moniackmhor-web - Visit Scotland

SCOTLAND’S CREATIVE WRITING CENTRE
2015 PROGRAMME
WWW.MONIACKMHOR.ORG.UK
I am delighted to be a patron of Moniack Mhor.
I’ve had many years of inspiration from the
surrounding land and the magical house, the
big bothy and the wee croft. Moniack Mhor is a
special place which firmly helps people on their
imaginative and creative journeys. The road
forks and it stops at Moniack. Down the short
hill, the vista opens. I’m proud to be involved in
a place that makes things possible for so many
different people from all over the world.
JACKIE KAY
02
WELCOME TO
MONIACK MHOR
Moniack Mhor has a past steeped in stories.
Built on the site of an ancient baron’s house,
surrounded by fields rich in the remains of
Bronze Age civilizations, the centre once
served as a croft. Its restoration came about
in 1992 and was supported by funds raised
through a 24 hour poetry recital staged by
24 poets and 135 lay reciters. In 1993, its
founders Kit and Sophia Fraser opened the
doors to its first course in partnership with
Arvon (formerly the Arvon Foundation). We
want to build on this tradition of collective
effort and offer something inspiring for the
future.
2015 heralds the official beginning of
Moniack Mhor as an independent writing
centre. Over the last year we’ve been
talking with writers from all walks of life,
partners and tutors to create a programme
that reflects and supports the rich diversity
of literary activity locally, nationally and
internationally. Our programme offers a
range of creative writing courses aimed to
support writers working at all levels, from
those who have never written to those who
are fine tuning. It provides increased support
and opportunities in the form of retreats,
events with industry professionals, awards
and fellowships. We are delighted to be able
to continue to offer bursaries in 2015 to
assist with course fees.
We’ve been working hard to extend
provision at the centre and have completed
the construction of our new Straw Bale
Studio providing an inspiring space for
workshops, tutorials and quiet writing. Our
developing garden offers expanded access to
the panoramic natural surroundings of the
centre and includes a dry stone storytelling
circle, complete with fire pit for the sharing
of tales under a starlit sky.
We are honoured to have gained the support
of our new patrons, Carol Ann Duffy, Liz
Lochhead, Jackie Kay, Val McDermid, Mairi
Hedderwick and James Robertson.
As you flick through the pages of our
inaugural brochure, we hope that you
stumble across something that inspires you
to join us at Moniack Mhor. We look forward
to welcoming you on the hill.
Best wishes
All at Moniack Mhor
03
WHO WE ARE
Rachel has been the centre director since
2010. Passionate about literature and
mythology, she has recently discovered
the world of ceramics, and now creates
stoneware domestic pottery in her spare
time.
Cynthia programs the courses at Moniack.
She is the author of four novels and a
collection of short stories. From California,
she’s been in the Highlands for thirty five
years, and loves golden labs.
For ten years Lyndy has taken bookings,
shopped for special items and ensured the
bins are taken to the top of the drive. On
Sundays, she bakes bread and listens to The
Archers. She dislikes all the characters, but
would love to be in it.
Kelsey is the Youth Programme Manager at
Moniack Mhor. She helps deliver creative
writing opportunities to young people
from Scotland and beyond. She loves yoga,
reading non-fiction, and exploring the
beautiful natural world of the Highlands.
04
Sarah is centre assistant at Moniack Mhor,
organising the practical side of many of the
courses and partnerships both in the office
and the house. She enjoys reading, walking
and film.
Mark was our intern last season, assisting
with digital marketing, looking after writers
on our courses and helping with the creation
of this brochure. Now working on his first
novel, he helps out every now and then as a
relief director.
Ruth takes care of our website and
marketing materials and makes sure you get
to hear about the courses we have running.
She writes travel non-fiction and loves art,
dance and making films.
CONTENTS
Welcome
Who We Are
3
4
Which Course is For Me?
6
Course Listings
Tutored Courses
Short Courses
Retreats
Special Events
8 - 32
33 - 37
38 - 39
40 - 43
About the Centre
How to Book
The Course Experience
45 - 47
48
49
Residencies & Awards
The Youth Programme
Moniack Mhor Literary Collective
50
51
51
Our Patrons
Thanks
52
52
Photo Credits:
All Moniack Mhor images by Nancy MacDonald except p6 Linda Cracknell, p25 Gerry Cambridge, &
p49 by Mark Phimister. Author photos: John Burnside by Niall McDiarmid; Linda Cracknell by Phil Horey;
Anne Donovan by Alan Dimick; Michel Faber by Eva Faber; Romesh Gunesekera by Yemisi Blake;
John Hegley by Travis Elborough; Helen Lederer by Matt Crockett; Liz Lochhead by Norman McBeath;
William McIlvanney by Iain McLean; Candia McWilliam by Lydia Morris-Jones; Tim Pears by Rory Carnegie;
Ann Sansom by Charlie Hedley; Peter Sansom by Charlie Hedley & Jo Shapcott by Rachel Shapcott.
05
WHICH COURSE IS FOR ME?
‘I have never written anything,
but I’d like to record my family history.
I’m terrified I’ll be out of my depth on a writing course!’
‘I am on the third draft of a thriller novel and really need some
expert guidance in this final draft phase.’
Something for every writer at Moniack Mhor
– that is our aim. We suggest you think
about what you want from a course, then
use the advice below to find the best possible
answer.
EXPERIENCE. Courses specifically aimed at
writers at the very beginning are titled Let
Us Begin. For writers already immersed in
their manuscripts, there are courses titled
Progressing Your Work. Most courses are
open to writers of all abilities; the tutors
meet with students individually and tailor
make their tutorials. Retreats with Tuition
are for those who are further on with their
writing and feel they would benefit less from
workshops. They are comprised of one-toone sessions and mean increased personal
writing time and more intense input from
tutors.
TUTORS. Look for tutors whose books you
love. Moniack Mhor hires some of the best
writers in the world to lead courses. You
might decide you want to meet a particular
writer based on reading their biography.
Most writers read some of the tutor’s work
before arriving.
TIME. Most of the courses are Monday at
noon to Saturday at noon, but if you’ve less
time, we are also running several three day
courses, a one day poetry course and three
evening literary lectures.
06
GENRE. In addition to fiction and poetry
courses, we have a wide range of genres
including science fiction & fantasy, historical
fiction, memoir, playwriting, poetry, short
story, mind, body & soul, writing for
children and young adults, non-fiction,
travel writing and comedy writing.
RETREATS. Moniack Mhor is running one
full length retreat, for writers who simply
want time to write away from all the usual
distractions. Retreats offer single room
accommodation only. Often the writers
enjoy socialising in the evenings, but this
is not compulsory. If you need to run away
from everything, including people, this is
the week for you.
A RETREAT WITH A BIT EXTRA. We have
a December retreat, which is untutored
but includes an evening lecture with the
celebrity history writer Bettany Hughes.
‘Now I realise I can write!’
‘I’ve made new writer friends and we’ve
promised to stay in touch and support each other.’
‘Meeting these tutors has inspired me to change
the way I live and take my writing more seriously.’
07
TUTORED COURSES
Courses run from Monday to Saturday
from noon until noon.
Single Room: £550
Shared Room: £490
Grants available, please see page 48 for
booking details
“I like reading poetry. You don’t have
to roll up your sleeves in the same way
as when you are reading a novel.”
BERNARD MACLAVERTY
08
WRITING PRACTICE
WITH THE TEAM FROM
THE UNIVERSITY OF DUNDEE
Kirsty Gunn, Jim Stewart,
Lindsay MacGregor & Eddie Small
MONDAY
MARCH 30
TO
SATURDAY
APRIL 4
DESCRIPTION
Find out why Dundee has been described as ‘one of the nation’s
literary hotspots’ in a special week-long taster course that gives you a
thorough introduction to all the bases of writing study and practice.
Kick start your writing life here and learn how to get exciting
creative projects off the ground in an intensive package of practical
workshops, discussion seminars and one on one tutorials.
