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Association for Scottish Literature
@asls.org.uk
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Educational charity promoting the reading, writing, teaching & study of Scotland's literature & languages, past & present.

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Association for Scottish Literature @asls.org.uk · Aug 27
A CHAOS OF LIGHT
New Writing Scotland 43
Ed. Kirstin Innes, Chris Powici & Niall O’Gallagher

“writing that unsettles and challenges, that questions assumptions…A rich, boisterous, tender, charming, angry, sorrowful, gleeful mix”

Available now from all good bookshops!
💙📚
asls.org.uk/publications...
New Writing Scotland 43
Edited by Kirstin Innes, Chris Powici & Niall O’Gallagher Published in: Paperback, 184 pages By: Association for Scottish Literature, Glasgow, August 2025 Price: £9.95 ISBN: 9781906841669 Cover image…
asls.org.uk
asls.org.uk
2026 is Agnes Owens’ centenary year, & Polygon will publish 7 new editions of her novels & short stories in collaboration with the Agnes Owens Archive – also launching this year. These new editions will be introduced by some of Scotland’s finest contemporary writers.
💙📚
birlinn.co.uk/2026/01/08/p...
Polygon to Publish New Editions of the Works of Agnes Owens to Mark Centenary | Birlinn Ltd - Independent Scottish Publisher - buy books online
birlinn.co.uk
January 9, 2026 at 7:09 PM
Reposted by Association for Scottish Literature
editor.scot
Wise words
January 9, 2026 at 6:15 PM
asls.org.uk
White stones shaped like hearts:
you can tell they were chosen.

In the winter garden
they gleam on bare ground…

—Sheenagh Pugh, “Gardening”
published in A Little Touch of Cliff in the Evening: New Writing Scotland 30 (ASL, 2012)
#poem #poetry
Gaderning by Sheenagh Pugh White stones shaped like hearts: you can tell they were chosen. In the winter garden they gleam on bare ground. Hooded crows land on the hard seed-beds, frost crazes the buds of a leafless rose. The gardener, indoors, has eyes only for the woman resting more and more, who will not see spring undammed in a blue rush. Forget-me-nots lie in ambush: the stones are shaped like hearts.
January 9, 2026 at 2:03 PM
asls.org.uk
The Scots Language Publication Grant
Deadline: 25 Feb

Administered by @scottishbooktrust.bsky.social, the grant supports publishers to publish & promote work written in Scots, both new (including translated texts) & historical or culturally significant work
www.scottishbooktrust.com/writing-and-...
The Scots Language Publication Grant
The Scots Language Publication Grant exists to support publishers to publish and promote work written in Scots.
www.scottishbooktrust.com
January 9, 2026 at 1:58 PM
Reposted by Association for Scottish Literature
dougjohnstone.bsky.social
I'm going to be at Prestwick Library next Wednesday for a wee chat with whoever turns up. Come find me. @orendabooks.bsky.social
destinationsouthayrshire.co.uk/whats-on/pre...
January 9, 2026 at 1:40 PM
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glasgowburns.bsky.social
Just over 1 week til our #BurnsSupper225 conference. We’re thrilled that Derek Alexander (@n-t-s.bsky.social) will deliver the 2026 Burns Scotland lecture: ‘“That curst restriction”: The Archaeology and History of Illicit and Legal Whisky-Making in Scotland’ 🥃

🎟️ www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/centre-for...
Centre for Robert Burns Studies Conference
A conference exploring the life, work, and legacy of Robert Burns, this year celebrating the 225th anniversary of the Burns Supper
www.eventbrite.co.uk
January 9, 2026 at 1:45 PM
asls.org.uk
BOOK LAUNCH
29 Jan @portybooks.bsky.social & online

Ghosts don’t exist.
They don’t. End of.
Story, however.
It is haunting.
Everything tells it.

GLYPH is Ali Smith’s most soulful, playful & vital work yet. Smith will be in conversation with Jess Orr
💙📚
www.theportobellobookshop.com/events/ali-s...
Ali Smith - Glyph at The Portobello Bookshop
Please come and join us for Ali Smith - Glyph on 29th January, at The Portobello Bookshop
www.theportobellobookshop.com
January 9, 2026 at 1:32 PM
Reposted by Association for Scottish Literature
angryrobotbooks.bsky.social
So. We need to fill our feed out a little. Tell us who we should be following for the good genre and genre adjacent stuff. Authors, reviewers, commentators, all the good people.

