Literature notices

Browse the literature related notices and announcements including activities, opportunities and other key notices about literature in Scotland.

Opportunities & Jobs - updated 17 February
Competitions & Submissions - updated 12 March
Events and Happenings - updated 15 February
Announcements - updated 22 December

Opportunities & Jobs

Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowship 2010 Deadline: 9 April 2010 The Fellowship provides accommodation for up to three writers a year, for a maximum of six weeks in a self-catering studio apartment at the Hôtel Chevillon International Arts Centre at Grez-sur-Loing, on the edge of the Forest of Fontainebleau in France, where Robert Louis Stevenson met his future wife, Fanny Osbourne, in 1876. Travel and accommodation is paid for and there is a grant of £300 per week to cover living expenses. Full details are available on the Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowship 2010 guidelines (pdf) Applications should be submitted by 9 April 2010. (updated 12 March 2010)

Writer in Residence - Hosking Houses Trust Hosking Houses website Deadline: Monday 12th April 2010 The Hosking Houses Trust is seeking to appoint a writer for its twelfth arts residency. The appointment is for a minimum of two months and a maximum of one year and applications are now invited. The appointment is restricted to women aged forty or more. The appointee must write in English and have the legal right to be in the UK. It is required that the appointee has a contract for publication or performance of the intended work. The appointee is expected to have published significant work on any subject, or to have worked, broadcasted, taught, lectured or acted extensively in the English language. This Residency is for a woman who could use the opportunity to start or complete interesting or innovative work about any subject whatsoever (see below) that might otherwise be postponed, abandoned or take a long time to complete. A monthly bursary of £750 per month is available for the Resident Writer (£9,000 for the year). Occupancy of Church Cottage (a small cottage dating from about 1700), adjacent to the churchyard in the village of Clifford Chambers, two miles from Stratford-upon-Avon. It is fully furnished and equipped, is private and comfortable. The Cottage has a tiny garden (cared for) and there is access to the River Stour and use of a rowing boat. (updated 17 February 2010)

Hawthornden Writing Fellowship The Retreat for Writers at Hawthornden Castle has been founded to provide a peaceful setting where creative writers can work without disturbance. The Retreat is open to receive writers for ten months of the year. It houses six writers at a time, who are known as Hawthornden Fellows. Writers from any part of the world may apply for the Fellowships. Any creative writer who has work already published may apply for a Fellowship at Hawthornden. Applications are made for the following calendar year. Writers come to Hawthornden to live and work during either the Spring, Summer or Autumn Sessions for periods of four weeks each. The Trust provides no monetary assistance to writers, nor does it make any contribution towards travelling expenses. Applicants should write for full details to: The Director Hawthornden Castle Lasswade Midlothian EH18 1EG office@hawthornden.com Closing date for applications is 30 June 2010. Awards are announced in October. (updated 9 December 2009)

Work In Progress - A Critical Reading Scheme For Scotland's Writers HI~Arts’ successful critical assessment scheme for writers - Work In Progress - is now open to writers across Scotland. Work In Progress has been available to writers living in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland for the last three years, and in that time over 200 unpublished manuscripts have been read and assessed.  From the beginning of April 2009, Work In Progress is available on a pilot project basis to writers across Scotland, and is open to writers working in adult general fiction (English, Scots and Gaelic), non-fiction, poetry (English, Scots and Gaelic), screen, radio and drama, and in fiction and non-fiction for children.   Work In Progress assessments are free, mutually anonymous and their reading panel is comprised of some of Scotland's (and the UK's) finest writers in their chosen field.  The project provides writers with a detailed report on their work that is constructive, honest and full of helpful pointers. Full terms and conditions, an application form and guidelines for submissions are available for download from website www.hi-arts.co.uk/work_in_progress.htm. Any questions can be directed to workinprogress@hi-arts.co.uk. For press enquiries - please contact Peter Urpeth on 07827 974459. (updated 22 December 2009)

Competitions & Submissions

The Callum Macdonald Memorial Award 2010 CMMA competition website Deadline: 2 April 2010 This award has been created to recognise publishing skill and effort; to validate the practice of poetry publication in pamphlet form; and to encourage the preservation of printed material of this kind in national collections. The prize consists of the presentation annually in May (the month of Callum's birth) of The Callum Macdonald Quaich and a cash prize of £750. Publishers of Scottish origin, living in Scotland, or engaged with Scottish culture may submit up to three pamphlets, which should not be less than 6 pages or more than 36 in length (not including preliminaries). Bindings should be limp cover, folded, rather than case bound. It is also acceptable for pamphlets to be published by poets themselves. Your poems can be on any subject and may include material in any of the languages used in Scotland. Pamphlets should be published in the calendar year preceding the award (January to December 2009). Each entry should be accompanied by four copies of the pamplet and a descriptive note explaining the aesthetic choices made and the aims of the publication. All entries will be displayed at the awards ceremony at the National Library of Scotland in May. All entries submitted may be taken into the collections of the National Library of Scotland. (updated 4 February 2010)