Kirsty Gunn is the author of seven works of fiction. The Big Music
was listed for the James Tait Black and Impac awards and was the
winner of The New Zealand Book of the Year 2013. The Boy and the
Sea, was the 2007 Sundial Scottish Book of the Year and Featherstone
was listed as a New York Times Notable Book. She is chair in Creative
Writing at the University of Dundee’.
Jim Stewart teaches English and Creative Writing at the University
of Dundee. He publishes poems in various outlets. He is an editor of
Virginia Woolf for Cambridge University Press.
Lindsay Macgregor is a graduate of the University of Dundee’s MLitt
programme in Writing Practice and Study. Her poems are published
in New Writing Scotland, Northwords Now, Gutter, and Ink, Sweat
and Tears. Lindsay reviews poetry collections, edits Dundee Writes,
and co-hosts Platform, a poetry and music night in Fife. She
facilitates creative writing with community groups and schools
across Fife and Tayside.
Eddie Small is both a PhD student and a lecturer in Creative Writing
at the University of Dundee. In June 2013, Eddie’s book Mary Lily
Walker: Forgotten Visionary of Dundee was published.
www.dundee.ac.uk/study/pg/writingpracticestudy
09
SHORT
STORY
LESS IS BETTER
Claire Keegan & Bernard MacLaverty
Guest: A L Kennedy
DESCRIPTION
The tutors will ask participants to consider and re-consider the
structure of narrative. What does it mean to begin? What is
tension? And how and why does tension rise and fall - or not rise
at all? They will lead you through the structure of a paragraph and
discuss how movement and static work within the short story. All
writers will be asked to have read Constance Garnett’s translation of
Chekhov’s story A Misfortune in advance of the course.
Claire Keegan’s debut, Antarctica, was a Los Angeles Times Book
of the Year. In 2007, Walk the Blue Fields was published and went
on to win The Edge Hill Prize. Foster (2010) won The Davy Byrnes
Award, judged by Richard Ford. Her stories have been published in
Granta, The Paris Review, Best American Stories, The New Yorker and
translated into 14 languages.
Bernard MacLaverty has published five collections of short stories,
including Matters of Life & Death, and Walking the Dog. From
Northern Ireland, he now lives in Glasgow.
www.bernardmaclaverty.com
Guest:
A L Kennedy is considered one of the finest short story writers in the
UK. She’s written six collections, the most recent being All the Rage.
www.a-l-kennedy.co.uk
Optional submission of work ahead of the course.
10
MONDAY
APRIL 13
TO
SATURDAY
APRIL 18
FICTION:
LET US BEGIN
MONDAY
APRIL 20
TO
SATURDAY
APRIL 25
Tim Pears & Jenn Ashworth
Guest: Anne Donovan
DESCRIPTION
This course will help you conquer (or at least manage!) your fear of
the blank page. By the end of the week you’ll be able to generate
new ideas, turn your own experiences and memories into fiction and
handle the basics of structuring a scene, using dialogue, developing
description and exploring themes that interest you in fresh and
original ways.
Tim Pears was born in 1956, grew up in Devon and left school
at sixteen. He has published eight novels, including In the Place
of Fallen Leaves, Landed and In the Light of Morning. He has taught
creative writing for Arvon, the University of Oxford, and others.
www.timpears.com
Jenn Ashworth’s novels include A Kind of Intimacy and Cold Light.
She won the Betty Trask Award in 2010, and lectures in Creative
Writing at Lancaster University. Her work has been translated into
many languages.
www.jennashworth.co.uk
Guest:
Anne Donovan is the author of the short-story collection,
Hieroglyphics and three novels: the Orange Prize short-listed Buddha
Da, Being Emily and, most recently, Gone Are The Leaves, all published
by Canongate.
“I like to write with a blue medium
point biro on lined A4 paper ”
TIM PEARS
11
CRIME
WRITING
MONDAY
MAY 25
TO
SATURDAY
MAY 30
KILLING THEM SOFTLY
Val McDermid & Louise Welsh
The identity of the guest reader is, appropriately, a thrilling mystery.
DESCRIPTION
Want to know how to make a reader’s heart rate increase? Their
stomach turn? Two of Scotland’s finest crime writers will show you
how it’s done by exploring character and plot development, and
most importantly, tension-building techniques. Val and Louise will
also cover research techniques, and support you in developing your
work, whatever stage you are at.
Val McDermid is an internationally best-selling award winning
writer. She has published 28 crime novels, children’s fiction, nonfiction, radio drama and short stories. She is a regular broadcaster on
BBC Radio 4. She lives in Edinburgh.
www.valmcdermid.com
Louise Welsh is the author of six novels including The Cutting Room,
Naming the Bones and A Lovely Way to Burn. She also writes for radio
and stage, including librettos. She was the writer in residence for the
Universtiy of Glasgow, and Glasgow School of Art.
www.louisewelsh.com
?
“I write pretty much anywhere. I prefer my office at home with
its view of rooftops and sky; I have a standing desk as well as
a regular one and it’s good to stand at the window looking at
the street below. I also like writing on trains.”
VAL MCDERMID
12
NOVEL
WRITING
WRITE THE BOOK
MONDAY
JUNE 1
TO
SATURDAY
JUNE 6
Rachel Seiffert & Jess Richards
Guest: Peter Salmon
DESCRIPTION
A week designed to give you the writing stimulus and space for
writing. Suitable for those tackling short or long works of fiction, for
shy novices, or those who have chapters needing an outside eye cast
over them. The course will cover characterisation, structure, voice,
and what to do when the going gets tough.
Rachel Seiffert’s books have been nominated for the Booker and
Orange Prizes and published in 18 languages. She’s taught creative
writing at Goldsmith’s College, Glasgow University, the Arvon
Foundation and the Humbolt University Berlin, amongst others. She
lives in London with her family.
Jess Richards’ debut novel, Snake Ropes, was shortlisted for the Costa
Awards, Green Carnation Prize and Scottish Book Awards. Cooking
with Bones was published in 2013. She is working on a collection of
poems/short stories alongside her third novel.
www.jessrichards.com
Guest:
Peter Salmon is an Australian writer living in the UK. His first novel,
The Coffee Story (2011), was a New Statesman Book of the Year. He
has written frequently for TV and radio and for the Guardian.
www.petersalmon.net
“Some writers walk or run, but I find
knitting helps the writing along: when
motor functions are occupied, the
higher functions can get whirring.”
RACHEL SEIFFERT
13
MIND, BODY
& SOUL
BREATHE IN, BREATHE OUT
Kevin MacNeil & Rachel Kelly
Guest: Kit Fraser
Yoga: Charlotte Esme Turner
DESCRIPTION
This course is inspired by the classical ideal of a healthy mind in a
healthy body. Elements will include: characters and how to include
them; your voice and how to make it attractive; how to get help
from others; how to get published. As well as being taught vital
writing skills in an engaging and encouraging manner, you will also
learn life-enhancing yoga and meditation techniques. The emphasis
will be on enjoying and developing your innate creativity.
Kevin MacNeil is an award-winning poet, novelist, editor and
writing tutor from the Outer Hebrides, now resident in London. His
books include Love and Zen in the Outer Hebrides and A Method Actor’s
Guide to Jekyll and Hyde. He is a keen cyclist and a practising Buddhist
with lots of experience of meditation techniques.
www.kevinmacneil.com
Rachel Kelly is a former Times journalist and author of the
bestselling memoir Black Rainbow: How words healed me – my journey
through depression as well as co-editor of the children’s poetry
anthology If: A Treasury of Poems for Almost Every Possibility.
www.blackrainbow.org.uk
Guest:
Kit Fraser is the author of three memoir/self-help books, including
The Joy of Talk and Old Age: My Three Best Friends Alcohol, Television
and God. He is the co-founder and chair of Moniack Mhor.
Yoga:
Charlotte Esme Turner will be leading morning yoga sessions.
www.charlotteturneryoga.com
14
MONDAY
JUNE 8
TO
SATURDAY
JUNE 13
POETRY
SMALL BUT PERFECTLY FORMED
MONDAY
JUNE 22
TO
SATURDAY
JUNE 27
Liz Lochhead & Ron Butlin
Guest: Stewart Conn
DESCRIPTION
‘Poetry makes you laugh, cry, prickle, be silent, makes your toenails
twinkle,’ said Dylan Thomas. In their workshops, Liz and Ron will
help you get in touch with your imagination and give it a voice to
create poems that do all these things. There will be writing, reading,
feedback, discussion, and there will be fun!
