Last Year's Speakers
Liz Niven
Liz is well known as a poet, having published work in most major Scottish magazines, as well as four solo collections. Liz was born and educated in Glasgow, but now lives in Dumfries. She has a strong interest in Scots language in education, and she herself was a teacher until 1996. Since then she has worked as a Scots Language Development Officer for Dumfries and Galloway Education Department and Writer-in-Residence for Dumfries and Galloway Arts Association.
Garry Stewart
Writer and Artistic Director, Baldy Bane Media Productions.
Garry was born in Edinburgh and studied drama at Queen Margaret University College, graduating 1976 to pursue a career in acting. During his time as an actor at Dundee Rep he met wife Alison, an Occupational Therapist. Two children later, they came up with the idea of setting up a Theatre Company for young people.
Baldy Bane Theatre Company came into being in 1991 and first toured Scotland one year later. The company has always had a strong commitment to using the Scots language, to ensure that new generations of Scots have access to it. As an actor Gary has been involved in many Scots language plays and had seen the effect, both comic and magical, that the language can have on an audience.
Through Baldy Bane Gary started writing, initially mainly plays for young people. As the company grew the remit expanded and they now perform to all areas of the community and also produce films and video productions for many clients. The client base produces some strange and interesting requests which have helped Gary to develop his writing in ways that might not otherwise have been considered. Gary still does a bit of acting but much prefers writing.
Ailsa Bathgate
Ailsa Bathgate is the senior managing editor at Mainstream Publishing in Edinburgh. She started her career with Waterstone?s, eventually taking on the role of fiction buyer in the Edinburgh West End store. She then moved to London to work for HarperCollins before returning to Edinburgh to take up her present position. As an editor, she works mainly in non-fiction and she has a particular interest in biography and politics. Two of the most recent titles Ailsa has worked on are Don?t Ever Tell by Kathy O'Beirne, which spent over five weeks in the top-five national bestseller list, and Murder in Samarkand, the powerful story of the former British Ambassador to Uzbekistan?s defiance of tyranny in the War Against Terror.
Alan Bissett
Alan Bissett was born in Falkirk in 1975. He is the author of two novels: Boyracers and The Incredible Adam Spark. He also edited the anthology Damage Land: New Scottish Gothic Fiction. In 2000 Alan was shortlisted for the Macallan/Scotland on Sunday short story prize and has been longlisted a further three times. He taught English in secondary schools before becoming a novelist. A former lecturer in creative writing at the University of Leeds, he is currently tutor on the MPhil in Creative Writing at University of Glasgow.
Franzeska Ewart
Franzeska G Ewart is principally a children?s
author. She also teaches English as an Additional Language in a
multicultural Primary school, and has taught in Karachi, Pakistan. Her
writing reflects the cultural diversity she experiences day to day. She
has had poetry and short stories for adults published, and in 1995
Trentham Books published her Let The Shadows Speak aimed at
teachers. It recounts her experiences in the use of shadow puppetry in
language development.
Shadow puppetry figures in two books ? Shadowflight for 10
year olds and Speak Up Spike! for 5-7 year olds (Egmont).
They draw on real-life experiences outlined in Let The Shadows
Speak. Egmont also published The Pen-pal From Outer
Space and Grandmother Georgia?s Hats. A series about two
little boys, Wallace and Wajid ? Bugging Miss Bannigan and Going
Green is published by Scholastic. Her Bryony Bell books (A&C
Black Black Cats series) are Bryony Bell Tops the Bill, Under
the Spell of Bryony Bell, and Bryony Bell?s Star Turn.
She has also written a picture book, Starting School (Parragon)
and recently completed a re-telling of The Tempest for A
& C Black, and a book about Marie Curie for Harcourt USA.
A recent picture book, with songs, for a pre-five project in Annandale
and Eskdale is entitled Queen Frog?s Wedding. This
combination of words and music was particularly fulfilling for her, and
she hopes to continue song-writing in the future.
www.alchemywebsite.com/franzeskaewart
Sheila Livingstone
Sheila Livingstone was Assistant Principal Resources Librarian for Strathclyde Council Dumbarton Division schools based at Dalmuir. A freelance writer she has contributed articles to a vast array of publications such as The Herald, Glasgow Evening Times, Best, The Bond, Camping and Walking, Canal and Riverboat, Caravan Magazine, Choice Magazine, Homes Overseas, educational projects and has written non-fiction historical books with Scottish themes. Books include Scottish Women 1900 -1950, 1994; Seen and Not Heard: Scottish Children, 1844-1944, Scottish Library Association, [1998], Confess and Be Hanged: Scottish Crime and Punishment, 1999; Scottish Customs, 1995; Scottish Festivals, 1997; Scottish Customs, 2000 ? all Birlinn; Scottish Customs, Barnes & Noble, New York, 1997
Anne Forsyth
Anne Forsyth is a former pupil of Ayr Academy. She has spent a number of years working in journalism and publishing and has had a number of children's books published, mostly for beginner readers, 5-8 age range. Most recently Anne has compiled anthologies of Scots poems for Scottish Cultural Press and Mercat and now contributes short stories and serials to DC Thomson magazines, Yours magazine and The Lady, as well as articles on nostalgia topics.
John Lamont
John Lamont is a lecturer, after-dinner and motivational speaker, sports therapist and writer - but most of all he?s a people coach. He spent too many years in the corporate world helping managers and organisations to develop the skills and attitudes needed to attain their targets. He now works with individuals, sports and business people, and writers to help improve their performance and achieve their life goals and dreams. Successful people consistently show that what motivates us and how we think is crucial in achieving what is important in life ? whether that?s happiness, medals, money, relationships or even that elusive block-buster novel!
Ron Sheridan
Ron Sheridan is a Consultant in a Criminological and Legal Context. With his many years of experience and expertise, Ron offers training programmes in interview techniques, evidence gathering, court procedures, reporting as well as consultation on investigative issues. He has a deep understanding of the Scottish Legal System and the dilemmas presented by real situations. His real life experience will offer would be crime writers an insight into Psychology and Crime.