You can keep up to date with the latest developments in my writing life here.
09 September 2017The Tree Charter
I'm really proud to have been commissioned to write the Scottish poem for the launch of the Tree Charter. It is one of ten poems, one for each of the principles of the Charter, and it will be engraved on a totem pole that will be erected at Langs Craig, near Glasgow, on Saturday 25 November (10.30am-2.30pm).
My poem is called 'Resilience' and is a response to the principle about addressing threats to our trees. It's a wildly positive and optimistic poem. No surprises there, then!
The Tree Charter is being launched to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the original charter, which was written at about the same time as the Magna Carta (and is the reason why it is 'Magna', i.e. it was the big charter, alongside the smaller tree charter). But while everyone remembers Magna Carta, almost no-one remembers the tree charter, which stated the rights of people to have access to woods and share in the benefits of trees. So a big network of organisations and individuals, co-ordinated by the Woodland Trust, have written a new charter to reflect the fact that here in the 21st century we still need trees. If you haven't signed it, please do! You can do so here: https://sign.treecharter.uk/page/6023/petition/1
11 August 2017Upcoming events
Here are some events when I'll be reading or doing workshops over the next few months:
Sunday 20 August, 5.30pm, Edinburgh Book Festival, Amnesty International event, FREE!
Friday 1 September, 8pm, Callander Poetry Weekend.
Tuesday 19 September, 8.30am, Scottish Parliament Committee on Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform (I don't know if this event is open to the public).
Friday 13 October, Dingwall Words on the Street, Highflight Books - two events, a reading at 11am, 'True or False' of my historical fiction, and a workshop at 2pm, 'Lies, lies, lies', on writing about the past. For more info contact Phil Baarda.
Saturday 25 November, erection of a totem pole with my tree poem engraved on it at Langs Craig, near Glasgow, to celebrate the launch of the Tree Charter.
10 August 2017Authors' Foundation support
I'm delighted to have been awarded an Authors' Foundation grant to take time to work on my next writing project, so I can dedicate September to this and more time in the early part of 2018. And no, I can't tell you what it's about. It's a secret, for now!