Liz Lochhead is Scotland’s National Poet Laureate. Her collections
include Frankenstein & Other Poems, and The Colour of Black and
White. She is also a prolific playwright and monologue writer and
performer.
Ron Butlin is a former Edinburgh Makar with an international
reputation as a prize-winning novelist. His work has won many
prizes and been translated into over a dozen languages. His most
recent collection, The Magicians of Edinburgh, is now in its sixth
printing.
www.ronbutlin.co.uk
Guest:
Stewart Conn was born in Glasgow, grew up in Ayrshire and has for
many years lived in Edinburgh. From 2002-2005 he was the capital’s
inaugural Edinburgh Makar. His latest collections are The Breakfast
Room and The Touch of Time: New & Selected Poems.
www.stewartconn.com
“I like to write in my armchair (I write
everything longhand) or in a garden
seat with warm sun. I welcome
occassional interruptions.”
LIZ LOCHHEAD
15
PROGRESSING
YOUR WORK
DON’T STOP NOW
Alan Bissett & Rodge Glass
Guest: Michel Faber
DESCRIPTION
What happens after that initial emotional burst? That furious
first draft? How do you harness your ideas and shape them into
something consistent and coherent, of publishable standard? This
course will focus on those crucial stages after you’ve begun to put
your ideas on paper and before they’re ready for the eyes of your
future readers.
Alan Bissett is the author of four novels, including Death of a Ladies
Man, and Pack Men, both of which were shortlisted for Scottish
Novel of the Year. He is also a performer, monologue writer and
playwright. In 2011 he was given the Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland’s
Scottish Writer of the Year Award.
www.alanbissett.com
Rodge Glass is the acclaimed author of three novels, a graphic novel,
and the winner of a Somerset Maugham Award for his biography of
Alasdair Gray. His collection LoveSexTravelMusik: Stories for the Easy Jet
Generation was published in 2013.
www.rodgeglass.com
Guest:
Michel Faber’s latest novel is called The Book of Strange New Things.
Other books include The Crimson Petal and the White, The Fahrenheit
Twins, The Apple and the Whitbread-shortlisted novel Under the Skin.
He has also written two novellas and has won several short-story
awards, including the Neil Gunn, Ian St James and Macallan. Born
in Holland, brought up in Australia, he now lives in the Scottish
Highlands.
16
MONDAY
JULY 6
TO
SATURDAY
JULY 11
WRITING FOR CHILDREN
AND YOUNG ADULTS
POSSIBILITIES AND PUNCH
MONDAY
JULY 13
TO
SATURDAY
JULY 18
Joan Lennon & Melvin Burgess
Guest: Anne Fine
DESCRIPTION
This course is about getting you going and helping you to carry
your work forward. Workshops will aim to help generate new ideas,
expand your toolset, experiment with settings, characters and plots,
and explore different approaches to writing fiction for readers aged
eight and up. There will also be chances to discuss on-going or new
work. This course is for all levels of ability.
Joan Lennon writes fiction for all ages from five up. Her most recent
young adult novel, Silver Skin, is set in Orkney. Joan has been an
Arvon tutor, a Jessie Kesson Fellow at Moniack Mhor and
writer-in-residence for the Bookmark Festival.
www.joanlennon.co.uk
Melvin Burgess has written over twenty novels for young adults.
He won the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Children’s Fiction
Prize in 1997 for his controversial novel Junk. His novel Doing It was
adapted as a television series called Life As We Know It.
www.melvinburgess.net
Guest:
Anne Fine is a distinguished writer for adults and children. She has
twice won both the Carnegie Medal and Whitbread Children’s Book
Award, plus numerous other awards here and abroad. She was the
second Children’s Laureate and is translated into 45 languages.
www.annefine.co.uk
A full bursary is available for one place on this course, kindly
donated by Mairi Hedderwick. Please see page 50.
17
FICTION
MAKING IT UP
Laura Marney & Brian McCabe
Guest: Jackie Kay
DESCRIPTION
Through workshops, writing practice, giving and receiving feedback
with other writers and tutors, stimulating and being stimulated with
new perspectives this course will help you discover what you really
want to write. Through reading, writing, thinking, walking, cooking,
and more writing, we’ll help you find the best way for you to write
it. Come and focus on your story in a nurturing environment. The
tutors promise not to bite.
Laura Marney’s novels include: No Wonder I Take a Drink, Nobody
Loves a Ginger Baby, Only Strange People go to Church, My Best Friend
Has Issues and her latest For Faughie’s Sake. She lectures in Creative
Writing at Glasgow University.
www.saraband.net
Brian McCabe has published several collections of poetry, a novel
and several collections of short stories, the most recent of which is A
Date With My Wife. He is currently Royal Literary Fellow at Glasgow
University and a Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of
Lancaster.
Guest:
Jackie Kay is a multi-prizewinning novelist, memoir writer,
playwright and poet. She won the Scottish Book of the Year Award
in 2012 with Red Dust Road. She was awarded an MBE in 2006, and
teaches creative writing at Newcastle University.
18
MONDAY
JULY 20
TO
SATURDAY
JULY 25
FICTION RETREAT
WITH TUITION
FINISH IT!
MONDAY
AUGUST 3
TO
SATURDAY
AUGUST 8
Romesh Gunesekera & Susanna Jones
Guest: Zoe Wicomb
DESCRIPTION
If you are writing fiction and need time to focus on it and get some
help, here is your chance. A writing retreat with two novelists who
will offer one to one tutorials and the opportunity to share your
work with other writers on the same journey. The emphasis of this
week will be on giving you time to write, with evening discussions
and readings. Writing should be enjoyable, this retreat will help you
make it so.
Romesh Gunesekera’s latest book of fiction is Noontide Toll,
published in 2014 together with the 20th anniversary edition of his
Booker shortlisted novel, Reef. He is the author of eight books of
fiction and the co-author of the Writers & Artists’ Companion to Novel
Writing (2015). He was also a judge for Granta’s Best of Young British
Novelists 2013.
www.romeshg.com
Susanna Jones is the author of The Earthquake Bird, Water Lily, The
Missing Person’s Guide to Love and When Nights Were Cold. She teaches
Creative Writing at Royal Holloway University of London.
www.susanna-jones.com
Guest:
Zoe Wicomb’s award winning novels include David’s Story and
October. She is Emeritus Professor at Strathclyde University where she
taught creative writing and postcolonial studies. In 2013, she won
Yale’s Windham-Campbell Literature Prize.
Optional submission of work ahead of the course.
19
NON
FICTION
INTERESTING TRUTH
Robert Twigger & Jason Webster
Guest: Todd McEwen
DESCRIPTION
Whatever your subject, the same principles of writing
non-fiction apply. Let these experienced tutors guide you through
the overwhelming process of selecting what information to use and
what to omit, shaping your structure, and teasing out the aspects
that will engage reader interest. This is a course for serious writers at
any level - beginners and fifth drafters alike.
Robert Twigger, the author of Angry White Pyjamas and Big Snake,
was born in 1964 and educated at Oxford, where he won the
Newdigate Poetry Prize. In 1991 he went to Japan, where he studied
traditional martial arts. He has walked 700 km across the Sahara to
the oracle at Siwa, been looking for bona fide zombies in Haiti, and
reported for the Daily Telegraph on chain gangs in Arizona.
Jason Webster is the author of the Max Cámara series of books as
well as historical, non-fiction and travel writing. Born in
San Francisco and educated at Oxford, he then moved to Spain, the
subject of Duende: A Journey in Search of Flamenco. Non-fiction works
include Andalus: Unlocking the secrets of Moorish Spain, Guerra: Living
in the shadows of the Spanish Civil War and Sacred Sierra: A year on a
Spanish mountain.
Guest:
Todd McEwen was born in California and has lived in Scotland
since 1980. His non-fiction work includes literary reviews and articles
for quality broadsheets. His novels include McX: A Romance of the
Dour and Who Sleeps with Katz. His latest book is The Five Simple
Machines. He lives in Edinburgh.
