CWA Debut Dagger for Crime Novel Opening
This is the one to win for would-be crime novelists – or not even win; if you get on the shortlist your work will come to the direct attention of interested literary agents and publishers. Continue reading Get Writing Over the Holidays for Prestigious CWA Crime Writing Competitions
Six week course starts tomorrow at Pilton Community Health Project
A 96-year-old retired plumber in Glasgow is set to publish his second novel – just over a month since his first became a national media sensation. William Glen’s latest novel follows the lives four retirement home residents who, after becoming involved with a dangerous local gangster, end up committing two murders. Continue reading Murder, polis … “mad” Grandfather turns Godfather!
Scottish Book Trust, the national charity transforming lives through reading and writing, has announced the seven teenage writers and illustrators who have been recruited to steer the nationwide What’s Your Story? programme, aimed at helping to increase opportunities for young people to access and contribute to literary culture across Scotland. Continue reading Three Edinburgh teens join nationwide What’s Your Story? programme
Craigroyston Early Years Centre’s Makin’ A Brew group parents have been writing poetry – some as individual pieces of work and others creating poems in groups.
This beautiful unnamed poem was written by Yaa Agyepong:
Making soaps and body creams
Sewing dresses and braiding hair
Farming, cooking and cleaning
And painting the house too.
My grandmothers hands
The domestic goddess
Prized possession
Cooking, cleaning, painting
From my granny’s hands to mine
I’m just a chip off the old block.
How I miss her!
Yaa Agyepong, Craigroyston Early Years ‘Makin’ A Brew’ Group
Scottish Book Trust launches new writing campaign
Are you ready to ‘fess up? Scottish Book Trust is looking for your secrets and confessions in a brand new writing campaign! Continue reading Share your Secrets and Confessions!
Trinity Academy pupils have produced the first edition of The Writers’ Block, a new school magazine.
S6 pupil Callum Watson, who edits the magazine, is already looking forward to the follow up issue and is inviting contributions from the school community. Good luck with the new venture, Trinity!
Four local mums have written and produced a delightful wee book of short stories to read with their children.
Chloe Wilson, Heather Thorburn, Michelle Lawler and Georgie Cassidy, members of Stepping Stones creative writing group, worked with tutor Lucy Ribchester over eight weekly sessions at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre to produce ‘Toy Stories’ – and they’ve produced a mini-masterpiece!
The book is beautifully illustrated by North Edinburgh Time Bank member Evren Dogan, who volunteered her talents for free to support the group project.
The Creative Writing group saw their finished work at Royston Wardieburn yesterday, where they were also presented with achievement certificates by Royston Wardieburn Community Learning & Development worker Karen Riddell.
Karen said: “This has been a really interesting collaborative project and we’ve all been looking forward to seeing the finished result. Toy Tales looks really good and the women should feel very proud of their achievement. I’m sure they will enjoy reading stories they have written themselves with their children. We’d like to thank Lucy and Evren for their efforts, too – the book looks so good!”
Lucy’s own first book ‘The Hourglass Factory’ is published in January – good luck with that, Lucy!
Five Edinburgh residents who wrote short stories about what ‘home’ means to them for a national writing competition have had their submissions chosen to be published in a book.
They beat off competition from over 500 other entries to win a place in a special book entitled Scotland’s Stories of Home. Their submissions will feature alongside entries from 33 other winners and author contributors such as Alan Warner, Vic Galloway, Kirsty Logan and Beatrice Colin.
The winners include:
Seonaid Cook, writing as Shona Cook, who submitted ‘Home Run’, a story that recounts a train journey from Edinburgh to London in which she ponders her feelings about the Scottish Referendum.
Commenting on the publication of her story, Seonaid said: “The project was timely; helping me confront complex feelings about where I belong after changes in family and career and discussions around the independence referendum. I’m excited, if a little nervous, to see my work in print for the first time since I set out to be a writer.”
Sine Kay Harris, a student at the University of Glasgow, submitted ‘Shell’, a story about finding ‘home’ in amongst the bookshelves of Edinburgh’s public libraries.
Sine said: “I think the Scotland’s Stories of Home project is a really wonderful opportunity to give the people of Scotland a chance to speak for themselves about what this country we all call home means to them.”
Laura Clay, an editor for the Raspberry Pi Foundation, submitted ‘A Story of Homecoming’. Her story explores her experience of getting to know Edinburgh again after eight years of living down south.
Laura said: “The Stories of Home project has meant a great deal to me; having moved back to Edinburgh after eight years away, it’s been a good way of reconnecting with the city I love. I feel very lucky to be included in the book. It’s the first time my writing has been published, and I’m hoping my other work will be similarly successful in future!”