Scotland: Write Here, Write Now Scotland: Write Here, Write Now competition website Deadline: Friday 26 March 2010 As part of the Scotland Writes initiative, the BBC Scotland Comedy department is launching a brand new competition to seek out the country’s most exciting new comic writers. The competition is open only to Scottish and Scotland-based writers. We want you to write the opening 10-15 pages (no more than 2000 words) of a contemporary comedy drama or a sitcom. All we ask is that you: Be Fearless: We want writing which is bold and challenging. Be Yourself: We want to hear what you have to say. We’re looking for writers with passion and attitude who can create characters, stories, and situations that we haven’t seen before. Be Scottish: Set your script in Scotland with at least one Scottish character in the cast. We want to hear a contemporary Scottish story, whether it's from Oban, Orkney, or Edinburgh. Be Funny: Make us laugh! The three entries judged to be the best by the BBC Scotland Comedy department (see the Terms & Conditions for more detailed information on the judging process) will be individually mentored by a significant figure in comedy production who will help them develop their script into a 30 minute piece. Scenes from each script will then be performed at a rehearsed reading by a group of professional actors during the Edinburgh Comedy Festival in August 2010 in front of an audience of industry professionals. (updated 11 January 2010)

Events and Happenings

China Inside-Out: A Celebration of Chinese Women Writers in English, 11-13 March 2010 A Scottish PEN collaboration with the Confucius Institute at the University of Edinburgh China Inside-Out will mark International Women’s Day, 2010. It brings together Chinese women writing fiction, non-fiction and poetry in English with Scottish women writers. This two-day event combines public lectures and readings by Chinese women now resident in the UK and USA with creative writing workshops and discussion sessions. Participating writers include poet and fiction writer Wang Ping, critic and poet Professor Shirley Lim, fiction writers Xujun Eberlein, Liu Hong, Chiew-Siah Tei and, by video link, Yiyun Li, critics Dr Amy Lai and Professor Luming Mao, and Scottish writers Liz Niven, Morelle Smith, and Lesley Glaister. Wang Ping and Liu Hong will be working with pupils from several schools studying Mandarin. What is the experience of Chinese women who have left China? What is the readership of their work? What are the challenges of writing in English? Is there common ground with Scottish writers? How can we foster cross-cultural connections? These are some of the questions that will be addressed. Sessions will take place in the University’s Playfair Library, the Confucius Institute at Abden House and St George’s School. China Inside-Out website (updated 11 February 2010)

StAnza 2010: Scotland's International Poetry Festival 17-21 March 2010 http://stanzapoetry.org/2010/information.php Location: St Andrews, Fife, Scotland Hub Venue: The Byre Theatre Other venues: The Undercroft, Parliament Hall, St Mary's Hall, The Town Hall - Supper Room & Council Chamber, The Public Library, The Trust Museum & The Green Room Themes: Myth & Legend, The Director's Cut Our first theme this year, Myth and Legend offers a more contemporary look at a subject that has long inspired and influenced poets – from classical Greek mythology to the stories of the Old Testament, fairy tales, Celtic and Norse legends. In keeping with this, in his lecture for StAnza 2010, Grevel Lindop will revisit Graves’s The White Goddess, and our StAnza Masterclass invites submissions on myth and legend, to be considered by Moniza Alvi whose own most recent collection is Europa. The second theme is a unique tribute to Festival Director Brian Johnstone who steps down in May 2010 after 10 years in post. We have specially invited one favourite artist, plus his personal ‘wish list’ of poets, some new, some favourites from previous festivals, who will feature in the special strand of 'Director’s Cut' readings which he will introduce.  "As this is my last StAnza as Festival Director," he says, "I am delighted to welcome back so many favourite poets and to have the opportunity to feature new poets whom I’d always hoped to invite to the festival." Tickets on sale from late December 2009  (updated 15 December 2009)

Announcements

The Writing Room  The only literary consultancy founded and by run professional editors all currently employed in the UK and international publishing industry. We offer for the first time the highest calibre of editorial services directly to writers, published and unpublished. The Writing Room offers a range of services including detailed manuscript appraisals and a uniquely tailored mentoring programme aimed at guiding writers towards specific goals. The Writing Room was  founded in 2009 by Maggie McKernan, for twenty years a leading editor of prize-winning writers, including Vikram Seth, Ben Okri, Colum McCann, Jostein Gaarder, Michael Collins and many others. In addition, we have very strong links with UK publishers, writing programmes, book trade and writing professionals, and established literary agencies in the UK and abroad. We utilise this expertise and range of contacts in the service of our clients. Each book is different, each writer’s requirements are different. We always seek to serve the needs of the individual writer. We offer a number of services tailored individually to your needs. - Range of manuscript appraisals - Mentoring programme - Synopsis and proposal preparation - Contract assessment E: enquiry@writing-room.co.uk W: www.writing-room.co.uk  (updated 22 December 2009)

Wildfire The Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh Wildfire information Wildfire offers writers, poets, MCs, rappers - anyone who wants to have a go - a chance to take the Traverse 10 Minute Challenge. They'll give you a starting point - like “do a piece for three actors and a tuba” - and you come up with a completely new 10 minute work to be performed in the Bar Cafe. A new challenge every month, new artists taking a chance, with a new resident performance poet to host, plus professional actors and a director to work with. If you’re an artist who’d like to take the challenge, contact Cheryl Martin or phone 0131 228 3223 for more details. (updated 22 December 2009)

Retreat for writers and artists Genoch Cottage, near the head of the Girvan Valley in South Ayrshire, has recently been refurbished to make the ideal space for creative work, and is now available as a retreat for writers and artists.  The cottage would suit anyone seeking escape from city distractions to work on their writing, or indeed any other creative pursuit that would benefit from the peace and quiet.  There are two rooms available to let throughout the year at fixed, inclusive rates for short, medium or longer stays.  For more details, including photographs, rates and availability, visit the Genoch Cottage website.(updated 22 December 2009)

For other Literature news - go to the  Literature news page.