20
MONDAY
AUGUST 10
TO
SATURDAY
AUGUST 15
FICTION
THE FICTIVE SPINE
MONDAY
AUGUST 17
TO
SATURDAY
AUGUST 22
Marilyn Bowering & Stephen May
Guest: Mikey Cuddihy
DESCRIPTION
Whether you are just beginning a work of fiction, or are half-way
through, or simply have ideas, characters or images—this course will
help you locate a narrative backbone and leave you better able to
tackle the next stage. What kind of story is it? Where does it fit in
the writing landscape? Explore and develop your voice.
Marilyn Bowering is a prizewinning poet, librettist and novelist
who lives in British Columbia. Her most recent novel is What It
Takes To Be Human. A new novel, Pearl and the Storytellers Academy, is
forthcoming.
Stephen May’s first novel Tag won the Reader’s Prize at the 2009
Wales Book of the Year. His second Life! Death! Prizes! was shortlisted
for the 2012 Costa Novel Award. His latest book Wake Up Happy Every
Day was published by Bloomsbury in 2014. He is also an experienced
teacher of creative writing.
www.sdmay.com
Guest:
Mikey Cuddihy’s first book, A Conversation About Happiness, was
published in 2014. Born in America, long time London resident,
Mikey also works as an artist.
“When I am writing I am tormented
by the idea of all the food I could be
eating...”
STEPHEN MAY
21
WRITING & PLACE
PLACES, WORLDS AND WORDS
Linda Cracknell & Valerie Gillies
Guest: Sir John Lister-Kaye
DESCRIPTION
We take as our premise that words, imagination and place are
inseparable. By exploring the landscape local to Moniack Mhor and
its different possibilities in writing, you will discover new ways of
interpreting places. You have open possibilities for the use of form
– poetry, fiction, non-fiction and more – all richly grounded in this
fascination.
Linda Cracknell’s novel Call of the Undertow (2013) – set on the
rugged coast of Caithness at Scotland’s furthest edge – and
non-fiction book Doubling Back: Ten Paths Trodden in Memory (2014)
are both strongly shaped by their landscapes.
www.lindacracknell.com
Valerie Gillies is the author of nine books of poetry and non-fiction.
A weathered poet with four decades of fieldwork behind her, she is
a true guide to Scotland, and beyond. Her most recent book, The
Cream of the Well: New and Selected Poems, was published in 2015.
Valerie has been a writer-in-residence at several universities, a Royal
Literary Fellow and a tutor on Moniack Mhor courses.
www.valeriegillies.com
Guest
Sir John Lister-Kaye is one of Scotland’s best-known naturalists and
conservationists, a columnist and author. Song of the Rolling Earth
was published in 2003, Nature’s Child in 2004 and At the Water’s Edge
in 2010. Gods of the Morning is to be published in spring 2015. He
lives at Aigas, near Beauly, where he founded the internationally
acclaimed Aigas Field Centre
www.lister-kaye.co.uk
22
MONDAY
AUGUST 24
TO
SATURDAY
AUGUST 29
HISTORICAL
FICTION
GOING BACKWARDS
MONDAY
SEPTEMBER 7
TO
SATURDAY
SEPTEMBER 12
Shona MacLean & Richard Mason
Guest: Janet Paisley
DESCRIPTION
This course will consider key points in writing historical novels,
including: creating a sense of place – physical and psychological;
character – getting in to their heads; dialogue – achieving an
impression of authenticity; research – enough, too much, or not
showing it; material culture – clothing, art, architecture, interiors,
music – how will you use them? The tutors will also consider ethical
issues – treatment of real historical characters, moral anachronism
and making judgements.
Shona MacLean is a native Highlander with a Ph.D. in Scottish
History. Her four Alexander Seaton novels are set in seventeenth
century Scotland. The Seeker, the first in a new series set in
Cromwellian London, will be released in 2015.
Richard Mason was born in South Africa, and brought up in the UK.
His first novel, The Drowning People was published to wide critical
acclaim in 1999, and won the Grinzane Cavour Prize for Best First
Novel.
www.richard-mason.org
Guest:
Janet Paisley is an award-winning Scottish poet, author, playwright,
non-fiction, script and screen writer, writing in Scots and English.
Her work has been translated into twelve languages. The historical
novels are White Rose Rebel, and Warrior Daughter, as well as the
play The Lasses, O, on the life of poet Robert Burns. In 2012, Warrior
Daughter was named as a major work in Professor Alan Riach’s open
Canon of Scottish literature.
www.janetpaisley.com
23
MEMOIR
A RELATIVE TRUTH
Janice Galloway & Jennie Erdal
Guest: Candia McWilliam
DESCRIPTION
Everyone has at least one story: How best to tell it in writing is the
crucial question. In joint and individual sessions the tutors will offer
guidance on different approaches to memoir writing, the role of
memory and imagination within it, ways in which the narrative can
be shaped and sustained, and the blurred lines between memoir and
fiction. The vital importance of voice, place, character, perspective
and structure will also be explored. Best suited to writers with some
experience and plenty of questions for discussion.
Janice Galloway was born in Ayrshire and is a multi-award winning
writer of fiction, memoir, and non-fiction. The Trick is to Keep
Breathing, was published in 1990. Since, Janice has published a
further two novels, two books of short stories, one volume of antimemoir, two collaborative books of short fiction and poetry with
sculptor Anne Bevan, libretti, poems and one lonely play.
www.galloway.1to1.org
Jennie Erdal’s memoir Ghosting: A Double Life became an
international best seller and Radio 4 Book of the Week. Her novel
The Missing Shade of Blue is about love, loss and the illusory nature of
happiness. She teaches creative writing at the University of Dundee.
Guest:
Candia McWilliam‘s first novel A Case of Knives, published in 1988,
was the winner of a Betty Trask Prize, A Little Stranger was published
in 1989. Both books won Scottish Arts Council Book Awards.
Debatable Land, published in 1994, won the Guardian Fiction Prize,
and the Premio Grinzane Cavour for the best foreign novel of the
year. A memoir on losing her sight, What to Look for in Winter was
published in 2010.
24
MONDAY
SEPTEMBER 14
TO
SATURDAY
SEPTEMBER 19
Pull me out and pin me on your wall!
2015
PROGRAMME CALENDAR
For me to be asked to be a patron of Moniack
Mhor Writing Centre is a triple delight and
honour.
Moniack Mhor’s location is wild and
‘islanded’, its staff and ethos are warm (log
fires) and welcoming (full larders), and it is
Scotland’s first Independent Writing Centre.
Three fine essentials for literary exploration
and inspiration whether author, tutor or
student.
MAIRI HEDDERWICK
2015
PROGRAMME
RETREAT
January 19th – 24th
----------------------------------------------------------------------------February 26th – March 1st
FICTION – LET US BEGIN Tutors: Kapka Kassabova & Elizabeth Reeder
----------------------------------------------------------------------------March 30th – April 4th
DUNDEE UNI WRITING PRACTICE
Tutor: Kirsty Gunn, Lindsay MacGregor, Jim Stewart & Eddie Small
----------------------------------------------------------------------------April 13th – 18th
SHORT STORY
Tutors: Bernard MacLaverty & Claire Keegan
Guest: A L Kennedy
“Whatever I wear while writing has to be big. Favourites
are a big linen shirt (summer)
a big cashmere jumper (winter). Barefoot in summer, socks
in winter. ”
MORAG JOSS
----------------------------------------------------------------------------LET US BEGIN
April 20th – 25th
Tutors: Tim Pears & Jenn Ashworth
Guest: Anne Donovan
----------------------------------------------------------------------------May 14th – 17th
SCIENCE FICTION
Tutors: Mike Cobley & Ken MacLeod
----------------------------------------------------------------------------May 25th – 30th
CRIME
Tutors: Val McDermid & Louise Welsh
----------------------------------------------------------------------------June 1st – 6th
NOVEL
Tutors: Jess Richards & Rachel Seiffert
Guest: Peter Salmon
----------------------------------------------------------------------------MIND BODY SOUL
June 8th – 13th
Tutors: Kevin MacNeil & Rachel Kelly
Guest: Kit Fraser
----------------------------------------------------------------------------POETRY
June 22nd – 27th
Tutors: Liz Lochhead & Ron Butlin
Guest: Stewart Conn
----------------------------------------------------------------------------PROGRESSING YOUR WORK July 6th – 11th
Tutors: Alan Bissett & Rodge Glass
Guest: Michel Faber
----------------------------------------------------------------------------WRITING FOR CHILDREN/YOUNG PEOPLE July 13th – 18th
Tutors: Joan Lennon & Melvin Burgess
Guest: Anne Fine
----------------------------------------------------------------------------FICTION
July 20th – 25th
Tutors: Laura Marney & Brian McCabe
Guest: Jackie Kay
----------------------------------------------------------------------------POETRY WORKSHOP August 2nd
Tutors: John Glenday & Liz Niven
“I actually like to listen to
weird contemporary classical
music while writing, it makes
the brain work harder.”
