FOLLOWING on from the celebration of the Scottish coastline, 2022 has been designated “Scotland’s Year of Stories”, with a nationwide programme of events planned to run throughout the year.

As a result, everything from Celtic Connections to the Edinburgh International Film Festival will acknowledge the nation’s storytelling traditions. There will even be a street festival in Dundee in the summer dedicated to comics.

Sorry, what’s all this about?

Have you not been paying attention? Since 2017 the Scottish government has backed themed years as a way of promoting Scotland as a tourist destination. It began in 2014 with Homecoming Scotland and has since seen years devoted to food and drink, architecture and design, heritage and archaeology, Scotland’s young people and, most recently the nation’s coasts and waters, a celebration that was extended over 2020 and 2021 because of Covid.

OK, and next year it’s all about Scottish stories?

That’s right. It aims to celebrate Scotland’s rich storytelling tradition, from Robert Burns to The Beano. Events have been organised all across the country, from Easterhouse to Moray and from Skye to Wigtown and will involve national arts organisations and community groups.

What kind of thing are we talking about? Details, man.

Well, it kicks off next month with Whisper the Song, a series of five newly commissioned events which will be part of the annual Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow, while Once Upon a Time in South Ayrshire begins with a celebration of the Bard that will run all year.

Later in the spring, An Lanntair in Stornoway will offer a series of events, films and special commissions celebrating Hebridean storytelling under the umbrella title Seanchas, while in the summer the Edinburgh International Film Festival will bring us Scotland’s Stories On Screen.

And, as already mentioned, The Dundee Summer (Bash) Street Festival will see the city renamed BEANOTOWN, and will be home to a pop-up comic museum, talks, film screenings and world record attempts.

Surely no one is going to try to eat more cow pies than Desperate Dan?

You’re getting your comics mixed up. Desperate Dan appeared in The Dandy.

Ah yes. So, who else is involved?

Everyone from the Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh to Stirling Castle which will host Tales from the Castle later in the year. The RSNO are even involved. It will be performing Yoyo and the Little Auk, a new work which combines an animated film with live performance, at events and festivals across Scotland.