Fun, serious, wry, excitable - bring them all.
January 8, 2026 at 3:46 PM
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murrayp.bsky.social
Looking forward to giving one of the Royal Philosophical Society of Glasgow lectures for 2026 on 'The Roots and Fruits of Scotland's Global History' on the 28th: @sahavoice.bsky.social @asls.org.uk @iassl.bsky.social . Details: www.royalphil.org/lecture/the-...
The Roots and Fruits of Scotland's Global History - The Royal Philosophical Society of Glasgow
Summary
www.royalphil.org
January 9, 2026 at 11:53 AM
asls.org.uk
A giant blue banner attached to a pole, photographed against the s. In large capital letters it reads LIBARY
January 9, 2026 at 2:12 AM
Reposted by Association for Scottish Literature
emilyhay.bsky.social
To celebrate the imminent exhibition of Mary Queen of Scots' last letter at Perth Museum, I wrote an article for @uk.theconversation.com about my PhD research into Mary's writing - have a read for my top 5 things you should know! ⬇️

theconversation.com/mary-queen-o...
Mary, Queen of Scots’ last letter is going on display in 2026 – five interesting facts about her other writing
Mary was a prolific writer who enjoyed producing poetry.
theconversation.com
January 8, 2026 at 10:17 AM
asls.org.uk
Snaw is bluffertin’ the toun,
Gurly wunds are roustin’ roun’,
Peety fowk in broken shoon
This winter nicht…

—Helen Burness Cruickshank (1886–1975), “Song of Pity for Refugees”
published in Collected Poems (Reprographia, 1971)
#Scots #poem #poetry
Song of Pity for Refugees by Helen Burness Cruickshank Snaw is bluffertin’ the toun, Gurly wunds are roustin’ roun’, Peety fowk in broken shoon This winter nicht. Peety help the weary auld, Claes nor fire to fend aff cauld, Hoose nor ha’ them safe to hauld This winter nicht. Peety wham in a’ the warld Fortune fell through hell has harled, Hungert, hameless, broken, marled, This winter nicht. Peety men withooten kin, Ne’er a freend to cry them ben, Nane their deein’ sauls to sain This winter nicht.
January 8, 2026 at 5:04 PM
Reposted by Association for Scottish Literature
goodmovesjobs.bsky.social
@scottishbooktrust.bsky.social are recruiting for new Trustees to play a vital role in shaping strategy, ensuring good governance, and championing their mission to make books and stories accessible to everyone!
📍Edinburgh/hybrid
tinyurl.com/3c3f7h8r
#Trustees
Trustee with Scottish Book Trust – Goodmoves
Scottish Book Trust is Scotland’s national reading charity. We believe that reading and writing for pleasure can transform lives – supporting mental health, breaking the poverty c...
tinyurl.com
January 6, 2026 at 11:51 AM
Reposted by Association for Scottish Literature
seraph76.bsky.social
People in and near Glasgow, I’m thrilled to participate in this panel on Scottish Speculative Fiction next month at Waterstones Glasgow Argyle Street!
Tickets available via link:

www.waterstones.com/events/an-ev...
Test reads: Scottish Speculative Fiction Panel with Christopher Caldwell, Angie Spoto, and Lorraine Wilson, chaired by Elaine GallagherThursday, 22 January, 7PM Waterstones Glasgow Argyle Street Pictured are Christopher Caldwell, Angie Spoto, Lorraine Wilson, and their respective books
December 17, 2025 at 11:35 PM
asls.org.uk
Poetry Workshops with Rebecca Sharp
17 & 24 Jan, Arbroath – free, ticketed

Led by poet & playwright Rebecca Sharp, these workshops will explore the ways stories are preserved, forgotten, or reinvented – from history to legends & folklore. No experience needed.
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/poetry-wor...
Poetry Workshop with Rebecca Sharp
We’ll be uncovering forgotten, hidden or imagined stories — from historical figures to family legends, local folklore. No experience needed.
www.eventbrite.co.uk
January 8, 2026 at 2:47 PM
asls.org.uk
This was the year before the year
that collapsed on us, a roof brought down by snow.
The year of riding through abandoned stations
on the riverside line that never crossed the river…

—Pippa Little, “This Was the Year”
from OVERWINTERING, @carcanet.bsky.social 2012
www.carcanet.co.uk/978190618806...
This Was the Year by Pippa Little This was the year before the year that collapsed on us, a roof brought down by snow. The year of riding through abandoned stations on the riverside line that never crossed the river but danced among warehouses, silos and factories (deceased) beside battleships settling into red mud. This was the year that, too exhausted to sleep, I boiled down the pink and ivory and blue of other women’s hands into a single grey slab. The soap pot next the soup, fumes of gardenia and bone. This was the year we were always coming home. Three steps and a garden where the splayed trike in the frost said better to have careless love than none at all. This was the year before the year I found out that we are fused from lightning, our bodies maps across which electrical storms flare and move on. This was the year extremely far rooftops and lit windows seen from a plane flying its late night mission had their glow zapped by pinball fire. This was the year I closed the door underneath the porch light and stood out on the first of the three front steps, listening. Our children’s beds expecting their bodies to come warm them like small fires but growing cold with waiting.
January 8, 2026 at 2:30 PM
Reposted by Association for Scottish Literature
simonguy.bsky.social
"Janet began to hate the sea. There was so much of it, flowing, counter-flowing, entering other seas, slyly furthering its interests beyond the mind's reckoning; no wonder it could pass itself off as sky; it was infinite, a voracious marine confederacy."
A photo of the 1992 Penguin edition of O Caledonia by Elspeth Barker. The cover art is by Mark Edwards.
January 8, 2026 at 1:51 PM
Reposted by Association for Scottish Literature
scottlyall.bsky.social
This talk on "Scottish Women Writers in Children's Literature" from the fab Sarah Dunnigan and Lois Burke will be great.