PETER SALMON
FICTION RETREAT
August 3rd – 8th
Tutors: Susanna Jones & Romesh Gunesekera
Guest: Zoe Wicomb
COURSE PRICES:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------August 10th – 15th
NON-FICTION
including tuition
& full board
Tutors: Robert Twigger & Jason Webster
Guest: Todd McEwen
£550 single room
£490 shared room
----------------------------------------------------------------------------FICTION
August 17th – 22nd
Tutors: Marilyn Bowering & Steve May
Guest: Mikey Cuddihy
----------------------------------------------------------------------------August 24th – 29th
NATURE WRITING
Tutors: Linda Cracknell & Valerie Gillies
Guest: Sir John Lister Kaye
Monday - Saturday courses
£150 deposit required
3 DAY COURSES
----------------------------------------------------------------------------THRILLER
September 3rd – 6th
£375 single room
£325 shared room
Tutors: Peter Robinson & Morag Joss
Guest: William McIlvanney
£75 deposit required
----------------------------------------------------------------------------September 7th – 12th
HISTORICAL FICTION Tutors: Shona MacLean & Richard Mason
Guest: Janet Paisley
----------------------------------------------------------------------------MEMOIR
September 14th – 19th
Tutors: Janice Galloway & Jennie Erdal
Guest: Candia McWilliam
----------------------------------------------------------------------------POETRY RETREAT
September 28th – October 3rd
RETREATS - £250
SHORT RETREATS - £200
GRANTS AVAILABLE TO SUPPORT
WITH COURSE FEES
TEACHER GRANTS AVAILABLE
Tutors: Peter & Ann Sansom
Guests: Jo Shapcott & John Burnside
----------------------------------------------------------------------------TRAVEL
October 12th – 17th
Tutors: Mairi Hedderwick & Chris Stewart
Guest: Nick Thorpe
----------------------------------------------------------------------------FICTION RETREAT
October 29th – November 1st
Tutors: Chris Dolan & Dilys Rose
----------------------------------------------------------------------------PLAYWRITING
November 2nd – 7th
Tutors: Simon Stephens & Lucy Kirkwood
Guest: Laura Wade
----------------------------------------------------------------------------COMIC NOVEL WRITING
November 12th – 15th
Tutors: Helen Lederer & David Nobbs
----------------------------------------------------------------------------SHORT RETREAT
December 10th – 13th
Guest: Bettany Hughes
TO BOOK:
Phone:
01463 741 675
Email:
info@moniackmhor.org.uk
Online:
www.moniackmhor.org.uk
DONT FORGET!
Sign up to the mailing list at
www.moniackmhor.org.uk
Our eco-friendly Straw Bale House under construction.
The house is complete for the 2015 programme.
WWW.MONIACKMHOR.ORG.UK
|
01463 741 675
|
INFO@MONIACKMHOR.ORG.UK
POETRY RETREAT
WITH TUITION
WRITING AND REWRITING
MONDAY
SEPTEMBER 28
TO
MONDAY
OCTOBER 3
Peter and Ann Sansom
Guests: Jo Shapcott & John Burnside
DESCRIPTION
This is a retreat with a difference. Writers will send a short portfolio
of poems in advance for Ann and Peter to mark up as they would
any of their list (‘real old fashioned editing - invaluable’ as Blake
Morrison says). There will also be (optional) writing workshops
to generate new work which will then be discussed alongside the
submitted poems in order to consider the writing and editing
process.
Peter Sansom’s collections include Selected Poems and Writing Poems.
Peter has been writer in residence with M&S and the Prudential, and
taught at Leeds and Manchester Universities. Together with Anne,
they co-direct the ACE-initiative Writing School for published poets
and The Poetry Business.
Ann Sansom’s publications include Romance and In Praise of Men &
Other People. Ann has worked as a writer with First Direct Bank and
has been Guest Poet at the Times Educational Supplement. She has
taught poetry at Sheffield Hallam, Manchester Metropolitan and
Oxford Universities.
www.annsansom.co.uk
John Burnside teaches at the University of St Andrews. His poetry
collections include Black Cat Bone, (2011) which won both the
Forward and the T. S. Eliot Prize and, most recently, All One Breath,
(2014).
Jo Shapcott was born in London. Poems from her three awardwinning collections are gathered in a selected poems, Her Book
(2000). She has won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best
First Collection, the Forward Prize for Best Collection, a Costa Book
Award for Of Mutability and the National Poetry Competition (twice).
In 2011, Jo Shapcott was awarded the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry.
www.joshapcott.com
29
TRAVEL
RETRANSLATING THE WORLD
Mairi Hedderwick & Chris Stewart
Guest: Nick Thorpe
DESCRIPTION
Our travel writing tutors have a singular way of looking at travel
writing and the teaching of it. Expect some iconoclasm and
unorthodoxy. Expect the passion that comes from loving the work.
Expect humour and lightness, but by the end of the course, you will
possess some of the knowledge they’ve gleaned from over a hundred
years of experience.
Mairi Hedderwick’s travel writing includes Sea Change and A
Hebridean Journey, both illustrated personal journeys with the
backdrop of the Highlands and Islands. She is also the author and
illustrator of many children’s books, the most popular being the
Katie Morag series. A graduate of Edinburgh College of Art, she was
awarded an Honorary Degree from Stirling University in 2003.
Chris Stewart was born in Sussex in 1951 to a family that barely
knew the difference between a sheep and a pig. Through an unlikely
concatenation of events he went to China in the eighties to write
the first Rough Guide. Later he moved to a farm in the mountains
of southern Spain, where he wrote Driving Over Lemons. He has just
published his fifth book, Last Days of the Bus Club.
www.drivingoverlemons.co.uk
Guest:
Nick Thorpe was born in 1970 and grew up near London, he now
lives in Edinburgh with his wife and young son. His latest book
is Urban Worrier: Adventures in the Lost Art of Letting Go. Adrift in
Caledonia: Boat-hitching for the Unenlightened (2006), charts his 2500mile journey around Scotland by boat. Eight Men and a Duck, (2003)
his critically-acclaimed first book, recounts his voyage to Easter
Island by reed boat.
www.nickthorpe.co.uk
A full bursary is available for one place on this course, kindly
donated by Mairi Hedderwick. Please see page 50.
30
MONDAY
OCTOBER 12
TO
SATURDAY
OCTOBER 17
PLAYWRITING
AND NOW FOR SOMETHING
COMPLETELY DIFFERENT...
MONDAY
NOVEMBER 2
TO
SATURDAY
NOVEMBER 7
Simon Stephens & Lucy Kirkwood
Guest: Laura Wade
DESCRIPTION
An active interrogation on the mechanics of playwriting, this
course will creatively examine the use of dramatic action, character,
location, narrative and structure in the making of a play. This course
is useful both for playwrights at the beginning of their career and
for writers who have written one or two plays and are looking to
develop their craft.
Simon Stephens has written over twenty plays that have been
produced all over the world. These include Port, Pornography and the
adaptation of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime. He won
the Laurence Olivier Award for best new play.
