THE short list for one of the most prestigious poetry prizes in the UK has been announced.
Five poets are in the running for the Edwin Morgan Poetry Award.
The prize is for Scottish or Scotland-based poets or poets aged 30 or under.
With its award of £20,000, the Edwin Morgan Poetry Award is one of the largest poetry prizes in the UK.
The shortlisted poets for the 2018 Award are Tom Docherty, Nadine Aisha Jassat, Daisy Lafarge, Peter Ratter and Roseanne Watt
The judges of the Award are novelist Janice Galloway and poet John Glenday.
Ms Galloway said: "Reading entries was by turns a chance to gorge on the freshest of modern poetry, then face the trial-by-fire that permitted only two poets to emerge as winner and runner-up.
"Choosing between those two, both outstanding in their expression, wit and sheer daring with craft, was hair-raising.
"We hope very much you are surprised and delighted by our decisions."
The Edwin Morgan Poetry Award was established in 2014.
The winner of the 2018 Edwin Morgan Poetry Award will be announced during an event at the Edinburgh International Book Festival on 22 August at 7pm.
www.edwinmorganaward.com
THE National Library of Scotland has announced Dr Michael Dempster as its new Scots Scriever.
He will soon begin a two-year residency at the National Library.
Dr Dempster has written librettos and graphic novels in Scots, and explored the use of Scots with sufferers of dementia within the NHS.
He has written comedy sketches performed across the Edinburgh Fringe and TV pilots for the BBC and Comedy Unit and delivered the first TED talk in Scots.
Upcoming works include a Scots-Emoji dictionary and Mind yer Language – a comprehensive guide to Scots.
In a statement he said: "A'm that delichtit tae get appyntit Scots Scriever. Whit an honour!
“Oor Scots language, an wir Scots speakin communitie, is that important tae baith wirsels an tae the warld thit fir me tae hae this opportunitie tae expand ma wirk wi the support o the National Library of Scotland, Creative Scotland an the Scottish Buik Trust is a dream come true."
Dr John Scally, head of the National Library, said: "Michael Dempster clearly has a passion for the Scots language.
"He has a strong artistic track record across a range of mediums, an academic background in linguistics, and he already promotes the language in everything he does. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with in this residency."
Dr Dempster’s appointment will run from July 2018–2020.
A joint initiative between the National Library and Creative Scotland, the Scriever role is designed to produce original creative work in Scots, its variants and dialects.
Hamish MacDonald was appointed as the inaugural Scots Scriever in August 2015 and completed his residency at the National Library of Scotland in September 2017.
www.nls.uk
THE culture committee of the Scottish Parliament is to launch its report into the screen industries today.
The report from the Culture, Tourism Europe and External Relations Committee states that money from Scottish Enterprise should be transferred to a new standalone film agency for Scotland.
The report also asks the incoming Executive Director of the new Screen Unit, which is not a standalone body but part of Creative Scotland, to prioritise the delivery of a film studio, put an industry engagement strategy in place and launch an online screen portal.
The report also says the BBC and other public service broadcasters must commission more content from Scotland.
It recommends that ITV should have a quota of production spend in the nations, as currently applies to the BBC and Channel Four.
www.parliament.scot
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