This will be a Christmas cracker, can't wait! @dreich.bsky.social @keeksmc.bsky.social @samszanto.bsky.social #Edinburgh #Leith #Poetry #SpokenWord 📚 💙

If you fancy buying a beautiful glossy book celebrating endangered & vulnerable languages with fabulous poems & fine art, buy it from the link below www.spsquare.org/product-page...

Career highlight yesterday representing City of Poets at @ptbopoetry.bsky.social with a multimedia performance I directed showcasing endangered languages featuring non English speaking poets, interpretive art by Anne Wilkie & original music by Spencer Mason. Thanks to all for making it so special

Had an amazing night last night at the 3rd birthday of Curlers Cosy Corner poetry night in Glasgow hosted by my wonderful friend @rosswilcockmedia.bsky.social I was so thrilled to be asked to perform. What a night! Amazing talent, good craic, lovely folk & a marriage proposal! (They said yes!)

Here's a wonderful opportunity for Scots Language poets. I'm guest editor for the February edition of @dreich.bsky.social and I'm looking for fresh, contemporary topics written in modern Scots to fill the pages. It fills up fast so get your submissions in.

Please check out the @ptbopoetry.bsky.social City of Poets TAKEOVER event I'm directing & performing at in Nov, designed to shine a spotlight on endangered & vulnerable languages featuring music, art & poetry in Scots, Gaelic, Igbo, Rohingya and Guernesiais www.citizenticket.com/events/push-...

Fair made up to receive the runner up prize for Scots poetry at the @wigtownbooktown.bsky.social poetry awards tonight.

Warmest congratulations to everyone on the Frances Browne Literary Festival Poetry shortlist announced today and fingers crossed for your success in the competition. It wasn't to be for me but I was honoured to make the long list.

Thanks to @sirangus.bsky.social Looking forward to seeing everyone at Scowth tomorrow!

I'm stunned and honoured to find out I've been placed twice on the longlist for the Frances Browne Literary Festival Poetry Competition in the Ulster Scots category for my poems "Isabella Tod" and "Will". What a special Monday this is!

POETS NEEDED Urgent call to the poetry community in Scotland. I'm looking for poets who write/perform in any endangered language (not Scots or Gaelic as they're covered) and live in or near Scotland. Please can you send me a wee message if this is you or you know anyone who fits the bill??

How are all my poets doing?

My goodness! I'm so made up that I'm shortlisted for the Scots Wigtown Poetry prize. Congratulations to all shortlisted poets! It's an absolute honour to be listed amongst such esteemed company! www.wigtownpoetryprize.com/poetry-compe...

Smashing night on Friday at the Tron Theatre in Glasgow for the St Teneu poetry awards. What an honour to be shortlisted in the Scots language category. Well done to all the winners! #stteneu

Fowks , thoughts please! Is it: A. Breakfast, lunch, dinner B. Breakfast, dinner, tea ????

What a beautiful surprise to be thumbing through a lovely anthology of poetry, so apt for these times (Poems for a world gone to shit) and to find my favourite @nikitagill.bsky.social poem, Ancestors, within. It's absolutely what I needed today

"There is nothing less apt to touch a work of art than critical words: all we end up with there is more or less felicitous misunderstandings"

I'm so excited to perform alongside this list of stunners at TenRed in Edinburgh on the evening of 23rd July. Come along to hear the words of some absolutely amazing poets!

Delighted to be included alongside such talent in the first ever issue of The Candyman's Trumpet, this beautiful pdf publication curated by @dreich.bsky.social Should you want a free pdf via email of this lovely publication email Jack at [email protected]

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Our Scottish Languages Bill has passed, and will now become law: ✅ Gaelic & Scots gain official status. ✅ Better access to Gaelic education. ✅ Improving Gaelic and Scots in schools.

Had a lovely time on Sunday at City of Poets annual get-together. Lovely to see so many pals and meet new ones

What's wrong with poor guinea pigs? I found out my local shelter is full of them and they don't get re-homed easily. Why? That's so sad.

Wee jaunt through to Leith today for Sermon on the Mound hosted by the wonderful @hadleyjamespoet.bsky.social It was so nice to get out reading and meeting with pals old and new, listening to their brilliant words. Wee even had a poetry seagull in the audience

Been rubbish at updating. Fabulous Scowth last weekend. Thanks to everyone who came for our first birthday bash

Three days to wait! Join us at 2pm THIS SUNDAY for Scowth at Anniesland Mansions, Glasgow to hear the cracking words of Nazaret Ranea and Hadley-James Hoyles as well as a fabulous line up of open mic'ers! It's our 1st birthday too! Can't wait to see you all!