National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge, 19 March 2026, 5:30PM to 6:30PM. Tickets free, but booking required.

www.nls.uk/whats-on/sco...
Scottish women writers in children's literature | National Library of Scotland
Join us to discover the forgotten history of Scotland's women in children's literature such as Catherine Sinclair and Jessie Saxby.
www.nls.uk
January 8, 2026 at 2:07 PM
asls.org.uk
“As the home of Aberdeen Angus, Ayrshire bacon, & haggis, Scotland has an especially meaty reputation”

—From BUDDHA DA, DUCK FEET, THE PANOPTICON, TRAINSPOTTING, & more: Gina Lyle looks at vegetarianism in contemporary Scottish fiction
#BookologyThursday
💙📚
www.thebottleimp.org.uk/2024/11/vege...
Book cover BUDDHA DA Anne Donovan Shortlisted for the Orange Prize Shortlisted for the Whitbread First Novel Award "A beauty" – Sunday Telegraph "Anne Donovan is to be cherished" – Times Literary Supplement A pal green cover showing a stylised hill, with silhouettes of tall buildings in the distance. On top of the hill is a tree, shedding leaves. Under the tree are two small figures dressed in orange: one is a girl, who stands on the left; she looks towards a man who is sitting cross-legged under the tree, his back to us. Book cover DUCK FEET Ely Percy Five stars – The Skinny magazine "As tender, fickle, excruciating, surreal, tragic, hilarious and intense as teenage life itself." – Kirstin Innes Scottish Fiction Book of the Year 2021 The cover image shows the frontage of a block of flats, somewhere in Scotland. There are six windows visible set into a brown, stained, harled surface. There is a strip of clear blue sky visible above the grey roof. Book cover THE PANOPTICON Jenni Fagan "Utterly magnificent" – Irvine Welsh "A terrific book … I love it" – Ali Smith Granta Best Young British Novelist 2013 A dark blue cover, with a full moon at its centre. A young girl dressed in red and black sits at the front right, looking down, resting her chin on one hand. There are pale bare branches and stars around the moon behind her. Book cover TRAINSPOTTING Irvine Welsh Vintage Classics Three-quarters of a white grinning skull can be seen against a background of orange with darker brown blobs and blotches. The skull looks as if it has been sprayed on.
January 8, 2026 at 2:10 PM
Reposted by Association for Scottish Literature
ncdominie.bsky.social
Happy birthday to the University of Glasgow, founded in this city because Pope Nicholas V had heard good things about the weather and the food.
Extract from a translation of the Papal bull: "... a place of renown where the air is mild and victuals are plentiful..."
January 7, 2026 at 5:29 PM
Reposted by Association for Scottish Literature
glasgow.ac.uk
Our Principal, Prof Andy Schofield, took a walk through our fantastic archives, revisiting moments and members of our community who have helped shape the University of Glasgow.
 
We are proud to celebrate our 575th Birthday. #TeamUofG #UofG575 @uofglasgowasc.bsky.social
January 7, 2026 at 3:04 PM
asls.org.uk
12 Jan at @glasgow.ac.uk & online – free

Fidan Nazim Meikle writes stories & poems for readers of all ages. Her debut novel, My Name is Samim, inspired by the true story of a young refugee’s journey to safety, is out now from @florisbooks.bsky.social
#kidlit 💙📚
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/creative-c...
Creative Conversations: Fidan Nazim Meikle
Author Fidan Nazim Meikle in conversation about My Name Is Samim
www.eventbrite.co.uk
January 7, 2026 at 4:53 PM
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Scottish Gaelic Songs in the San Francisco Bay Area - Part 1: A harvest of Gaelic folksongs collected 1938-40 amongst immigrants in California gaelicmichael.substack.com/p/scottish-g...
Scottish Gaelic Songs in the San Francisco Bay Area - Part 1
A harvest of Gaelic folksongs collected 1938-40 amongst immigrants in California
gaelicmichael.substack.com
January 7, 2026 at 12:00 PM
asls.org.uk
Happy 575th birthday to @glasgow.ac.uk – a *proper* ancient university, unlike some post-Reformation arrivistes I could mention
glasgow.ac.uk University of Glasgow @glasgow.ac.uk · 2d
Happy Birthday to us! 🎉 

The University of Glasgow is 575 years old today. We have been changing the world since 1451! 

This year we will be celebrating the centuries of impact of UofG, while looking towards to the future, with our #TeamUofG community around the world.

#UofG575
January 7, 2026 at 1:09 PM