The first residents of the Tannery Hoose Windae – none better in many ways. This was Christmas 2020, a weird one by any stretch. This family knew all about being temporary residents in unfavoured places.
This was the first thing to appear in the Windae, not long after Joan suggested it needed something beautiful in it. The Holy Family sat on top of my wardrobe for all my childhood – now it’s on top of a bookshelf, still checkin me oot.
What a fantastic line up at the Paisley Book Festival 2021. I’m delighted to have been part of such a well-put-together festival. In particular, my event with Donal McLaughlin and Mairi Murphy – (What it Means) to Overcome – was a real pleasure for me. The feedback we’ve had from people who came along is heartening. Here’s a link to the event that you can check out till the end of March 2021. Please have a look and enjoy hearing me, Donal & Mairi. You can also read Mira Waligora’s blog here. I’ll let our words say the rest.
As well as taking part, I’ve a number of highlights at this year’s festival: Victoria McNulty’s superb Exiles, a powerful event; Scottish Masculinities with Douglas Stuart, Andrew O’Hagan and Graeme Armstrong, in conversation with Kirstin Innes; Kirstin Innes in Songs for a Scabby Queen, her own event with Outi Smith; Scottish PEN’s Poetic Offensive; and New Patterns for Paisley Poetry & Publishing, with Tracy Patrick, Linda Jackson, Jim Ferguson, John Scally and Ryan Goodwin, hosted by William Burns.
There’s a few things I didn’t get to that I plan to catch up on before the end of March: Working Class Lives in Fiction with Julie Rea & Ely Percy; Sex Robots & Vegan Meat (for the title at least, though I’ve heard great things about it) with Jenny Kleeman; The Fountain’s Evening of Quarantine Dreaming with Adam Stafford, Janette Ayachi, Heath Common & Salena Godden. There’ll be more for sure.
If you were lucky enough to see everything I’m sure you’ll have been mightily impressed with the range of writers and readers and musicians and other creative folks. There is an excellent Festival YouTube channel. You can catch up on the whole range of excellent events here until the end March.
Big thanks must go to Keira Brown, Jess Orr and Wendy Niblock for all their support. I’m grateful to Brian Whittingham for his brilliant work as Tannahill Makar. And finally, thanks to the great people at Renfrewshire Council. Everyone made Paisley Book Festival 2021 a cracker!
It’s been a good few weeks with launch events for my new poetry collection. In November, I was asked to read at the Allingham Festival in Ballyshannon, County Donegal with noted Irish poets Annemarie NÁ ChurreÁin and Denise Blake and English poet Chris Sparks.
The next event was at the Scottish Writers’ Centre in Glasgow’s Centre for Contemporary Arts with Donal McLaughlin and Finola Scott. Donal is an award-winning Derry-born short story writer and translator; Finola, launching her first pamphlet with Red Squirrel Press, is a widely-regarded poet who share an Irish heritage.
Following this, I read with the wonderful writer, publisher and singer Linda Jackson in my publisher, Sally Evans’s bookshop in Callander. Never was poetry read on a more dreadful night, with the wind and the rain nearly battering the door down to get in. Linda was reading from her beautifully written memoir The Siren Awakes.
And so now, in 2020, I’m heading to HighlandLIT in January and plan other launch events, again with Finola Scott, in Baillieston Library, Stirling Central Library and Edinburgh over the next few weeks.
It’s a tough thing to get a poetry book out and about, but a pleasure to share the words with fellow writers and the people who come to hear you and buy your books. I’m looking forward to it.
What a few days Big Lit 2019 was! 1st to 5th of May.
Everything I went to was interesting: some things enlightened me, others blew me away. Henry Bell’s autobiography of John McLean is set to lift this hero of Scotland further into folks’ hearts and minds. Karin Fernald‘s depiction of the life of Florence Nightingale was immense. Bernard MacLaverty graced Saturday with a wonderful talk and readings from Midwinter Break. Rosemary Goring spoke with such ease, Alan Taylor was funny and smooth. And (of course) Chrys Salt wove her magic words and positive presence in among the whole thing.
