creative writing

A Time of Balance

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‘I set off an hour before sunrise. It is still dark: very dark, and I can see very little beyond the dim circle of light from my head torch. The thick scent of pine fills the air as I start up the trail. The presence of trees, melting into the darkness either side of me, are felt rather than seen; the still, almost-full harvest moon having disappeared into the cover of pine branches. A nervous glance behind reveals the comfort of a slowly brightening sky, suffused with faint orange and aquamarine banding toward the rim of an unseen eastern horizon. Amidst gaps in the canopy above, bright and brittle stars vanish and reappear. The tree cover opens a little and the moon’s glow pulls me upward.’

As the Autumn equinox approaches, here in the Northern Hemisphere, I am drawn back to our local hill and this moment from a couple of years ago when I climbed to one of its summits to witness the equinox sunrise. The short essay I wrote about it was published on The Clearing: Little Toller’s online journal of Nature, Landscape and Place. You can read the full piece here, or by clicking on the image above.

Traditionally marking the second harvest, a time to gather in the bounty of late summer signalled by the full moon, the Autumn equinox can also be a time of balance, of reset: a chance to take stock before the long slide into winter. Wishing you all a moment of balance as we begin our journey toward the darkness of the winter months.

Open Book – An Update

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After the successful completion of the growth pilot earlier this year, and following a successful funding bid through Creative Scotland, Open Book Reading have announced that they can support all the groups that took part in the pilot, and so I’m delighted to be able to continue the work of the charity through leading a group in partnership with Live Life Aberdeenshire.

The wider community project runs from October this year to September next, and will consist of eight supported sessions exploring stories and poems and nurturing a supportive environment to try creative writing. We’ll also be visiting a literary festival together and fostering a sense of community through the shared enjoyment of literature and poetry.

You can learn more at Open Book’s website.

An Interview with Shane Strachan

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The latest episode of From the Old Brewery brings you an interview with creative writing lecturer, current Scots Scriever and performance artist Dr Shane Strachan. Shane talks about his northeast roots, his use of Doric and Scots as a creative platform and his role as Scots Scriever. He also talks about his many projects and collaborations as a poet, writer and artist, and reads his poem Doric Dwams.

We had a really engaging talk with Shane and we’re sure you’ll feel inspired learning more about his journey and his work. This is my final episode as co-host on From the Old Brewery, but after many fascinating discussions with many fascinating researchers, writers and academics, I’m very happy to end on a high note with such a prominent and talented northeast Scots writer. Enjoy.

You can listen below or find us on your preferred platform.

Moving Forward

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There’s a famous quote by Mark Twain. You know the one: 

“Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you did not do than the things you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” 

This kept surfacing and resurfacing in my thoughts when, in 2017, I left my job to study anthropology and then creative writing. Six years on I have submitted my PhD thesis – a work of narrative nonfiction with commentary exploring how landscapes shape us, and what it might mean to belong. 

It’s not the PhD that counts, of course, but the journey to get there, for ‘it is better to travel hopefully than to arrive,’ as that other famous writer Robert Louis Stevenson told us. And it has been a journey – fraught with uncertainty and waymarked by personal crisis and self discovery. 

I’ve learned that we are many things, and that the narratives we write for ourselves can change unexpectedly – by both accident and design, and that who we thought we were is not set in stone, but a continual process of renewal and re-creation: a perpetual becoming framed by an evolving understanding. 

Places frame our lives – map out our histories and identities through the landscapes in which we live. The journey I’ve taken and the people I have spoken to have shown me that. We come to know self through place, through all the entanglements and histories that reach out into the wider world. 

I still face uncertainty and there will continue to be change: both driven and unexpected. I guess learning to embrace those things in life is part of what Mark Twain was getting at. 

Open Book Growth Pilot

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The growth pilot for Open Book has come to an end after the allocated five sessions. I was lucky to get to work with a lovely group of folk from across Aberdeenshire, exploring poems and stories from a selection of writers and then sharing our own work through a series of writing exercises. We explored the themes of adventure, gardening, ritual, home and strangers. As a Lead Reader, it was great to see new people coming along each session, to see the group develop and grow, and to hear all the responses to the writing exercises. Some feedback from those attending below:

“Enjoyed having the space and time to immerse myself in writing & creativity.  Meeting liked minded people. Being led with themes & timed writing.”

“Really enjoyed the event it was good to get the chance of close reading/poetry/prose and to meet new people.”

“Enjoyed the opportunity to meet with other people keen on writing and discussion and get feedback. It feels like an inspirational and safe space. Thank you.”

“Didn’t feel under pressure, even with the poem. The pace of the class was perfect. I feel inspired to carry on writing.”

It’s lovely to read these comments and to have been part of the Open Book story. The focus on removing barriers and connecting communities through literature is a model that works. If there is funding available in future, I hope to be able to continue the group, and will know more come the autumn. Keeping my fingers crossed until then.