April opens with the exciting news that Greta Yorke’s poem Tae a Thristle has been accepted for publication in the summer issue of Lallans magazine. Weel done, Greta.
Rose McGregor read two of her poems The Sporting Housewife and The Dancing Chandelier at an afternoon tea for her choir, Arietta,
at Bothwell Community Hub on 17th April.
Rose also participated on a carer’s course where she wrote a new poem Tales of Tapestries – about the different embroidery threads she uses. Fantastic work, Rose.
Marion Husband gave a talk to Primary 7 children on their transitional day to Prestwick Academy on 29 April. The children were given tips on how to write a flash fiction, learned about the history of Ayr Writers’ Club and were happy to take part in a writing exercise. Marion reports the it was a lovely morning and an appreciative young audience.
Both Susan McVey and Linda Brown had articles published in Writers’ Narrative, an e-magazine on Substack.
Susan’s article – When the Journey Unravels – examines how travel disruption and chaos can be used to develop a story narrative.
Linda’s article – Making the Familiar Strange – shows how rich, surprising travel writing can emerge from the landscapes we think we already know.
Earlier in the month, Linda was the guest speaker at East Ayrshire Family History Society in Kilmarnock where she delivered a presentation Digging Deep – The Fate of Fower Gawston Miners Down Under. 
Linda’s talk was based in her own family history research.
And finally, huge congratulations to Kirsty Hammond, who was a finalist in SCBWI’s (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) Undiscovered Voices 2026 competition. An extract from her YA novel One Giant Leap into Murder appears in SCBWI’s anthology, published in April 2026. What a fantastic achievement! Kirsty will attend the anthology’s launch party in London in May, and we wish her every success with her novel. 