Posts Tagged ‘writer’
Five reasons why Sir Walter Scott still matters today
This year marks 250 years since the birth of Sir Walter Scott. Born in Edinburgh in 1771, Sir Walter Scott is regarded as one of the most influential Scots in history. As a child he was sent to the countryside to help him recover from a bout of polio, and it was during his time…
Read MorePhotographer to reveal Desert Island Gardens
Britain’s premier gardens photographer is to share her Desert Island Gardens this week. Andrea Jones, who lives near Barr, in South Ayrshire, will be a guest of the Garden Masterclass, where she will chat with Noel Kingsbury and Annie Guilfoyle. Like radio series Desert Island Discs, Andrea will discuss her favourite gardens which she has…
Read MoreSir Walter Scott’s love of angling is revealed
While on a tour of Sir Walter Scott’s glorious home Abbotsford, author Keith Harwood stumbled on the first hint of the writer’s life beyond poetry and literature, finding upon his hand-painted wallpaper the figure of an angler. In this book Harwood explores Scott’s love of fishing, detailing beautifully how he first caught the angling bug,…
Read MoreGet your ‘Bake Off’ on
LOCKDOWN getting a bit monotonous? Looking for new ways to connect with friends? Or give the kids something to do other than home schooling and Tik Tok? My 11-year-old daughter and I had the pleasure of taking part in a virtual choux masterclass hosted by award-winning Glaswegian pastry chef Helen Vass as part of YORStory,…
Read MoreAround the world with Burns
THE Unversity of Glasgow has created an online map of Burns Night celebration taking place around the world. Academics now want Burns Clubs and Scots around the globe to join in a virtual Burns Night on 25 January by sharing photographs and details of how they are marking the 2021 celebrations using the hashtag #VirtualBurnsNight…
Read MoreGizzi Erskine: ‘Soil can be sexy’
CHEF and food writer Gizzi Erskine teamed up with dairy farm Yeo Valley to mark World Soil Day on Saturday. Data released by the United Nations showed that the equivalent of one football field of soil is eroded every five seconds across the world. Yeo Valley invited Erskine to its organic farm to shine “the…
Read MoreWinners of writing awards unveiled
A POET based in Newcastle was last night named as the winner of the £1,500 Wigtown Prize. Anna Woodford, whose work was entitled Portrait of My Grandparents as Souvenirs, said: “My poem is concerned with my family history, specifically my grandfather’s experiences of having to flee wartime Poland to make a new life in Nottingham,…
Read MoreSober October: soda, ‘gin’ and ‘beer’
As ‘Sober October’ gets underway, Peter Ranscombe rounds up some of the latest non-alcohol releases and revisits some old favourites. BETWEEN “Dry January” and “Sober October”, it’s getting harder and harder for a drinks writer to earn a living… so, if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. The latest month of abstinence is the ideal…
Read MoreCaledonia on my mind
Like many of those born outside Scotland to avowedly Scottish families, Dugald Bruce-Lockhart has a complicated relationship with the mothership. “WITH a name like Dugald Alastair Roddick Bruce-Lockhart, you must be Scottish,” says the casting director, studying my CV with a frown. It’s a good question – and one I’ve never known quite how to…
Read MoreBloody Scotland names McIlvanney Prize finalists
FOUR writers have been shortlisted for The McIlvanney Prize. The winner will be announced on 18 September as part of the Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival. This year’s finalists are Andrew James Greig for Whirligig, Francine Toon for Pine, Doug Johnstone for A Dark Matter, and “Ambrose Parry” – husband-and-wife team Chris Brookmyre and…
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