Lucy Kirkwood is a writer for stage and screen. Her plays have been
performed at The Royal Court, The National Theatre, the West End,
and up an alley in Dalston.
Guest:
Laura Wade’s plays include Posh (Royal Court and Duke of York’s
Theatre, West End), Breathing Corpses (Royal Court), Alice (Crucible
Theatre, Sheffield), Other Hands and Colder Than Here (Soho Theatre).
Laura Wade’s plays are published by Oberon Books.
“I like to wear really excellent shoes
while writing.”
SIMON STEPHENS
31
SHORT TUTORED COURSES
Short courses run from Thursday afternoon
until noon on Sunday.
Single Room: £375
Shared Room: £325
Grants available, please see page 48 for
booking details
“Ususally I write in silence but if the
seagulls or neighbours are being noisy
I put on instrumental music (no vocals
because I can’t cope with two sets of
words going on).”
SUSANNA JONES
32
LET US BEGIN
FIRST STEPS IN FICTION
THURSDAY
FEBRUARY 26
TO
SUNDAY
MARCH 1
Kapka Kassabova
& Elizabeth Reeder
DESCRIPTION
Over the weekend, you will have a chance to play with the key
ingredients that give fiction life. With intensive tutoring from two
experienced novelists, you will explore ways of harnessing
real-life environments into fiction, and of using your imagination
as a starting point. This course is suited to those who are starting to
write fiction. The aim is to encourage you to discover your areas of
creative strength.
Kapka Kassabova grew up in Bulgaria, was university-educated in
New Zealand and is now settled in the Scottish Highlands. She is a
poet and the author of the novel Villa Pacifica and the biographies
Street Without A Name and Twelve Minutes of Love.
www.kapka-kassabova.com
Elizabeth Reeder, originally from Chicago, now calls Scotland
home. Her debut novel, Ramshackle (2012) was shortlisted for
the Scottish Mortgage Investment Best First Book Award and the
Saltire First Book Award. She teaches Creative Writing at Glasgow
University.
www.ekreeder.com
“I need peace to get in the writing
mood, and avoid the internet and
emailing with its mental noise.”
KAPKA KASSABOVA
33
SCIENCE FICTION
& FANTASY
GETTING WAY OUT THERE
Michael Cobley & Ken MacLeod
DESCRIPTION
Writing science fiction and fantasy demands all the skills of realistic
fiction - plot, pace, character, setting and dialogue - and a few more
besides: creative and consistent world-building, and a knack for
drawing on the sources of fantastic fiction, whether it’s science,
history, myth, magic or all of them together. Michael Cobley and
Ken MacLeod can help you sharpen your general and specific
writing skills to make your tale of other worlds something out of the
ordinary.
Michael Cobley was born in 1959, and has written fantasy, science
fiction, cyberpunk and horror, as well as criticism and review. His
novels include Shadowkings fantasy trilogy (2001-2005) and the
Humanty’s Fire space opera trilogy (2009-2012). He has written a
number of short stories, collected in Iron Mosaic (2004). Ancestral
Machines, a standalone novel set in the Humanity’s Fire universe, is
out in 2015.
www.michaelcobley.com
Ken MacLeod is the author of fourteen SF novels, from The Star
Fraction (1995) to Descent (2014), and many short stories. In 2013
and 2014 he was Writer in Residence on the MA Creative Writing
course at Edinburgh Napier University.
“My study is an examplar of
compacted data, books and CDs
abound on all sides.”
MICHAEL COBLEY
34
THURSDAY
MAY 14
TO
SUNDAY
MAY 17
THRILLER!
MAKE THEM SCREAM
THURSDAY
SEPTEMBER 3
TO
SUNDAY
SEPTEMBER 6
Morag Joss & Peter Robinson
Guest: William MacIlvanney
DESCRIPTION
What is a thriller, and what makes it thrilling? We’ll consider
the very wide spectrum of the thriller genre and explore how the
constituents of nearly all prose fiction – character, plot, description,
dialogue – can be put to work in thriller writing to create the kind of
pace, jeopardy, tension and suspense that keeps a reader turning the
page.
Morag Joss’s first three novels are whodunnits but she now writes
what some critics describe as ‘psychological suspense’ and others
consider literary fiction such as Our Picnics in the Sun. Awards and
nominations include the CWA Silver Dagger and the USA Edgar
Award. She is Writer in Residence at Reading University and is
currently working on her ninth novel.
www.moragjoss.com
Peter Robinson has written over twenty books and won awards in
many countries for his Inspector Banks series of detective novels. The
Inspector Banks novels have been named a “Best Book of the Year”
by Publishers Weekly, a “Notable Book” by the New York Times,
and a “Page Turner of the Week” by People. Robinson was born and
brought up in Yorkshire, and now divides his time between North
America and the UK.
www.inspectorbanks.com
Guest:
William MacIlvanney’s first novel, Remedy is None, won the
Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize and with Docherty he won the
Whitbread Award for Fiction. Laidlaw and The Papers of Tony Veitch
both gained Silver Daggers from the Crime Writers’ Association.
Strange Loyalties, the third in the Detective Laidlaw trilogy, won the
Glasgow Herald’s People’s Prize.
www.personaldispatches.com
35
FICTION RETREAT
WITH TUITION
MOVING IT ALONG
Dilys Rose & Chris Dolan
DESCRIPTION
Stuck with a story or novel chapter? This is an opportunity to receive
individual feedback from both tutors on one draft story or novel
chapter and to make a work in progress a working story/chapter. As
light relief, we’ll offer ice-breakers and readings.
Dilys Rose has published eleven books, including Red Tides, Pest
Maiden and Pelmanism and is programme director for the online
creative writing MSc at the University of Edinburgh.
Chris Dolan was born in Glasgow and is an award-winning poet,
author and playwright. As well as writing plays, he translates from
and to Spanish, and writes for radio. His first novel, Ascension Day,
was published in 1998, and won the McKitterick Prize. His book Poor
Angels and Other Stories (1995) was shortlisted for the Saltire Society
Scottish First Book of the Year Award. He has also won awards for
his journalism and is a former winner of the Macallan/Scotland on
Sunday Short Story Competition.
Optional submission of work ahead of the course.
“To drink while writing? Coffee all the
way. Lava Java, black, and as strong as
you like.”
KEN MACLEOD
36
THURSDAY
OCTOBER 29
TO
SUNDAY
NOVEMBER 1
COMIC FICTION
THURSDAY
NOVEMBER 12
TO
SUNDAY
NOVEMBER 16
David Nobbs & Helen Lederer
Guest: John Hegley
DESCRIPTION
Wondering how to make your readers smile or - even better - laugh
out loud while also exciting them with a punchy plot? What
actually makes a comic novel comic? Join us as we laugh our way
towards success.
David Nobbs is one of Britain’s best loved comedy writers, with over
twenty novels, seven of which he’s adapted for television, including
The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin and A Bit of a Do. He did a one
man show last October, including Harrogate Comedy Festival.
www.davidnobbs.com
Helen Ledereris a comedy writer with a portfolio including writing
and performing her own material. She was part of the early 1980’s
comedians, including French and Saunders, with the late Rik Mayall
who began at London’s Comedy Store. She’s written for radio
including Life with Lederer and All Change Books include: Coping with
Helen Lederer and Single Minding. Her comedy novel Losing It is out in
February 2015
www.helenlederer.co.uk
Guest:
John Hegley writes prose verse and dialogue on everyday topics:
spuds, specs and the spaces between humans. He was Keats House
Poet in Residence in 2012 and instigated the vegetable Olympics to
celebrate John Keats’ celery-sword fencing with his landlady.
37
RETREATS
Retreats are untutored. Writers are free to
work all day, with an option of coming
together over an evening meal.
Please see page 48 for booking information.
“Some of my books have soundtracks,
like Everything but the Girl for my
novel, Fremont, or I’ll have specific
songs in my head that give a bit of
depth or context (like To Build a Home
by Cinematic Orchestra and Casimir
Polaski Day by Sufjan Stevens for my
current novel), but as the norm, I don’t
listen to music while I’m writing.”
