories and short films – showcased impressive work by participants from Spartans Alternative School, the Citizen Collective (some brilliant young writers aged 16-18) (above), the Citizen adult writing group, the Saheliya Champions and more. And all in front of a live audience, too!

The event was preceded by a delicious community meal prepared and served up by by a team from North Edinburgh’s very own Scran Academy. 

Congratulations to the organisers – coronavirus restrictions must have made this a very difficult event to plan and stage, but it really couldn’t have gone better.

Stories and Scran was live streamed and you can view it here:

 https://www.edbookfest.co.uk/the-festival/whats-on/stories-scran-1/player

Stories and Scran

Playing my part in Edinburgh Book Festival

TUESDAY 17th AUGUST: 8.30 – 9:30pm

Join us for an evening of food and entertainment, hosted by our Citizen Writers in Residence Eleanor Thom and Leyla Josephine.

With live readings, audio recordings and a film created by Citizen participants, our community meal will showcase the insightful and thoughtful work of local people from North Edinburgh and Musselburgh.

This live event is part of Citizen, our long-term creative programme working in partnership with organisations across Edinburgh, offering local people a platform to explore identity, connection, place and everything it means to live in our world right now.

Following on from the success of last year’s virtual event, Stories and Scran returns for a second helping.

This community meal, enjoyed by participants in our Citizen programme, will take place in Edinburgh College of Art, with dinner provided by The Scran Academy.

The meal will be followed by a showcase of live readings, audio stories and short films in a celebration of community spirit. 

Find out more at on citizen@edbookfest.co.uk.

TALES FROM THE DOOCOT

During lockdown I took the opportunity to try something new and signed up to North Edinburgh Arts’ Writing the Times creative writing group.

I so enjoyed the experience of meeting up with others – fair enough it was still Zoom, but at least it seemed more like normal life! – that I went on to take part in the Citizen creative writing project this Spring (above).

We were asked to choose and write about a local building, and, living in Drylaw, I chose The Doocot.

While I would never describe the Doocot as a place of worship, pubs, like churches, are more about the people in them than the actual buildings themselves, so I wrote a series of short stories about unforgettable characters – real, imagined and some a bit of both – who made the Doocot such a popular place in it’s heyday.

I will be reading a Doocot tale at the Stories and Scran celebration tomorrow evening. The event is fully subscribed, but Edinburgh International Book Festival will be streaming it live.

Cheers!

Writing the Times: a unique gift from North Edinburgh

Looking for that truly special Christmas gift? Your search may be over!

Writing the Times is an anthology created by local people during the first months of the coronavirus pandemic.

Over six weeks when the pandemic was at it’s height, the North Edinburgh Arts Writers worked with editor Stephanie Knight through Zoom sessions and emails to create stories based on the themes Fables for the Future, Stories to be Shared and Tales to be Told

Hopeful, reflective, poignant and comical, the writers share their thoughts recorded during these unprecedented times.

Something to look back on when the pandemic becomes a distant memory, Writing the Times would make a unique Christmas gift for friends and family.

Writing the Times is now available at North Edinburgh Arts, priced only £5. For further information email: admin@northedinburgharts.co.uk

Writing the Times: Local writers reflect life under lockdown

North Edinburgh Arts is delighted to be able to share ‘Writing the Times’, new work by Alice Musumba Purves, David Francis, David Pickering, Dawn Pearce, Ferdinand McKay, Mary Graham, Rhona Cameron, Sandra Newby, Sasha Noel, Tracey Anderson.

Writing the Times 2020 DOWNLOAD

Stephanie Knight, who led the Writing the Times project, explained: “‘Writing the Times has been a six week project, with weekly Zoom meetings and continuous emails.

“During the Zoom meetings, we discussed other people’s writing that inspired us, we read our drafts, we considered frameworks, layout, quotes, prologues and epilogues, we discussed how our readers might respond to our writing.

