Scottish Poetry News – May 2017

I recently had the pleasure of catching up with Ted Hughes Award winner Hollie McNish, who confessed that she was still getting used to the idea of her new title. “When I read at Laugharne Weekend 2017, it was the first time I’d been introduced as that… it felt odd. I think that more people may come to my gigs now because that’s how they have heard of me, whereas before people tended to come if they knew my stuff.”

Thankfully, though, she is not swayed by others’ expectations of how to write: “I don’t really understand writer’s block in my situation, with no-one pressuring for set work like a novel… if there’s nothing there, don’t try to write it.” When asked if she prefers to read or memorise, she says, “I used to think I should memorise, but it’s too much – I realised I’d end up doing the same eight poems over and over. If every time you gig from memory you feel like vomiting, it’s better to have a book in your hand! I’d rather be a good reader than a shit reciter.”

Last month also saw the launch of The Scottish Poetry Library’s free to view, annual online anthology, Best Scottish Poems. Published each spring, the anthology features 20 poems published in the previous year written by a Scot or someone resident in Scotland, chosen by a guest editor. This year, it was Catherine Lockerbie, former Director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival, who was given the task of searching for every poem that qualified, finally making her selection from a personal shortlist of one hundred. "This was a vast undertaking, and an enthralling one: so much superb poetry pouring out in the course of just one year. I hope this list stands as a sample of the exhilarating vibrancy of contemporary poetry in Scotland – and encourages people to make their own poetic discoveries." The final collection is a real hotchpotch of established and newer talent, including Claire Askew, Tom Pow, Liz Lochhead, Kate Tough and Hugh McMillan.

Jenni Fagan, whose poem The Narcissist and The Light Stasher was one of those chosen, commented on the impressive scope of the collection as a whole. “Thematically there is travel, death and return. Archived words and sayings, Gaelic and Scots, straight English, science, nature, grief and Scotland’s place in the history of slavery are all touched upon. 

"I think the poems show an unflinching and unsentimental consideration of what makes the national psyche right now. They are looking out, toward the world, or universe, whilst also holding the personal microcosm up to an uncompromising light. I am really happy to be part of Scotland's best poems in 2016. It's a great honour, as our writing scene is as vibrant and talented as one might hope.”

A quality that also shines through is the continuing dedication so many continue to show to the arts, for no other reason than that they feel the need to practise and hone them. When asked her thoughts on how her poem stood as part of the whole, Fagan displayed, in a nutshell, what the craft is truly about. “I never think about how my poems fit into anything. I turn to poetry because, often, nothing else will do. It's always been that way for me.”

Events this month, and New in Print

In events news, Flint & Pitch have two great Friday night shows coming up in Edinburgh – Flint & Pitch Presents (12 May, 7.30-10pm) at The Scottish Storytelling Centre, followed by The Flint & Pitch Revue (19 May, 7.30-10pm) at The Bongo Club. Shore Poets’ current programme of readings at the Outhouse Bar is still running on the last Sunday of each month, so be sure to put 28 May in your diaries. Headline poets will be Niall O’Gallaher and Peter Manson, alongside in-house poets Angela McSeveney and Tracey S. Rosenberg. Lastly, the Edinburgh-based Inky Fingers collective are putting on their show at Hidden Door, showcasing both series writers and performers, at the Old Leith Theatre on 30 May at 7pm.

This month’s focus is on Mark Pajak, winner of the Bridport Prize 2016. His first collection, Spitting Distance (Smith Doorstop), is one of the Laureate’s Choice series, and it’s easy to see why. While it is not unusual to have to read some poems several times to get a toehold, Pajak is a wonderfully clear, sharp-edged narrator. Wherever he goes he takes the reader with him, whether it’s across mudflats, through backstreets and woods, dangling from a bridge or through the eyes of an arsonist.

Many readers will find traces of a world they recognise, but at the same time some concepts come as a refreshing surprise, such as mistaking sounds of a neighbour’s sex for snow falling (Dear Neighbour in the Flat Above), playing with inverted images of heat and cold, and the title poem, which walks the line between shooting at and being shot. A highly recommended read.

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Mark Pajak's Spitting Distance is out now, published by Smith Doorstop, RRP £7.50