ELIZABETH REEDER
38
NEW YEAR
NEW START
JANUARY 19 - 24
£250 per single room
Run away to Moniack Mhor for a spell
of quiet productivity in the company of
like-minded writers. Wood fires, communal
evening dining, hill walking, inspiring views.
Come and devote yourself to your writing
in unspoiled winter splendour. Single rooms
only.
SHORT RETREAT
DECEMBER 10 - 13
Guest Lecture by
Dr. Bettany Hughes
on Saturday 12th Dec.
£200 per single room
DESCRIPTION
This short retreat offers a chance to focus
on your work in inspiring surroundings,
and will especially benefit those working on
history projects.
Dr Bettany Hughes is a multi-award winning historian, author and broadcaster, specialising
in medieval and ancient history. She’s taught at many universities including Cambridge and
Oxford. She’s written and presented over forty programs for television and radio, reaching
over 250 million people worldwide. Her first book Helen of Troy: Goddess, Princess, Whore has
been translated into ten languages. Her second book The Hemlock Cup, Socrates, Athens and
the Search for the Good Life, was a New York Times bestseller.
39
SPECIAL EVENTS
A new series of one-off events with industry
professionals. Evenings include a welcome
drink and will be held in the Straw Bale
Studio by the fire. If you are coming
from further afield we can help you find
accommodation locally.
“My favourite place to write is on night
buses round Patagonia. If you can
write there, you can write anywhere.”
RODGE GLASS
40
EDEN COURT
FILM NIGHT
NON-CLUNKY
NON-FICTION
WITH CLAIRE KEEGAN
LOOKING AT THE DEAD
WITH DAVID ROBINSON
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH EDEN COURT
Tuesday January 6th – 7.00pm
Saturday February 7th – 7.30pm
£15 including welcome drink
DESCRIPTION
DESCRIPTION
After a screening of The Dead, one of
Ireland’s foremost writers Claire Keegan will
talk about James Joyce’s writing of the short
story.
David Robinson will reveal what Looking for
Truman Capote taught him about literary
style, confidence – and deceit.
Claire Keegan won the William Trevor Prize,
the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature, the
Olive Cook Award, and the Davey Byrnes
Award, as well as other accolades. Her
collections include Antarctica, and Walk in
the Blue Field.
19.00 The Dead (82mins)
20.30 Lecture by Claire Keegan
Tickets:
£8 adults
£7.50 concession
£5 under 18s and students
Friends of Eden Court get £1 off
Contact Eden Court Box Office on
01463 234 234 or
www.eden-court.co.uk
David Robinson has been Books Editor of
The Scotsman since 2000 and of Scotland
on Sunday since 2011. He is also the author
of In Cold Ink, a collection of essays and
interviews with leading Scottish, British and
American authors (2011).
41
POETRY WORKSHOP
READER’S BLOCK VERSUS WRITER’S BLOCK
WITH JOHN GLENDAY & LIZ NIVEN
Sunday August 2nd – 10am - 4pm
£45 for the day, including lunch
DESCRIPTION
Spend an enjoyable day in the wonderful
setting of Moniack Mhor taking part in
practical exercises and discussions aimed
at encouraging creativity, sharing draft
work and learning redrafting techniques to
produce finished work that really speaks to
the reader. Equally suitable for those just
beginning to write or with some experience.
Liz Niven is a Glasgow-born, Dumfriesbased poet writing in Scots and English.
She has published four poetry collections
and several pamphlets, The Shard Box was
a Scottish Libraries Summer Read and her
Scots work has several times been recipient
of the McCash/Herald Award.
John Glenday’s most recent collection Grain
was shortlisted for the Ted Hughes Award
and the Griffin International Prize. A fourth
collection is out in 2015.
“Trust the process, and don’t allow the
critical thought police in on the act.”
PETER AND ANN SANSOM
42
LIFTING THE LID
WHAT LITERARY ON SCOTTISH
AGENTS DO
PUBLISHING
WITH JENNY BROWN
WITH ADRIAN SEARLE
Sunday November 1st – 7.30pm
Saturday November 21st – 7.30pm
£15 including welcome drink
£15 including welcome drink
DESCRIPTION
DESCRIPTION
You’ve at last written the words The End –
but what happens to your manuscript now?
Literary agent Jenny Brown advises how to
get your work noticed by agents and editors,
and gives an overview of your options, from
traditional publishing, independent presses –
to going it alone by self-publishing.
Freight Books is one of Scotland’s most
innovative and exciting independent
publishers, dedicated to high quality fiction,
poetry and non-fiction. With a clutch of
awards, publisher Adrian Searle lifts the lid
on founding a new imprint from scratch,
dishing the dirt on the saints and sinners,
the highs and lows, and why publishing is
like owning a football club for poor, literate
Guardian readers.
Jenny Brown founded Jenny Brown
Associates in 2002, and now represents 50
writers of literary fiction, nature writing
and crime writing. She was formerly first
Director of the Edinburgh International
Book Festival and Head of Literature at the
Scottish Arts Council.
Adrian Searle studied History and History
of Art at the University of Edinburgh
and Creative Writing at the University of
Glasgow. He is founding co-editor of Gutter,
and has edited a number of anthologies of
new writing. He co-authored award-winning
101 Uses of a Dead Kindle (2012) with the
artist Judith Hastie and If Dogs Could Swear
in October 2013. Adrian co-authored Look
Up Glasgow with David Barbour in 2013 and
Look Up Edinburgh in October 2014. He lives
in Glasgow.
www.jennybrownassociates.com
www.freightbooks.com
43
This is an exciting time for Moniack Mhor
in its first year as Scotland’s independent
centre for writers. The range of expertise
and resources the centre can provide for
new, aspiring or continuing writers is
matched only by the beauty of its setting
in the hills above Loch Ness.
I am delighted to be a patron of Moniack
Mhor and wish the staff, and the writers
who come here, every success in the weeks
and months ahead.
JAMES ROBERTSON
ABOUT THE CENTRE
Moniack Mhor is close to some of Scotland’s
most iconic landmarks, overlooking the
dramatic mountain ranges of Ben Wyvis and
Strathfarrar. It is three miles from Loch Ness
and close to the Great Glen Way footpath,
linking the east and west coasts of Highland
Scotland. Nearby are the interpretative hill
and forest walks of the Abriachan Forest
Trust. The stunning location is there for
exploration and, if you are coming for
a full length course, the centre staff will
lead an optional walk in the local vicinity.
The centre is within reach of national
and international air, rail and bus links at
Inverness which lies just 14 miles away.
The centre is a converted steading, a
cottage, innovative straw bale studio and
a community garden. There’s a large,
communal kitchen and comfortable sitting
room. All bedrooms have a writing desk,
and bathrooms are shared. Accommodation
is simple and creates an environment where
you can feel at home and get the most out of
your writing time.
Taxis to and from Inverness to the centre are
arranged for you, details of your travel times
will be collected ahead of the course. We can
recommend local bed and breakfasts if you
would like to stay on longer in the area.
We stock a small amount of commonly
requested sundries, and anything else can be
purchased by a member of staff for you.
“Open air and birdsong are the
inspiration to my writing. ”
VALERIE GILLIES
45
THE CENTRE HAS:
• Tutor books for sale
• Ten single rooms
• Two shared rooms
• Wifi in the communal areas
(the connection can be slow,
please use sparingly!)
• Two desktop computers
• One laptop
• A printer/scanner
• A payphone
• Bikes for student use
• Yoga mats
• Maps and books
on the local area
• A library
WHAT TO BRING:
In addition to anything you need for the
week, we suggest you bring:
• Boots or trainers suitable for walking on rough paths
• Slippers
• A waterproof jacket
• Warm clothes
• Writing materials: everyone’s habits
are different so bring what you need, laptop, paper, pens etc.
• A USB memory stick for printing
• Cash for taxis, wine, tutors books or sundries. There is no cash machine nearby
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HOW TO BOOK
Bookings can be made in the following ways:
• Phone the centre on 01463 741 675
• Book online at www.moniackmhor.org.uk
• Email us on info@moniackmhor.org.uk
When you phone to make a booking, please
have ready the course title along with your
contact details and any dietary, learning or
access requirements you may have.
