Eggplant.place

1d

He will outlast us, churning out his books,
advocate and historian, his prose
earning him Abbotsford with its borrowed gates,
its cheap mementos from the land he made…

—Iain Crichton Smith, “At the Scott Exhibition, Edinburgh Festival”
published in DEER ON THE HIGH HILLS (Carcanet, 2021)

https://www.carcanet.co.uk/9781800170940/deer-on-the-high-hills/

#Scottish #literature #poem #poetry #WalterScott #IainCrichtonSmith #writers #writing

AT THE SCOTT EXHIBITION, EDINBURGH FESTIVAL
Iain Crichton Smith

He will outlast us, churning out his books,
advocate and historian, his prose
earning him Abbotsford with its borrowed gates,
its cheap mementos from the land he made.
Walking the room together in this merciless
galaxy of manuscripts and notes
I am exhausted by such energy.
I hold your hand for guidance. Over your brow
the green light falls from tall and narrow windows.
His style is ignorant of this tenderness,
the vulnerable angle of your body
below the Raeburn with its steady gaze.

It was all in his life, not in his books
‘Oh I am dying, take me home to Scotland
where I can breathe though that breath were my last.’
He limped through an Edinburgh being made anew.
He worked his way through debts, past a dead wife.
My dear, we love each other in our weakness
as he with white grave face diminishing through
stroke after stroke down to the unpaid room.
We know what we are but know not what we will be.
I tremble in this factory of books.
What love he must have lost to write so much.

ALT

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139d

#authors, #writers, #writingcommunity, #gamedevs, #gamedevelopers #gamingcommunity, #artists #contentcreators! Is there anyone here who is on #substack? I'd be more than happy to #connect!
https://substack.com/@myhauger

#writing #creativewriting

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251d

📣 Reminder: #MEAction is giving away 2 copies (one paperback, one audiobook) of the book "Pillow Writers Anthology 1: Near-Life Experiences"

Their "Chronically Complex" podcast has extracts from the book:

https://www.meaction.net/chronically-complex-meaction-podcast/

Deadline for entry is December 15, winners will be selected the next day

I can't find an announcement on the #MEAction website but here's a link to what they posted on Bluesky:

https://bsky.app/profile/meactnet.bsky.social/post/3lbkjfa4w6c2t

@mecfs

#MEcfs #PwME #NEISvoid #Writers #Books #Giveaway

ALT

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80d

In this month’s Writer Newsletter, Zulie @ #Medium shares alternatives to AI #images for #illustrating stories, popular story topics, #DraftDay2025 stats, a request for editor recognition, and more.

https://medium.com/@MediumStaff/writer-newsletter-7x-more-readers-are-opting-into-story-notifications-b2819c6218d6

#writing #writers

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67d

“It didn’t occur to me for about five or six years after leaving school that literature was something I could be involved in. Then I discovered it was possible to write stories myself…”

—an extract from James Kelman on “Elitism & English Literature”, from a book I’m currently typesetting

#Scottish #literature #workingclass #writers #writing #JamesKelman #elitism

It didn’t occur to me for about five or six years after leaving school that literature was something I could be involved in. Then I discovered it was possible to write stories myself, I just had to go out and buy a couple of reliable ball-point pens and a good-sized notebook. I could even write stories about ordinary people if I wanted to. There wasn’t anybody going to stop me by using physical force. After that I found out there were other people in this country also doing such things, and there were other people who had been doing such things for a couple of hundred years. It was just that nobody in any of the positions of power in society had got round to telling me.

ALT

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61d

A question for all of you on the #Fediverse (and especially #Musicians, #Writers, and #Artists) who sell your work online:

Do you know how you receive payments right now?

I want to connect the most fedi-friendly platforms into #Bandwagon, #Emissary, and beyond.. so I'd love to hear what works best for you :)

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65d

Medium Day, our annual community event, kicks off on Sept. 19, 2025. Register now to get updates on confirmed speakers, sessions, and activities at https://www.mediumday.com

#Medium #writers #writing #MediumDay

Edited 64d ago

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60d

The brand-new, interactive #Medium101 Webinars launch tomorrow, June 18, and will be offered multiple times a week. Learn more and register on Zoom here: https://events.zoom.us/ev/AqHsz36w78Tw45-SGmcTeWk5pePMDkp1xTKf5fF21vpX04YSlrnK~ArznQFrP1xm1ZfTwwNikcFd-mmIj5vo6fmn2WTkT2ENpeZ-qs7_IO6WMTg

#Medium #writers #writing

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74d

Want to just start writing? Join the “Write with Medium” June micro-challenge! Learn more and sign up here: https://medium.com/not-perfect/want-to-just-start-writing-join-the-write-with-medium-june-micro-challenge-d8a50f0e384a

#Medium #writers #writing #WriteWithMedium #WritingChallenge #WritersBlock

Edited 74d ago

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29d

WRITERS!

New Writing Scotland seeks a new co-editor for English- & Scots-language work. Applicants should be currently based in Scotland & have a strong publishing record, with a focus on prose. Post is up to 3 years: stipend £1500 per issue.

@writingcommunity

Details 👇

https://asls.org.uk/new-writing-scotland-seeks-co-editor/

#Scottish #Scotland #writers #writing #writingcommunity

NEW WRITING SCOTLAND

ASL is seeking applications to be a co-editor of New Writing Scotland, from writers currently based in Scotland. Applicants should have a strong publishing record of their own, with a focus on prose; previous editorial experience would be an advantage. The post will run for up to three years from 2026, for volumes 44, 45, and 46, publishing in 2026, 2027, and 2028 (dependent on funding).

Our editors jointly select approximately 50 pieces – poetry and prose – from the English- and Scots-language submissions we receive each year. The submissions are anonymised, and we provide editors with paper copies to read. As an editor, we’d ask you to attend launches in Edinburgh and Glasgow (travelling expenses would be paid). Editors receive an annual £1500 stipend and full editorial credit.

We encourage applications from all backgrounds and particularly welcome applications from people who are under-represented within the sector, including from BPOC applicants (Black people and People of Colour), disabled people, LGBTQIA+ applicants and those from a low socioeconomic background.

Please send a CV and a one-page application letter, outlining your qualifications for the position, to admin@asls.org.uk by midnight on Monday 4 August 2025.

Submission to New Writing Scotland is free and open to all. You can find our submission instructions here.

ALT

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