John Byrne’s 80th Birthday Bash, Paisley Book Festival 2020 review by Pat Byrne
John Byrne’s 80th birthday at Paisley Arts Centre attracted a full house. Part of Paisley Book Festival 2020, the event was advertised as celebrating ‘the life and work of one of Scotland’s most beloved playwrights and artists’. The palpable respect and affection emanating from the audience reinforced the accolade. I expect most people were very […]
Friday, June 12, 2020 | Filed under: Book and Event Reviews, Pat's Home Page Blog
In Times of Self-Isolation poem by Rizwan Akhtar
In Times of self-Isolation I have just discovered that there is a world outside still a touch away from us we used to be so familiar coming each morning the sun bloats carelessly even shadows of all possible sizes remain alone no one comes out to sue time for being too slow […]
Read the full article: In Times of Self-Isolation poem by Rizwan Akhtar
| Filed under: Coronavirus stories and poems, Pat's Home Page Blog, Poetry, Rizwan Akhtar – Poet, Writing
‘Where God put the West’ – travelling through the land of the Navajo Ian R Mitchell
Ian R Mitchell “Do you ever get tired of that view?” I asked, sitting in the cafe of the visitor centre. “How could I?” said the young Navajo waitress, “John Ford said Monument Valley was the place where God put the West. He was right.” She is from a nation living in an area roughly […]
Friday, June 5, 2020 | Filed under: Ian Mitchell
Performance Cancelled by Pat Byrne
I was dead excited. My first proper gig as a singer songwriter. A big affair with full backing band. A sell out. I even had a dressing room. It was exactly like the wee room where I’d met Ruth Marsh when I went to interview her at Glasgow Film Theatre. There was no mirror but […]
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Saturday, May 23, 2020 | Filed under: Coronavirus stories and poems, Pat's Home Page Blog, Writing for the Festive Season
Corona Virus Stew – poem by Leela Soma
FiveRings at English Wikipedia / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0) Recipe May 2020 Ingredients: Shopping list flour, toilet rolls, food, food, Stock pile, no space, greed, look after number 1 Stay home, save lives, save the NHS Watch TV, social distance at 2 metres, daily update Ventilators, nightingale hospital, PPE Care home deaths, scientists graphs, flatten the […]
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Ian R. Mitchell – Some Images From Glasgow’s Past
Photographs From Early 1980s – With Some History Finnieston Corruna St and St Vincent Crescent Now the hippest place in the UK according to some London papers but back them it was only beginning to recover from its lowest ebb as a multi-occupancy slum with a fair population of ladies of the night, criminals and […]
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Monday, May 18, 2020 | Filed under: Art, Photography, Exhibitions what's on-glasgow, Ian Mitchell, Pat's Home Page Blog
Baked With Love – a poem by Leela Soma
Baked with Love An eighteenth century recipe handed down with an intriguing tale of passion, incarceration in a tiger’s cage. A bloody vengeful murder of Khani Begum the fair young lover of Aga Bakar by Jainul. Devastated by her death the young master baker Came up with a recipe for Bakharkhani bread, a tribute to […]
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Wednesday, April 22, 2020 | Filed under: Leela Soma writing and blogging, stories and poems
‘the lactic acid in the calves of your despair’ poetry collection by Ali Whitelock
New poetry collection from Scottish Poet Ali Whitelock based in Sydney, Australia. ‘the lactic acid in the calves of your despair’ published by Wakefield Press, Adelaide. ‘The poems in Ali Whitelock’s the lactic acid in the calves of your despair are packed with hilarity and gut-wrenching and everything in between. For anyone who ever made […]
Thursday, March 26, 2020 | Filed under: Books, Talks, Poetry and Creative Writing Events, New Books by Scottish Writers
cocoon by Russell Jones – collection of poems and comic poems
A new full-length collection of poetry by Edinburgh-based writer & editor Russell Jones. Features comic poems illustrated by Sara Julia Campbell, Caroline Grebbell, Aimee Lockwood, Edward Ross & Mark Toner. To be published on 1 April, 2020. About cocoon cocoon is a unique collection of poems that explores the worlds we create, the transformations we […]
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Tuesday, March 24, 2020 | Filed under: New Books by Scottish Writers
New Collection of Poems: Poor Wurld by Jim Ferguson
Poor Wurld by Jim Ferguson Published by Speculative Books. “Each one of these poems is a tribute to the 99% of people struggling to get by and deal with the psychological stress of life on the poverty margins.’ Tracy Patrick. Read ‘growin pains” a poem from the collection Jim Ferguson New Poetry – Poor Wurld […]
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Monday, March 23, 2020 | Filed under: Books, Talks, Poetry and Creative Writing Events, New Books by Scottish Writers
The Clearing: A memoir of art, family and mental health by Samantha Clark