A deposit of £150 is required on Monday
to Saturday courses, and of £75 for short
courses. It can be paid via PayPal, by cheque
or by bank transfer. The balance of the full
course fee is due six weeks prior to the course
starting. You will be reminded by email.
PAYMENT IN INSTALMENTS
Courses can be paid for in monthly
instalments, providing the full balance is
paid six weeks prior to the course beginning.
If this is of interest to you, please phone or
email the centre to discuss payment plans.
GRANTS
Moniack Mhor offers grants to those who
may find course fees a prohibitive barrier
to attending a course. We will provide a
simple application form for you to fill in
and also require evidence of financial need.
Following receipt of an application, we can
normally make a decision in one week. If
you are interested in a grant, please contact
us to discuss the details.
Primary and secondary school teachers are
also eligible for teachers’ grants of £100
towards a full course.
GIFT VOUCHERS
If you would like to buy a special gift for a
friend, we can provide a gift voucher for any
amount.
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UNDER 18s
Those aged 16 to 18 are welcome to book a
single room on open courses. We require a
letter of consent from a parent or guardian.
See more about our youth programme on
page 51.
CANCELLATIONS
If possible, please let us know six weeks
before the course if you can’t make it.
Your deposit will be returned less a £50
cancellation charge. If a place is cancelled
after this time, unfortunately we have to
retain the full deposit. If you have already
paid the full amount, we will do our best to
find someone else to take your place and, if
we succeed, the balance of your full course
fee (less the deposit) will be returned. If we
cannot re-fill your place, we will retain the
full fee. Please see our booking terms and
conditions on our website.
ACCESS
The kitchen, two bedrooms, and communal
spaces, as well as a wheelchair accessible
wetroom are situated downstairs. There is a
hearing loop in the main house, and guide
dogs are welcome, just let us know. We can
also provide mobility equipment if needed.
If you would like to come with a carer or
support worker, please contact the centre to
discuss accommodation options.
THE COURSE EXPERIENCE
‘...the perfect environment for aspiring writers
to dig down and find what it is they really want to say.
It’s an enormously stimulating place to be’
- Val McDermid
Courses at Moniack Mhor provide an
atmosphere for you to fully immerse yourself
in the writing process. The centre is your
home for the duration, free from distractions
and where you will find yourself part of a
nurturing writing community.
The residential course runs with up to
14 writers and each is tutored by two
established, experienced tutors. On long
courses, mornings are spent in workshops
and afternoons in one-to-one tutorials, you
can expect one half hour tutorial with each
tutor during your stay. These invaluable
sessions will provide the opportunity to have
an in-depth look at your work. Depending
on the course length or purpose, structure
may alter slightly. On full courses, there will
be the opportunity to stretch your legs in the
local landscape, with a walk guided by staff.
Often, people spend their free time doing
yoga in the straw bale studio, running or
reading.
Evenings are spent in the company of the
group. Tutors read on a Tuesday evening
and a guest reader visits on Wednesday. On
Friday the week culminates with the fire
on in the straw bale studio sharing what
you have created through the week in an
informal ceilidh event.
Moniack Mhor staff will welcome you
with a meal on the first night. All food
is included and we can cater for dietary
requirements. Once, during your stay, you
will be part of a cooking team, preparing a
simple but delicious meal for your fellow
writers. Breakfast is a DIY affair and lunch is
buffet style. Alcohol is not included in the
course price, but is available. Centre staff
will support you through the week with any
practical queries.
“I need to walk to write.“
LINDA CRACKNELL
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SUPPORT FOR WRITERS
THE JESSIE KESSON FELLOWSHIP
MAIRI HEDDERWICK BURSARY
This fellowship is to celebrate the life and
work of Jessie Kesson, who was born in
Inverness and lived near Moniack Mhor.
Her work includes The White Bird Passes
and Another Time, Another Place. This is
an opportunity for a published writer to
spend the month of March at the centre,
developing their own work and delivering
workshops in local schools. Applications
close in early December. Previous fellows
include: Sheree Mack, Donald S Murray,
Lorna Jane Waite, Joan Lennon and ChiewSiah Tei.
Our patron and supporter, Mairi
Hedderwick, has kindly agreed to sponsor
one place on the Travel Writing and Writing
for Children courses. For application details
please see
THE DR GAVIN WALLACE FELLOWSHIP
Moniack Mhor is proud to host the second
Dr Gavin Wallace Fellowship. This annual
award was established in 2013 by Creative
Scotland to honour Dr Gavin Wallace for his
stoic passion and commitment to supporting
the Scottish Literature community.
www.moniackmhor.org.uk/mairihedderwickbursary
THE BAKER PRIZE
Administered by the Skye Reading Room.
The centre provides a judge and the prize
of a residential writing course for the
unpublished writer award.
www.theskyereadingroom.wordpress.com
GUEST READER TOUR
Our guest writer often reads or does a
workshop in other Highland venues.
Currently this tour is delivered in
partnership with the Highland Literary Salon
who run a monthly open event for writers
and readers in the area.
www.highlandlitsalon.com
THE BRIDGE AWARDS
We are working with The Bridge Awards to
create a new prize in 2015.
The Bridge Awards is a philanthropic
venture that has helped to fund theatre and
visual arts projects. Moniack Mhor will offer
support to the awardee including courses,
retreats and mentoring, in a package tailor
made to the successful writer.
The Bridge Awards applications open in
December 2014.
We are delighted to be able to announce
Jen Hadfield as our Dr Gavin Wallace Fellow
2014.
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MONIACK MHOR’S LITERARY COLLECTIVE
Becoming a member of Moniack Mhor’s
Literary Collective is a way to support our
work, and be part of what we do at the centre. There are various levels of membership,
and every member will help support:
Innovative projects for disadvantaged
young people and adults in Scotland.
Our bursary scheme - making our courses
more accessible.
Making vital improvements at the centre
that benefit every writer who visits.
Support our ongoing work by joining us
with one of our Literary Collective
Membership schemes:
GOLD - £100 PER ANNUM
Priority booking for 2016, Literary Collective
Newsletter, 10% discount on all courses,
access to digital resources, online networking
with other writers, notebook, invite to AGM
and events
SILVER - £50 PER ANNUM
Priority booking for 2016, Literary Collective
Newsletter, 10% discount on all courses,
invites to events, notebook
BRONZE - £20 PER ANNUM
Priority booking for 2016,
Literary Collective Newsletter
YOUNG WRITERS PROGRAMME
No matter what stage you are at with your
writing or what age you are, we can give you
the opportunity to experience the creative
writing process. How to get involved:
Steering group–We want to hear your views
about what you’d like to see in our youth
programme. Take a role in supporting our
social media and communications.
Residential Courses – we run a number of
courses throughout the year. They follow
the same format as the open courses.
Work experience/Volunteers (from the age
of 14 upwards) – Do you have an appetite to work in the arts? We can offer a structured
work experience programme.
The Written World - Outdoor Learning and
Creative Writing Workshops delivered in
partnership with the Abriachan Forest Trust.
Writing Clubs – If you are passionate about
Creative Writing and want to become more
involved in an ongoing basis, why not join
a Writing Club?
Forum – Become part of our online writing
community.
To keep up to date with all of the above
opportunities visit our Young Writers’ page
of the website –
www.moniackmhor/youngwriters
or contact our Youth Programme Manager –
E – kelsey@moniackmhor.org.uk
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Moniack Mhor would like to thank the following
for their continued support
PATRONS
Carol Ann Duffy
Mairi Hedderwick
Jackie Kay
Liz Lochhead
Val McDermid
James Robertson
BOARD OF MANAGEMENT
Janet Adams
Caroline Deacon
Kit Fraser (Chairman)
Joe Gibbs
John Glenday
Nicky Guthrie
Stewart Lackie
Laura Marney
Lorraine Mann
Anne MacLeod
Sarah Ward
“A place of rare space
and weather-wildness
and beauty.
Something magical and
good always happens
here”
ALI SMITH
WWW.MONIACKMHOR.ORG.UK
|
01463 741 675
|
INFO@MONIACKMHOR.ORG.UK