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Graphic Text : A' toirt taic do dh'fhoghlum Gàidhlig gu nàiseantaGraphic: Kids reading book
Image showing The Ceilidh Place, Ullapool Copyright Ike Gibson

Training Opportunity for writers

 

Ullapool Writers’ Week

15 October 2009

Graphic Text: ‘I feel this week developed my skills and will motivate me to write much more’

Twelve new, established and prospective writers joined Stòrlann in the Cèilidh Place in Ullapool from 14 to 8 September for an event aimed at building their skills as potential producers of text for Stòrlann and other agencies in future.

Leaders included poet Aonghas ‘Dubh’ MacNeacail, playwright and novelist Des Dillon, literary translator Derrick McClure, songwriter Karine Polwart, children’s writer John Fardell and education and new writing specialists Philippa Cochrane and Caitrin Armstrong from The Scottish Books Trust. The programme for the event was as follows:

Session

Morning

Afternoon

Evening

Monday

Core principles: prose

Core principles: poetry

Mentoring time

Tuesday

Building on traditional idiom in poetry and song

Writing to and for melody

Mentoring time

Wednesday

Landscape: navigation and professional development

Writing time

Mentoring time

Thursday

Writing for children and young people

Writing for children and young people with illustration

Mentoring time

Friday

Special challenges for minority language writers

Plenary and readings

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Workshops were in the main hands-on and participants left with pieces in development which they will submit to Stòrlann for publication in a new anthology of short fiction.

The rationale for the week was that Stòrlann’s publication programme includes a considerable fiction commitment for school pupils at various levels. A recent national questionnaire returned by over 750 pupils in primary and secondary schools demonstrated dissatisfaction with the range, scope and quality of fiction output from Stòrlann and other Gaelic providers. This confirms feedback from teaching staff and advisors. It was therefore decided at a Resource Advisory meeting that investment should be made in training producers.

On the Wednesday of the course Stòrlann also hosted a day-seminar on behalf of the National Gaelic Education Strategy Steering Group’s Working Group on Resources, Translation and Terminology.

 

 

 

Graphic: FF correction