A new international marketing campaign to promote Aberdeen's broad range of festivals has been given a £25,000 funding boost by VisitScotland.
The national tourism organisation has awarded the cash to Aberdeen Festivals to highlight its nine major events, starting with the month-long Arts Across Learning Festival at the end of February.
The money will be used to promote Aberdeen as a place "where festivals, food and drink make for special weekends".
Aberdeen Festivals includesArts Across Learning Festival (February 23 - March 20), Aberdeen Jazz Festival (March 18-22), May Festival (May 29-31), Aberdeen International Youth Festival (July 24 -August 1), Fifty Plus Family Festival (September 1-11), TechFest (September 12 - October 1), North East Open Studios (September 12-21), DanceLive (October 9-20) and Sound (October 22 - November 9).
www.visitaberdeen.com
StAnza, Scotland's International Poetry Festival, which takes place between March 4 and 8, will feature a number of new and upcoming poetic talents.
Festival Director Eleanor Livingstone said: "It is a privilege to put together a line-up which is interesting and diverse and allows us to introduce stars of the future and new voices to the international stage."
Among the new voices in this year's programme are spoken word poets Agnes Török, Toby Campion and Erin Fornoff. Agnes Török was the 2014 StAnza Poetry Slam winner and was awarded the Best International Spoken Word Show at the 2014 Edinburgh Fringe Festival for her show Sorry I Don't Speak Culture.
Toby Campion was a finalist in the BBC Poetry Slam 2014 and the UK National Slam 2014 while Erin Fornoff who has performed at Glastonbury, won the StAnza 2013 digital slam.
Others include Liz Berry, winner of the Forward best first collection prize last year and Helen Mort, who won the Aldeburgh first collection prize last year and is currently Derbyshire's Poet Laureate.
www.stanzapoetry.org.
A song written by Alan Gorrie, the band leader of the Average White Band, is to be released on Sunday by Scottish band James Brown is Annie (JBiA for short).
It was produced by the other co-founder of Average White Band, Molly Duncan and mastered by original Atlantic Records' engineer, Gene Paul.
The song has been played on Radio Scotland and BBC 6, and the song will be released on 22 February, 40 years to the day since Average White Band's Pick Up The Pieces went to Number 1 in America.
Formed at a piano bar in 2010, JBiA take their name from an Eddie Murphy Saturday Night Live Sketch.
In 2011/2012, the group performed at the Edinburgh Hogmanay Street Party, sharing the Waverley Stage with Kassidy and The Vaccines.
Over the years, JBiA have supported Average White Band, Little Feat and Electric 6, Public Service Broadcasting, Hayseed Dixie and the Spin Doctors.
Festival appearances include the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival, Brew Bog, The Insider, Kelburn Garden Party, and as headliners of the Potting Shed at the Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival.
In 2014, JBiA were awarded investment funding from Creative Scotland to record their debut album.
www.facebook.com/Earls.Of.Caithness
The poet in residence at Jupiter Artland, on the outskirts of Edinburgh, is to hold two creative writing workshops inspired by the venue's sculpture collection.
Marjorie Lotfi Gill specialises in 'ekphrastic' writing, writing based on artwork, and in both workshops children will create their own piece of writing.
Jupiter Artland is at Bonnington House, Wilkieston.
www.jupiterartland.org/news/poetinresidence
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