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Alison Irvine

@alisonirvine.bsky.social

1.3K followers 1.2K following 84 posts

Writer Barrowland: the inside story of Glasgow's beloved ballroom (Luath) Cat Step (Dead Ink) This Road is Red (Luath) www.recollective.org.uk Rep: Millie Hoskins, United Agents

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Alison Irvine @alisonirvine.bsky.social · Dec 7

Words on Cumbernauld from me and photos from @chrislesliephoto.bsky.social in today's Herald. An extract from our book: concretedreams.org.uk/the-book/

@nlheritage.bsky.social @librariesnl.bsky.social @dialectographer.bsky.social

www.heraldscotland.com/life_style/2...

The story of a Scots town that was once 'a dazzling ship sailing across a hill'

Pic 21: The penthouses corridor in Avon Walk Pic 17: Interior stairwell of Town Centre Pic 22: John Kirkhope - Cumbernauld Resident and former…

www.heraldscotland.com

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Dialectographer (Mitch Miller) @dialectographer.bsky.social · Aug 21

This week I sent the Cumbernauld Dialectogram to its new home. Can't say exactly where yet, other than I'm excited...

Also, myself, @alisonirvine.bsky.social & @chrislesliephoto.bsky.social will bring Concrete Dreams to @natlibscot.bsky.social in Sept. Tickets are free!

www.nls.uk/whats-on/con...

Dialectogram packaged for transit to London.

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Alison Irvine @alisonirvine.bsky.social · Aug 15

Free tickets to our event on Cumbernauld Town Centre with National Library of Scotland, including presentations & film screenings are available here: 3rd Sept
@chrislesliephoto.bsky.social
@dialectographer.bsky.social
@emilymunro.bsky.social
www.concretedreams.org.uk

www.nls.uk/whats-on/con...

Concrete Dreams – The Rise and Fall of Cumbernauld Town Centre

www.concretedreams.org.uk

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Luath Press @luathpress.bsky.social · Jul 26

🎶✨ Barrowland by @alisonirvine.bsky.social is coming this November! Discover the legendary Barrowland Ballroom, a key part of Glasgow's music scene since 1934.

Explore the spirit and community that make this venue so special!
buff.ly/u0UNr2p
#Barrowland #Glasgow

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Alison Irvine @alisonirvine.bsky.social · May 29

Congratulations, Maud! (And welcome!)

Reposted by Alison Irvine

itsclembrulee @clemflanagan.bsky.social · May 21

Hey Bluesky

I'm a fiction editor at BBUK. Currently looking for more

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 writers and stories from Scotland
❤️ romance (spicy and sweet)
💃 women's fiction
🏰 historical fiction
🕵‍♀️ mysteries and clever thrillers

Send me your submissions!

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Lesley McDowell @lesleymcdowell.bsky.social · May 14

Delighted to be doing this in Edinburgh in July when Love and Other Poisons is launched! rarebirdsbooks.com/collections/...

An evening with Lesley McDowell

Join author Lesley McDowell on Monday 21st July to discuss her novel Love and Other Poisons. Tickets are £5 and can be redeemed against any purchase on the evening.

rarebirdsbooks.com

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Alison Irvine @alisonirvine.bsky.social · May 14

A lovely piece on the Barrowland Ballroom and its iconic sign.

Peter Ross @peteralanross.bsky.social · May 14

To mark the forthcoming 40th anniversary of the Barrowland sign, I wrote a Small Finds piece celebrating it and the venue it graces. smallfinds.substack.com/p/small-find...

Small Finds #6

The Barrowland sign

smallfinds.substack.com

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BookwormVaught - Dr Anna Vaught @bookwormvaught.bsky.social · May 1

Thread. It is a great honour to announce the shortlist for the 2025 #Curae prize for unpaid carers

POETRY CATEGORY

Mistletoe. Sam Garvan
Diagnosis. Elizabeth Loudon
Sinkhole. Charlotte Ansell
I Love Him (like salt and water). Emma Wilson
The Shop at the End of a Wave. Ia Kozoboli.
thecuraeprize.uk

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Alison Irvine @alisonirvine.bsky.social · Apr 28

Thanks for spreading the word about our Cumbernauld project. Much appreciated!

@chrislesliephoto.bsky.social
@dialectographer.bsky.social

Reposted by Alison Irvine

South Glasgow Heritage & Environment Trust @sghetorg.bsky.social · Apr 27

Great photo in the 'Mid Century Modern: Putting Scotland on the Map' exhib taken inside the Golden Eagle Hotel, Cumbernauld Town Centre, c 1967 ~ more on the shared memory & life of Cumbernauld Town Centre on the #ConcreteDreams project website concretedreams.org.uk/about/ @alisonirvine.bsky.social

Photo of Cumbernauld Town Centre's Golden Eagle Hotel interior check-in desk and seating area. The hotel had 25 single rooms, 15 double rooms and 3 double suites, a function suite fitting up to 150 people and a restaurant / grill, plus bar facilities. The hotel closed in 1982 for licensing, planning and structural reasons.

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Alison Irvine @alisonirvine.bsky.social · Apr 25

Thank you! I had a great time.

Reposted by Alison Irvine

RIAS Bookshop @riasbookshop.bsky.social · Apr 25

Had a fantastic evening on Wednesday welcoming @chrislesliephoto.bsky.social @alisonirvine.bsky.social and @dialectographer.bsky.social to the RIAS for a talk on their book Concrete Dreams. Huge thank you to our speakers and to the chair Malcolm Fraser for such an engaging event.

