Ten poets, ten minutes each, what’s not to like? Check full details on the TenRed Facebook page. 7pm, 7th March, Persevere Bar, Easter Road Edinburgh, £3

The StAnza International Poetry Festival takes place in St Andrews, from the 14th to the 18th of March. Full programme and box office at www.stanzapoetry.org

Poetry and Coffee
at Henderson’s Cafe
94 Hanover Street
Thursday 8th March
10.30 -11.30a.m.
PAULA JENNINGS
MARGARET CHRISTIE
JENNIE HOUSE
Will be reading selections from their poetry
Please drop in

Success for David Purdie, A Tyne and Esk Writer.
David Purdie, a member of the Penicuik group of Tyne and Esk Writers,  who contributed enormously to the formation of the Organisation and who was its first Convenor, has won the John Law Tassie for his translation into Scots of Coleridge’s, ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.’
John Law , who died in 2010, was the administrator of the Scots Language Society and a former editor of the Society’s magazine, Lallans, the only magazine to be written entirely in the Scots language. David recently became a member of the Editorial Board of Lallans and, through this position, he will continue to promote the Scots language.
Congratulations, David.

At their regular meeting in the Library on the 18th January, the Dalkeith Writers’ Group presented Paul Duffney with tokens of their gratitude for his acting as leader of the group for many years. His provision of a ‘catering service’ is sadly missed.

His recent marriage and move to North Berwick may affect his attendance, but the group hopes, nevertheless, to see him regularly in the future.

The third bottle was Champagne for his wife, Janet. The rules governing the gift did not prevent their sharing any or all that they received.

Graham Leake

Colin Will

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.

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