And all the time at Big Lit, volunteers rush to make the readers and other contributors welcome and to guide the listeners and foot-tappers easily from one event to the next. The hospitality of Chrys Salt and her husband Richard McFarlane is open-hearted; the support of key Big Lit people like Hilary Hawker and Ken Smyth is genuine and consistent. Soup, salmon, vegan, gluten-free everythings for the performers – all we needed – all thought-through with ease.
A few highlights then. Of course, the chance to share bits of my novel and some poems with a very good-sized crowd at the Crafty Crow. And not only that: to do so with my new friend David Mark Williams (Odd Sock Exchange & Papaya Fantasia), an excellent poet and short fiction writer and a top man. We will now, he and I, travel the country as The Skinny Guys (maybe The Skinny Bartirts for Glesga; maybe The Slender Fellaes for Dumfries).
Another highlight. Sasha Mitchell and Pete Moser made Friday night explode with songs and poems of Sasha’s father, Adrian Mitchell – joy and punchiness and then more joy.
Another. Reading with fellow Dove Tales writers and Angela Shapiro, sharing moving poems and accounts of the Nazi holocaust. Added to by the presence of Heather Valencia who brought insights and poetry from her bi-lingual translation of Avrom Sutzkever’s work.
And more. Discovering poets Annie Wright and Nicola Jackson and listening to Alan McLure‘s lyrics and voice. Shooting the breeze with John Cavanagh and Brian Johnstone after their poetry and music gig. Bill and Caro Barlow’s wonderful puppetry. Chik J Duncan always. Being part of the launch of Southlight 25.
One thing more. Peter Marinker read ‘Birth Was The Death Of Him’: words spoken and stage directions spoken. This was done with all the poise Beckett intended. He held us all for half an hour, pauses announced, words delivered beautifully, until the final stage direction: 30 seconds silence. What a 30 seconds that was. In the middle of creative activity and energy, a Beckettian silence.
Baillieston Library welcomed Charlie Gracie with the excellent poet Finola Scott on 7th March for a launch event for Charlie’s novel, To Live With What You Are.
A crowd of thirty people – writers, library users, members of the local book group, friends and family – helped to make it a very interesting night. After readings from Finola and Charlie, the question and answer session became a broader discussion on the literary process.
Baillieston Library staff, especially Susi Hunter, pulled out all the stops to support Charlie and Finola and all those who attended, to have an enjoyable night.
Isabel Addie took excellent photographs on the night and captured the atmosphere.
It was great reading with Finola Scott. She is a powerful poetic voice, a funny, energising writer who can turn ordinary things into unforgettable lines of poetry. Check out some of her poetry here in The Blue Nib and look out for her pamphlet coming out later this year with Red Squirrel Press.https://www.redsquirrelpress.net
Thanks to everyone who came along and contributed by listening and talking.
Loki, Rana Marathon & Victoria McNulty – what a line up at Saint Luke’s on the 23rd! The Scottish poetic voice is alive and well.
I’d never heard Rana Marathon before. She’s a kick-boxer of a poet, a wordsmith with a sharp smile. She’s rhythmic and funny and straight to the point. Everything she spoke and rapped was worth listening too, and was delivered in a way that tells you she works hard to get the words right.
Victoria McNulty is an important voice in Scottish culture. She makes the links that need making: history, social policy, real lives. Lesley Traynor says Victoria McNulty is fearless – she was certainly fearless in Saint Luke’s and everybody loved it. Her work references politics and poetry and the lives of people in a catchy, energetic way.
Loki hits the stage like a train. There’s really very little to say. Genuine, he is. I always feel challenged and inspired by what he says, even if I’m not sure I agree completely. This is artistic integrity. At one point Darren McGarvey, author of the powerful Poverty Safari, turned away from the audience and revealed the depth of both his pain and his poetry – beautiful that a man has the courage to be so honest.
And when someone uses cunt and metatextual in the same sentence you know you’re in the presence of greatness.
Getting close folks! I hope to see you at one of the events to launch ‘To Live With What You Are’, the new novel by Charlie Gracie: Glasgow, Stirling and Edinburgh dates below. We are waiting for confirmation of the Newcastle Upon Tyne date early in the new year, and I’ll be doing other readings over the next few weeks and months.