This house has been a regular presence in my life for as long as I can remember. My heart has sunk a little every time I walk in . . . Samantha Clark enjoyed a busy career as an artist before returning home to Glasgow to take care of the house that her parents had […]
Read the full article: The Clearing: A memoir of art, family and mental health by Samantha Clark
David Craig, Scottish Writer – free book offer
(Cover Design by Alison Buck) David Craig has three novels published by a small press publisher Elsewhen Press. Given the current Covid-19 crisis and calls to self-isolate, He would like to contribute something to the community to help pass the time and ease boredom. David will ‘gift’ via Amazon Kindle ten copies each of his […]
Read the full article: David Craig, Scottish Writer – free book offer
| Filed under: New Books by Scottish Writers, Pat's Home Page Blog
The Siren Awakes – memoir by Linda Jackson
Linda Jackson’s ‘The Siren Awakes’ is a haunting, heartbreaking and often hilarious dissection of the author’s own childhood and early adulthood; a real world of monster masks, dark closes, dazzling sunlight, love, fear, and, particularly, music. Gentle innocence and sudden cruel violence exist side by side. (Graham Fulton, Poet) To buy the book please email seahorsepublisher@gmail.com […]
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Sunday, March 22, 2020 | Filed under: Books, Talks, Poetry and Creative Writing Events, New Books by Scottish Writers
Keeping Time novel by Thomas Legendre
A crumbling marriage. An ancient mystery. And a way to change the past . . . Thomas Legendre is assistant professor at the University of Nottingham. He is the author of the novel The Burning, as well as Half Life, a play performed with the National Theatre of Scotland, and the radio drama Dream Repair, aired by BBC4. £16 Available to […]
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Tuesday, March 17, 2020 | Filed under: Books, Talks, Poetry and Creative Writing Events, New Books by Scottish Writers
Much Left Unsaid by Finola Scott – poetry
Debut Pamphlet Published by Red Squirrel Press £6 – buy online Glaswegian Finola Scott’s poems can be found on posters, postcards and tapestries. Her work has been anthologised in many publications including Gutter, New Writing Scotland, The Fenland Reed, Lighthouse and The Ofi Press. She was commissioned by StAnza International Poetry Festival for inclusion in a multimedia installation issued as a […]
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An Unwanted Gift by Mary Irvine
The pedlar had pushed the heavy hand-cart all the way from London. He was more used to a pack on his back but not this time. The cart was laden with the wonderful bolts of woollen cloth he had bought at a bargain price. He passed many villages on his journey but refused […]
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Monday, March 9, 2020 | Filed under: Coronavirus, Coronavirus stories and poems, Mary Irvine: Writer and Philhellene, Writing
Glasgow Film Festival 2020, The August Virgin review Fionnuala Boyle
The August Virgin, or La Virgen de Agosto, is the latest film from Spanish director Jonás Trueba. The film follows 30-something Eva as she tries to find her way out of the fog which has descended on her life and her city amidst the searing heat of an airless Madrid August. We are introduced to […]
Read the full article: Glasgow Film Festival 2020, The August Virgin review Fionnuala Boyle
Glasgow Film Festival 2020: Close Up – Susan Wood Exhibition
Susan Wood: Close Up shows exemplary work from an art and film icon Review by Fionnuala Boyle (Exhibition runs until 8th March, 2020 –The Lighthouse, 11 Mitchell Lane, Glasgow, G1 3NU Attending Susan Richardson Wood’s exhibition of work at The Lighthouse on February 24, 2020, I had no preconceptions. I wasn’t familiar with Susan’s work, […]
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The County, Glasgow Film Festival 2020 review by Pat Byrne
Part of Country Strand: Iceland Northern Shining Lights Grímur Hákonarson’s film is set in a rural community in Iceland. From the outset you gain a sense of the place with shots of a remote farmhouse and frost covered fields. The demanding nature of the farmers’ work is apparent; an early scene shows Inga (Arndís Hrönn […]
Read the full article: The County, Glasgow Film Festival 2020 review by Pat Byrne
Saturday, February 29, 2020 | Filed under: Book and Event Reviews, Cinema, Glasgow Film Festival 2020, Pat's Home Page Blog
Celtic Connections 2020: This Is Caledonian Soul review by Pauline Keightley
Blue Rose Code: This Is Caledonian Soul at the Old Fruitmarket, Celtic Connections 2020 A celebration of outstanding Scottish soul music, covering such artists as the Blue Nile, Del Amitri, Gerry Rafferty, Lewis Capaldi, Travis, KT Tunstall and Annie Lennox. The concert was hosted by the inimitable and very talented Ross Wilson (aka Blue Rose […]
Read the full article: Celtic Connections 2020: This Is Caledonian Soul review by Pauline Keightley
Wednesday, February 12, 2020 | Filed under: Book and Event Reviews, Celtic Connections 2020, Pauline Keightley
Celtic Connections 2020 Auld Lang Syne Concert review and photos Pauline Keightley