“The project was open to participants and artists who have worked with North Edinburgh Arts Theatre project, and to Yoga Students at North Edinburgh Arts. People self-selected, and this publication demonstrates the commitment and dedication everyone has given to Writing the Times.

“This is published at the time when we would have been witnessing Edinburgh swing into full Festival flourish. Now we plan, reflect and then plan again for another time.”

A limited edition of print copies of Writing the Times will be available in the autumn, and the writers hope to record their stories in the NEA studio to share their work as spoken word – keep an eye on North Edinburgh Arts Facebook page for updates.

writing-the-times-2020Download

The Writing the Times project was supported by a Wellbeing Grant from the COVID-19 SUPPORTING COMMMUNITIES FUND administered by EVOC.

The Future is Digital: Scottish Book Trust launches Future

Scottish Book Trust has launched this year’s ‘Your Stories’ national campaign, appealing for members of the public to share real life stories around the theme of future.

People all over the country are encouraged to submit, even if they have never written before.

A selection of stories will be included in a free book that will be given out during Book Week Scotland in November. Submissions can be made in English, Scots, or Gaelic in any form – story, poem, comic strip, play or letter – of up to 1,000 words.

For many of us, the future represents opportunity and gives us hope that we can make positive change for our loved ones, our communities or ourselves.

So whether you’re an activist desperate to transform tomorrow, an eternal optimist setting another target for the year ahead or just a dreamer wondering what the next chapter in your life will be, Scottish Book Trust wants your story.

For those unsure how to start, Scottish Book Trust will be running free, digital workshops with some of Scotland’s most exciting writers:

  • Not the Booker Prize awardee Kirstin Innes, whose upcoming novel Scabby Queen (Fourth Estate) will be released later this year
  • New Writer Awardee and Robert Louis Stevenson fellow Malachy Tallack, author of The Valley at the Centre of the World (Canongate)
  • Saltire Award nominated author Alison Irvine, author of This Road is Red (Luath Press)
  • Next Chapter Awardee Samina Chaudry

Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust said: “2020 is a landmark year, and future is the perfect theme to reflect the ongoing social and cultural change happening right now.

“We want to hear your story: even if you’ve never written about yourself before. Hopes, fears, dreams – Scottish Book Trust welcomes them all.”

Alison Lang, Director of the Gaelic Books Council, said: “Everyone has a story to tell, and the Gaelic Books Council hopes that people throughout the country will take the opportunity to reflect on the theme “Future” – in verse, in prose or in any other way they choose – and that there will be plenty of Gaelic stories among this year’s submissions.”

The digital nature of the workshops will allow the writers to engage with an audience no matter their location, allowing the opportunity to be as inclusive as possible.

Given the current climate, online workshops can provide the public with a safe space to be creative, supporting positive mental health and wellbeing.

Each workshop has limited space so sign up is essential, and the writers will explore different prompts and methods for story writing. They will all also contribute their own stories about future for the book.

Visit Scottish Book Trust’s website for more information.

Poet and performer Marjorie Lotfi Gill will also provide writing prompts every Tuesday to help tackle the future theme. These will be made available through Scottish Book Trust’s website and social media.

Tam Clark, poet and writer, will provide his own interpretation of Future in Scots. Scottish Book Trust is also working in partnership with the Gaelic Books Council: author Cairistìona Stone and poet Griogar MacThòmais will provide their own stories for the campaign.

Future is open for submissions from today until Friday 5 June 2020.

Submissions can be made online or via post to:

Future, FAO Gordon Connelly, Scottish Book Trust, Sandeman House, Trunk’s Close, 55 High Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1SR.

 

 

Creative writing for wellbeing at Pilton Community Health Project

PCHP’s Creative Writing group officially starts on 10th January, running every Friday from 10:30 am – 12 noon! Join us to develop your creativity in an informal & fun environment.

If you’re interested, please get in touch with Hollie: hollieruddick@pchp.org.uk or 0131 551 1671