Poets! Can you help me out... I really wish we had polls on this but we don't. In lieu of this, can you let me know if you write your poetry drafts by hand or electronically?

Really sad to hear of the passing of @lesleystorm.bsky.social I didn't know her well but I met her once in Edinburgh and she was a lovely, open, kind lady with a great talent. Love to all her friends and family at this sad time xxx

A massive thanks to @sirangus.bsky.social for his wonderful prompts during April. I wrote every single day and it was entirely down to Adam. ♥️

Day 29 already. I have managed a poem each day of April with all of @sirangus.bsky.social 's prompts. Tomorrow is the last day and I have had such a great time. Thanks so much Adam for the time & effort you've put in with this. It's been wonderful. Love to see your poems too!! This one is gorgeous ☺️

Way overdue, I attended my first ever slam in Paisley hosted by @iamloudpro.bsky.social and what a fantastic experience. Wow! Talent was unreal. Well done to all the performers and Aditya, today's fabulous winner

I love this platform but in terms of being aware of creative opportunities I am definitely out of the loop after having cut back my meta use. Anyone find a workaround?

Wonderful @sirangus.bsky.social April prompts have enabled me to write my first funny poem in ages. What a joyful experience!

Thank you to @sirangus.bsky.social for the wonderful prompts so far this April! Love them!

Thanks to @sirangus.bsky.social for another great theme "fool". My poem is written

I have done my fresh prompt poem. Thanks to @sirangus.bsky.social

Thinking of doing a personal writing quest for April. Anyone got a month of prompts?

What a fabulous time was had by all at Scowth on Sunday. Our featured poets were absolutely outstanding as were our open mic'ers. It was packed!! Loved it. Look out for the next one in Mat #scottishpoetry

I still refuse to go anywhere near it but apparently Chat GPT thinks I'm a "he" whose surname is McPoet. Lol. Skynet, Skynet, evil overseer Your rotting tendrils can't catch me .... #poetry #writer

Cannot wait for this. It's going to be amazing!! We're absolutely dripping in talented acts. If you're in Glasgow today, come along to the Anniesland Mansions, 2pm to see the free show. Accessible venue on public transport routes, lovely food and refreshments available to buy & BYOB for a small fee

I'm occasionally asked why my work is in Scots but I write on my socials in English. I am a native Scots speaker & can write in either but due to the incidental manner of socials, I write in English about my Scots work to help engage non-Scots speakers to read or listen to Scots works

I've made some lovely new connections this week. Really happy to meet you all! 😁

EVENT TOMORROW Scowth is on at Anniesland Mansions in Glasgow at 2pm with these 3 amazing featured poets & a gaggle of wonderful open mic'ers. Accessible venue, food available to buy from a beautiful varied menu & you can BYOB for a small corkage to the venue. It'll be brilliant!

Fine day for some writing I think

I personally do not think that AI use will ever be something I am interested in or will feel comfortable with using for any form of literary work.

Happy International Women's Day. We have so very far to go and the wind keeps pushing us back. We must become the storm and not rest until our most hard pressed siblings have the rights they require and should have. #Iwd

It's #worldbookday I want to celebrate the opportunities I've had since I became a writer. The bottom two books are collections of my poems & the others are a few of the beautiful publications I've had the honour of appearing in over the last few years. Thank you to everyone who has supported me!

I am having a lovely quiet afternoon sitting reading. I usually just grab a wee chapter before bed but this is fabulous

Thanks to the kind folks that follow me. This is a very new platform to many. It seems lovely, filled with independent & compassionate thinkers. I hope we can build a beautiful new community over here away from the tech bros. If you're new, I urge you to take a good look about & join in. Welcome!

A wee shot of last night's reading at Versaye. Brilliant night. Thanks again Wendy and Lorna x

Yay! Had an absolutely amazing time at Versaye at Bossa, Glasgow last night where I was featured writer. Many thanks to Lorna & Wendy for inviting me & hosting. There was passionate, powerful words from all the writers and I was honoured to share a mic with you all. #poetry #scotland #writers