The other Edinburgh winners were Julie Morrice, a music teacher living in Newington, with her poem ‘Travelling Home’ and Lorna Malone, a copywriter for an investment company, with her short story ‘A Potful of Home.’
The competition was held by Scottish Book Trust, the leading agency for the promotion of literature, reading and writing in Scotland, and encouraged members of the public to express in writing what ‘home’ as a place or a concept means to them. Contributions included poems as well as prose that tell tales of childhood, communities, family life, travel and food.
To celebrate the third year of Book Week Scotland (24 – 30 November 2014) more than 150,000 free copies of Scotland’s Stories of Home will be gifted to people throughout the week. The books will be distributed in local bookshops, public libraries, prisons, hospitals, visitor information centres, ferry terminals and train stations. All the stories entered for the competition are available to read at www.bookweekscotland.com.
Scotland’s Stories of Home also features original commissioned contributions from some of the best-loved names in Scottish arts andliterature, including Alan Warner, Des Dillon and a special contribution in Gaelic from Catriona Lexy Chaimbeul.
Sophie Moxon, Acting Director of Scottish Book Trust said: “Scotland’s Stories of Home has given people of all ages living in Scotland a chance to express in writing what ‘home’ means to them. We received hundreds of submissions from members of the public, sharing beautifully unique stories of home as a place and a concept and are delighted to be able to give away 150,000 free copies of this wonderful book for Book Week Scotland 2014.”
All the entries to the Scotland’s Stories of Home campaign can be read here: http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/reading/stories-of-home
The Edinburgh winner’s stories are available at the following links:
Shona Cook’s ‘Home Run’: http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/reading/stories-of-home/story/home-run
Sine Kay Harris’ ‘Shell’: http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/reading/stories-of-home/story/shell
Laura Clay’s ‘A Story of Homecoming’: http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/reading/stories-of-home/story/a-story-of-homecoming
Julie Morrice’s ‘Travelling Home’: http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/reading/stories-of-home/story/travelling-home
Lorna Malone’s ‘A Potful of Home’: http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/reading/stories-of-home/story/a-potful-of-home
An annual creative writing competition with an environmental theme for primary school children has been launched in Edinburgh by local author John Fardell.
‘Scotland’s Seas’ is the theme of this year’s ‘Green Pencil Award’, which is run by The City of Edinburgh Council for P4 – P7 pupils.
They are being encouraged to write creatively about how the sea impacts on local communities, the creatures that live in them, seascapes, what the seas are used for and how we can look after them in Scotland.
Primary 7 pupils from St Margaret’s RC Primary School in South Queensferry helped launch the event at Queensferry Library where they took part in a special writing workshop to pick up tips from John Fardell, who writes and illustrates children’s books.
The competition is open to all P4-7 pupils in Edinburgh and entries can be submitted through schools or public libraries until October 10. The 20 finalists and overall winner will be chosen on October 30 with a prize giving ceremony at the Central Library on November 27.
To help support the Green Pencil Award, a series of Live Literature events involving schools will be held in libraries across the capital during September, with support from the Scottish Book Trust.
Councillor Richard Lewis, Culture and Sport Convener for The City of Edinburgh Council said: ‘I’m sure this year’s theme of Scotland’s Seas will inspire our young people to show their creative writing skills and how much they care about the environment.
“The importance of writing to children’s education cannot be underestimated, and the Green Pencil Award complements the work going on in our schools and libraries to encourage this. It’s a very popular competition and I’m really looking forward to seeing another excellent range of entries from children throughout the city.”
John Fardell said: “I’m delighted to be involved with the South Queensferry Library launch event of this year’s Green Pencil Award. I’ll be encouraging the pupils to have fun tapping into what they personally find exciting as they develop their own pieces of writing, and I’m sure this year’s Green Pencil theme of Scotland’s Seas will be a great catalyst for everyone’s imaginations.
“I’ve spent quite a bit of time throughout my life on, in and occasionally under Scotland’s seas, and that’s certainly been a source of inspiration for much of my own writing and illustration work.”
The competition, run by Edinburgh City Libraries and Eco-Schools in Edinburgh seeks to: promote literacy and creative writing; demonstrate care and understanding of environmental issues; encourage learning; link to Curriculum for Excellence aspirations and strengthen partnership working between libraries, schools and other partners.
Prizes have been donated by a range of sponsors, including the Scottish Book Trust, Scottish Natural Heritage, the Scottish Seabird Centre and the Royal Scottish Zoological Society.
The creative writing can be either poetry or prose but must only take up one side of A4. For further information visit
www.edinburgh.gov.uk/greenpencilaward
