Charlie Gracie at Baillieston Library

Charlie Gracie at Baillieston Library (photo montage by Isabel Addie)

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

Finola Scott

Thanks to everyone who came along and contributed by listening and talking.

Events to launch ‘To Live With What You Are’, the new novel by Charlie Gracie

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.

 

dates in the diary

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.

To Live With What You Are – Charlie Gracie’s debut novel

To Live With What You Are will become the first Charlie Gracie novel to be published, following up on my poetry collection Good Morning. The publisher is Northumberland based Postbox Press, run by Sheila Wakefield, an imprint of Red Squirrel Press.

Sheila is renowned as a publisher of poetry and has a growing list of fiction. To Live With What You Are will be the first novel by a Scottish author from Postbox. I had the pleasure of going down to Newcastle last week for the launch of Postbox’s latest publication, Ren and the Bluehands by the wonderful Ellen Phethean.

Two sections of the novel appeared (a long time ago now) as short stories in consecutive editions of the annual New Writing Scotland anthology from Glasgow University’s Association of Scottish Literary Studies.

Publication will be in 2018. It seems like a long way away from here, but there is a good deal of work to be done, as well as other Postbox Press books in line. I’ll keep you up to date with progress.