20 November, Glasgow. Scottish Writers’ Centre in the Centre for Contemporary Arts. 7pm. This will include readings from the brilliant Shelley Day and her new short story collection ‘What Are You Like’ and the fantastic Colin Will with his new short story collection ‘Wordplay’. All three books are published by Postbox Press.
5 December, Stirling. Central Library. 7pm. This event will be shared with Elizabeth Rimmer, who will be reading from her wonderful, recently published poetry collection ‘Haggards’, published by Red Squirrel Press.  Get tickets for this one from Eventbrite.
15 December, Edinburgh. Scottish Poetry Library. 1pm. But Shelley Day will be there alongside Thomas Stewart who will read from his debut poetry pamphlet ‘Empire of Dirt’, published by Red Squirrel.
Looking forward to seeing you at one of these events so you can hear and buy this first novel by Charlie Gracie. Stay in touch on Charlie Gracie Writer on Facebook and BailliestonBard on Twitter for more news!
Big thanks as ever to Sheila Wakefield, the publisher and owner at Red Squirrel Press and Postbox Press.
Come along to Sunrise Holistic on Saturday 1st September for an excellent opportunity to tune in to your creativity. Writer Charlie Gracie and holistic therapist Teresa Johnston give you the opportunity to combine meditation and creative writing in the company of like-minded other people. The workshop, Our Inner Emotions and The Written Word, will run from 10.30 am till 4 pm.
Teresa’s background in radiation oncology in Seattle, Manhattan, Glasgow and Edinburgh led to her passion for delivering care as an Energy Medicine Practitioner. Teresa says, ‘As a holistic health carer, I consider health with regards to illness and disease as impacted by factors of environment, nutrition, and exercise. Furthermore, my holistic approach also takes into consideration a person’s stress levels, and helping each person to find balance in life.’
Charlie is a writer of poetry and fiction. His first poetry collection, Good Morning, will be followed up later this year by his debut novel, To Live With What You Are, and early next year with his second poetry collection, Tales from the Dartry Mountains. His work has appeared in a number of anthologies and journals and he is a member of the Board for the Scottish Writers’ Centre.
Teresa and Charlie are experienced in running workshops and supporting people to dig deep into their creative selves.
We’re looking forward to seeing you on Saturday 1st September at Sunrise Holistic in Bo’ness. To book a place, call Teresa on (44) 0784 140 8120 or e-mail her at SunriseHolistic@gmail.com
The full-day course, with lunch included, costs £55.00. (Let us know of any dietary requirements you have.) Meditation and creative writing are guided and supported by Teresa and Charlie. This is a great chance to energise and express yourself.
Charlie Gracie is developing an exciting partnership with Teresa Johnston from Sunrise Holistic. Teresa has established a centre for spiritual and emotional balance in Bo’ness over the last few years – now she’s brought a poet in to tip it all up with creative writing workshops!
We had our first venture in April this year and it was a fantastic evening with an excellent group of people. The group brought such a lot of energy and I’m convinced that the space Teresa has created in her centre really adds to the creative energy. We have other creative writing workshops planned for Wednesday 25th August (evening) and Saturday 1st September (all-day with writing and meditation).
Creative writing is important. It’s important for us all that people dig into themselves and lay it out for others to read and feel and think about. It’s also important for us all as individuals to tap into what’s inside us; I know I couldn’t survive without writing.
So, if you’re new to creative writing, need to get your spark back or are looking to link in with other like-minded people, this could be for you. We create a friendly, supportive atmosphere with plenty of encouragement and no pressure. Our aim is to help you learn how you can bring your words to life. We want you to leave feeling refreshed and energised, with your inner emotions more connected to your expressiveness and creativity. Sunrise Holistic is all about improving your health and helping you to re-balance your life – your creative spark is an important part of who you really are.
It’s easy to book your place: contact Teresa at Sunrise Holistic on Facebook by phone on 07841408120 or by email at SunriseHolistic@gmail.com
Charlie Gracie is delighted to be hosting the Scottish Writers’ Centre event at Glasgow’s Aye Write! book festival on Wednesday 21st March at 6pm.
This free Speakeasy event gives members a chance to share their writing with a wider audience and has become much-loved over the last few years.
The Scottish Writers’ Centre is ten years old later this year, so look out on our website for information about submitting for the celebratory anthology being brought out in partnership with the wonderful Red Squirrel Press.
