What’s New on the site?

The site is constantly evolving, growing and developing, and I expect it to develop further when our editorial team is trained and operational. One of the areas that’s growing fastest is the Services for Writers tab. It’s now got Book Reviews and Recommendations, Performance tips, How to get published, and other pages. New pages on publishing opportunities – mags and e-zines – have been added to this section. There are Comments boxes for each of these pages, so members can add their own views and suggestions.

The Committee page has now been put under Groups.

Please use the Events Calendar in the sidebar to get more information on future events. If you know of events which aren’t listed, feel free to email me with details, and I’ll add them when I can. Breaking news items and information on forthcoming events are posted on this page.

Colin Will

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Scrivens deadline

Message from Karen Duncan:

Hi Everyone
Happy New Year! Hope you all had a lovely festive period.
The next issue of Scrivens is due out in February and it would be great to get submissions of writing or information on events, readings, publications etc from all the Tyne and Esk groups. Could you please mention this at your next meeting or email this to your group. Deadline for copy is the 23rd.
Thanks for your help.
Kind regards
Karen
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Best wishes for 2012

A Happy New Year and best wishes from all at Tyne & Esk Writers.

 

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Celebrating Donald McKinney

Dunbar group co-founder Donald McKinney died on 31st October as a result of a brain tumour. He was a young man in otherwise good health. Although he had moved from Dunbar to Thurso a few years back, he still kept in touch with his friends in Dunbar. He was a fine writer, publishing novels and non-fiction books. In 2008 I published a volume of his short stories – Why We Howl At the Moon – and with the agreement of his partner I’m now offering copies at £5 post free (UK only), with all the proceeds going to MacMillan Cancer Care. For more details of the book, and to order copies, please visit this link.

Colin Will

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Angie on Black Diamond

December 18, 2011
3:00 pmto5:00 pm

Storyteller and writer Angie Townsend will be appearing as one of her written creations TILDA TIDY on Black Diamond Radio, Sunday 18th December between 3 and 5pm.  Tilda made her first debut at a D.A.M.E Dalkeith Arts event and since then three more monologues, including a Christmas one, have been written.  A rather set in her ways, with much to say character from the Highlands, you’ll need to tune in to see how she fares against presenter Jim Aird or perhaps, how he copes with TILDA.

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Musselburgh Hot Pot

December 4, 2011
7:30 pmto10:00 pm

The Famous Musselburgh open mike sessions

From Stephen Barnaby:

Yes chaps, the first Sunday of another month is nearly upon us, which can mean only one thing, yes it means that time marches remorselessly onwards like a cold hearted juggernaut, leaving a wasteland of wrinkles, grey wisps and general sagginess in its pitiless wake. OK, so it means two things, the other is that the Musselburgh Hotpot will be with us again, to be precise on Sunday December 4th in the back room of Staggs (Volunteer Arms) behind the Brunton Theatre, N. High Street, Musselburgh, East or Midlothian, Yes, it’s Musselburgh’s own open floor acoustic performance hingmy, in which the hoi polloi (that’s you lot) can get up and do a story or a song or a poem or a tune or a kabuki or a washboard or whatever form of semi-legal artistic interpretation floats their personal dinghy, safe in the knowledge that an adorable and welcoming audience wil eagerly clasp them to their warm collective non-gender specific bosom, and as it’s December we’ll have a vague and amorphous theme in which you can conjure up whatever type of Christmas spirit you like, be it jovial, sinister, heart warming or bizarre. Or do something completely unfestive if you prefer. So that’s definite then. So come along at 7.30 if you want to put your name down to get up and do your wee (well, 5-10 mins) turn, or else by 8.00 if you just want to be part of the warm aforementioned bosom. Proceedings should endure from 8ish to 10ish and if you would like to get into the giving Crimbo spirit by voluntarily bringing along a shiny £2 donation then we would spontaneously break into a festive frenzy of gratitude. See you all there! God bless us, every one! Etc.!
Lots of love Stephen xxx

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Poetry reading

December 8, 2011
10:30 amto11:30 am

Haddington member Anna Dickie has sent me this note about her group – Poetrio – reading in Edinburgh. All three poets – Anne Connolly, Irene Brown, and Anna herself – are entertaining and talented readers.

Dear All
Just a quick reminder that the group’s last gig of the year will be on Thursday 8th December at 10.30 am at Hendersons (Hanover Street, Edinburgh). we hope you will wish to combine a shot of poetry and a coffee with your Christmas shopping – or if you are anything like me you might just want to hide out and pretend that it isn’t happening.
Either way Irene, Anne and I hope to see you there!
(A lot has happened since September, Anne has her first full collection out, Irene and I launched our joint pamphlet and we’ve been on the radio both locally and nationally! )
Please circulate this round anyone else you think might like to come along.
.
Best Wishes
Anna D
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Christmas Poetry Pamphlet Party and Fair

December 13, 2011
6:00 pmto8:30 pm

Tuesday 13 December, 2011, 6pm to 8.30pm
The National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge, Edinburgh

In an atmosphere of Christmas celebration poets and publishers display and read samples of their work. Come along for a glass of wine, meet the publishers, hear the poetry and buy Christmas presents with a difference.

Entry is free, booking not required. Simply drop along on the night.

Organised by the Callum Macdonald Memorial Award and the National Library of Scotland.

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Lennoxlove 2011

I’m delighted that Rita Bradd (Dunbar Group) sent me a note on her experiences at the Festival this year. It’s now up on the Recent Events page.

My own posting on the Festival is now on my blog page.

Colin

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Writer of the Year 2011

The awards ceremony for the Tyne & Esk Writers Writer of the Year 2011 was held on October 31st in the Brunton Hall Theatre, Musselburgh. The judges were A C Clarke (poetry) and Tom Bryan (prose), and the event was MC-ed by Creative Writing Fellow Tom Murray. The results were:

Midlothian Prose
Runner-up: Andrew Broadfoot, Winner Mary Johnston
Midlothian Poetry
Runner-up: Rachel Woolf, Winner: Lesley Kelly

East Lothian Prose
Runner-up Jean Cole, Winner Marie MacPherson
East Lothian Poetry
Runner-up Cindy Stevens, Winner Ian Murphy

Writer of the Year 2011: Marie MacPherson

Colin

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Tyne & Esk Writers on radio

Poetry Workshop

Four Tyne & Esk members took part in the BBC Radio 4 Poetry Workshop, led by Ruth Padel, from Edinburgh’s School of Poets. To listen again to this programme, follow this link, and hear Anna Dickie, Judith Stewart, Jeff Kemp, Karen Duncan and other members of the School. There are also photos of the proceedings on the BBC Radio 4 website. I’m not sure how long the broadcast will remain available, but check on the BBC iPlayer site.

Colin

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