What an excellent concert! This concert had a fantastic line up of singers backed by the wonderful Scottish Chamber Orchestra. Of course a performance with much loved Burns songs, these singers and the orchestra was bound to be a winner and everyone was on top form. Gaelic singer Karen Matheson began the concert with some […]
Friday, January 31, 2020 | Filed under: Book and Event Reviews, Celtic Connections 2020, Gig Guide plus Club Events
Celtic Connections 2020 Hannah Read and Andy Monaghan review by Fionnuala Boyle
Celtic Connections made its way to the CCA on Friday 24th January to welcome singer/fiddler Hannah Read and Frightened Rabbit guitarist Andy Monaghan, with support from singer-songwriter Cara Rose. The musicians were a pleasure to be in the company of and to listen to, with the dimly-lit room providing a real Zen ambience for the […]
Saturday, January 25, 2020 | Filed under: Book and Event Reviews, Celtic Connections 2020, Fionnuala Boyle, blogging about culture, arts and other stuff
Coastal Connections Festival 2020 review and photography by Pauline Keightley
Celtic Connections 2020 18 January, 2020 Celebrating Coastal Connections This new festival within a festival celebrating Scotland’s vast coastlines and many islands was highly successful and a sold-out event. For the price of a ticket, we were given a wristband to access musical performances of the highest calibre . The festival was held over different […]
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| Filed under: Book and Event Reviews, Celtic Connections 2020, Pauline Keightley
GRIT Orchestra Celtic Connections 2020 photography and review Pauline Keightley
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, 16 January, 2020 A triumphant opening concert with the excellent and exuberant GRIT orchestra! The concert hall buzzed in anticipation of this year’s festival at the opening concert. Some may think – isn’t January a low month – but not with GRIT Orchestra. The Celtic fiddles danced along to the feet-tapping […]
Wednesday, January 22, 2020 | Filed under: Book and Event Reviews, Celtic Connections 2020
Wrest and Maz O’Connor, Celtic Connections review Fionnuala Boyle
Day two of Celtic Connections 2020 came to a close on Friday 17 January in The Blue Arrow which provided the perfect atmosphere for a night of musical talent. With the low lighting, hanging lampshades and cosy seating areas bringing definite jazz club vibes, a hubbub of laughter and conversation filled the room as Edinburgh […]
Read the full article: Wrest and Maz O’Connor, Celtic Connections review Fionnuala Boyle
Saturday, January 18, 2020 | Filed under: Book and Event Reviews, Celtic Connections 2020, Fionnuala Boyle, blogging about culture, arts and other stuff
Fionnuala Boyle – Glove Makes the World Go Round
In his New Year message, the Archbishop of Canterbury urged Britons to “start healing some of the divisions that we’ve seen over recent years” by reaching out to people in their lives who they are estranged from or may disagree with on the issues of the day. “Pick one person. Pick up the phone. Send them […]
Read the full article: Fionnuala Boyle – Glove Makes the World Go Round
Thursday, January 9, 2020 | Filed under: Christmas Poems , Stories and Winter Tales, Fionnuala Boyle, blogging about culture, arts and other stuff, Writing for the Festive Season
The Pure Amazing Wiz of Oz review by Fionnuala Boyle
Like many children, when I was growing up, it wasn’t quite Christmas time without a trip to the panto. A uniquely Glaswegian experience, some might say, considering the UK-wide success of The Krankies in the 70s and 80s turning Glasgow into something of a panto hotspot when the holiday season rolled around. My experience of […]
Read the full article: The Pure Amazing Wiz of Oz review by Fionnuala Boyle
Tuesday, December 24, 2019 | Filed under: Book and Event Reviews, Fionnuala Boyle, blogging about culture, arts and other stuff, Pantos and Christmas Shows in Glasgow, Pat's Home Page Blog
Mary Irvine’s Blog: Christmas Customs and Festivals
Christmas Customs Once again the rush is on and stress increases as the day draws near… I abolished, for myself, the commercialism of Christmas several years ago. It was the year I went to the post office and bought stamps which cost more than double the actual cards being sent. I also considered to whom […]
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Wednesday, December 11, 2019 | Filed under: Christmas Poems , Stories and Winter Tales, Mary Irvine: Writer and Philhellene, Writing for the Festive Season
The Mackintosh Group, Helensburgh Library
The Mackintosh Group Wednesday, 11th December, 7 p.m. Helensburgh Library, West King Street, G84 8EB Free Event Free wine and mince pies The Mackintosh Group of Writers are not a club but a disparate and relaxed group of writers from the Vale, Balloch and Helensburgh who meet at the Helensburgh Library only to write and […]
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Tuesday, December 10, 2019 | Filed under: Book and Event Reviews
Some Wintertime Poems by Finola Scott
Darkening So the Darkness approaches, I could talk of enveloping black the rip and reveal of the veil stripped […]
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Friday, December 6, 2019 | Filed under: Christmas Poems , Stories and Winter Tales, stories and poems, Writing for the Festive Season
