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Glasgow Writers: Elaine Reid

Elaine Reid is a Glaswegian writer and graduate of Glasgow University’s Creative Writing MFA programme. She is a previous winner of Strathclyde University’s prestigious Keith Wright Literary Prize and has been published in From Glasgow to Saturn, Valve Journal and Gutter Magazine.  Elaine also writes monologues and has performed at Edinburgh International Book Festival. Currently she is working on a collection of short stories.

Much of Elaine’s work is set in America’s East Coast, a location which fascinates her and where she visits at every opportunity.  When she first performed at Edinburgh Book Festival, one of the writer organisers suggested that she should adopt an American accent when reading her work – I’ve seen her doing this to great effect – she even convinced an American I had in tow.

Her writing is lively, confident and engaging and she’s a captivating performer – surely set for success in the literary world.

Elaine will be performing at The Glad Cafe at  the Bearpit Brothers Music C.D.Launch  on 23rd November, 2013.

A Little Warmth by Elaine Reid – an extract.

(Published (Vol. 28) From Glasgow To Saturn Launch and Performed From Glasgow to Saturn Launch 2012.)

“Sandra places three filing reports onto my desk, next to the coffee mug filled with blue biro pens and a granola bar wrapper. She asks me to check if they’ve been completed properly, she’s not too sure about her wording, her grammar, can’t really remember how Jacob showed her it in the first place. Laughs. Shrugs. Bumps my shoulder with her fingertips.

I flip open the first report. It’s been stapled in the wrong place. The dates and times and cabinet locations are covered by a triangle of light blue paper. I scan over Sandra’s handwriting, the fat o’s and looped g’s. She’s forgotten to include aisle markers and tray numbers. It’s the same with each report. Lists of forgotten wallets, watches, jackets, pacifiers, cellphones, all assigned to a cabinet but nothing more.

I turn around to face Sandra. She’s sat back down at her desk, toying with the computer’s main database. I tell her about the aisle markers and tray numbers, explain the importance of item positioning. The precision of details. The ease of location. Not just for me, but for her. She lets out a little ‘oh’. Not a fat one, it’s barely there.

I slide the reports back to her. I don’t say anything about the staples.
Sandra turns back around, doesn’t open the files, just places them next to a small, framed print of a sunflower. She lays her palms over the keyboard. Leaves them there for a minute. Then continues tapping, hitting the keys with more nail then fingertip. . .”

Contact Elaine: by email

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