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Alison Irvine @alisonirvine.bsky.social · Apr 25

I loved our talk at the @riasbookshop.bsky.social on #Cumbernauld. Chaired excellently by architect Malcolm Fraser and full of heated discussion from the audience, it was a great night. @nlheritage.bsky.social @chrislesliephoto.bsky.social @dialectographer.bsky.social Thanks for having us, RIAS!

Artist Mitch Miller speaking in front of a wall of portraits of former RIAS presidents.

TV Screen showing the cover of Concrete Dreams book.

A room of audience members, Alison Irvine reading from a book, architect Malcolm Fraser, and many portraits on the wall.

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Alison Irvine @alisonirvine.bsky.social · Apr 22

This is a very welcome first for me & @chrislesliephoto.bsky.social & @dialectographer.bsky.social
Book of the Week! Thank you! #Cumbernauld

RIAS Bookshop @riasbookshop.bsky.social · Apr 22

⭐️ BOOK OF THE WEEK ⭐️

‘Concrete Dreams’ by Alison Irvine, Chris Leslie and Mitch Miller

Explore the complex legacy of Cumbernauld’s iconic, but divisive, brutalist town centre through the stories of its residents in this lavishly illustrated volume.

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Alison Irvine @alisonirvine.bsky.social · Apr 16

If you're interested in Cumbernauld, architecture, social history, stories, photography and illustration, & if you can get to Edinburgh on 23rd April, this is the event for you! @dialectographer.bsky.social @chrislesliephoto.bsky.social @riasbookshop.bsky.social
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bookshopla...

BookshopLATES... Concrete Dreams

Join the award-winning artists of Recollective to discover Cumbernauld Town Centre through the eyes of its residents, past and present.

www.eventbrite.co.uk

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Reposted by Alison Irvine

Dialectographer (Mitch Miller) @dialectographer.bsky.social · Apr 18

Come and see Recollective (myself, @alisonirvine.bsky.social and @chrislesliephoto.bsky.social) at @riasbookshop.bsky.social this Wednesday (23rd April) at 6.30pm talking about Concrete Dreams: the Rise and Fall of Cumbernauld Town Centre.
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bookshopla...

BookshopLATES... Concrete Dreams

Join the award-winning artists of Recollective to discover Cumbernauld Town Centre through the eyes of its residents, past and present.

www.eventbrite.co.uk

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Alison Irvine @alisonirvine.bsky.social · Apr 16

BookshopLATES... Concrete Dreams

Join the award-winning artists of Recollective to discover Cumbernauld Town Centre through the eyes of its residents, past and present.

www.eventbrite.co.uk

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Reposted by Alison Irvine

Damian Barr @damianbarr.bsky.social · Mar 31

Angry about thieving lying AI companies? Please do sign this letter to Culture Sec Lisa Nandy and add your voice - readers and writers unite!

chng.it/QTqg8bkggz

We Can Make an Impact.

Protect authors’ livelihoods from the unlicensed use of their work in AI training

chng.it

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Linda/Melinda Huber @lindahuberauthor.bsky.social · Mar 25

The first two books in @maureenmyant.bsky.social's fabulous crime fiction series... Number 4 is coming soon, and I can't wait to read it! See the first here: amzn.eu/d/8zY07wR
#booksky #womenwriters

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Emily Munro @emilymunro.bsky.social · Mar 28

Prize longlisted eco-horror. When Gail’s friend Nick dies in a wildfire she travels to France to confront his estranged father and her mistakes. In a crumbling chateau, ravaged by wind and rain, Gail adopts dark methods to put the ever-creeping terror of the present to rest #scotwriterpitch2025

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Alison Irvine @alisonirvine.bsky.social · Mar 28

Emily is such a good writer. This sounds excellent.

Emily Munro @emilymunro.bsky.social · Mar 28

Guided by a spiritual A.I. named Jared, Lenna and Paul decide to end their current lives with their daughter on board a wellness retreat in the North Sea. When the retreat is invaded by activists, their plans are disrupted and their faith in an alternative future questioned #scotwriterpitch2025

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Alison Irvine @alisonirvine.bsky.social · Mar 25

I'm doing another Library Memories workshop at Glasgow's Whiteinch Library. Weds 26th March, 6pm. Do join us if you'd like!

www.glasgowlife.org.uk/event/1/alis...

Alison Irvine- Library Memories Writing Workshop - Glasgow Life

Alison Irvine - Library Memories Writing Workshop

www.glasgowlife.org.uk

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Kirkland Ciccone @kirklandciccone.bsky.social · Mar 24

This is a bit obscure, but I wanted to write about the lost video rental shops of Cumbernauld Town Centre, only to realise how many of them I couldn’t quite remember. Niche, I know, but that’s what the blog is here for. Anyway, enjoy.

kirklandciccone.wordpress.com/2025/03/24/v...

VHS or Betamax: The Lost Video Rental Shops of Cumbernauld Town Centre

The shopping experience is inextricably linked to the technology of the time. This is a fact. Technology has changed the high street over the course of decades. The high street is technology, const…

kirklandciccone.wordpress.com

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Reposted by Alison Irvine

The Society of Authors @societyofauthors.bsky.social · Mar 21

We are disappointed but not surprised that Meta has used millions of pirated books to develop its AI systems.

As a matter of urgency, Meta needs to compensate the rightsholders of all the works it has been exploiting.

But what can authors do? Read here:
societyofauthors.org/2025/03/21/t...

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Alison Irvine @alisonirvine.bsky.social · Mar 24

The publisher of my first novel on Glasgow's Red Road Flats, Luath Press, is now on Bluesky. Please give them a follow! They publish a wide range of fiction, non fiction and poetry and champion a wide range of Scottish voices.

Luath Press @luathpress.bsky.social · Mar 24

Hello Bluesky!

We are here and keen to share our wonderful books with you.

Stay tuned for all things Luath 💙

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