From the Scottish Book Collector archives, Volume 2, Number 6. Ruth Thomas interviewed JANICE GALLOWAY shortly after publication of The Trick is to Keep Breathing, her novel about the struggle with life at the interface of what is called sanity and what is called madness, as experienced by the ironically named ‘Joy.’ …

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As part of the North Edinburgh Arts Meet the Author series JANICE GALLOWAY discussed Clara, her novel about Robert Schumann’s wife. The recording of the talk is presented here. …

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NORRIE BISSELL, director of the Scottish Centre for Geopoetics, describes the island of Luing, where he loves to linger. …

More…Living on an Island: An approach to geopoetics

Michael Lister reviews The Collected Letters of James Hogg, Volume 2, 1820-1831, edited by Gillian Hughes, and James Hogg’s Contributions to Annuals and Gift-Books, edited by Janette Currie and Gillian Hughes. …

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At the close of the eighteenth and the beginning of the nineteenth century an eccentric Roslin villager, Annie Wilson, delighted and infuriated visitors with her own highly distinctive guided tour of Rosslyn Chapel. By MARK OXBROW, co-author of Rosslyn and the Grail. …

More…Annie Wilson and the Roslin Inn

Rosslyn Chapel provides one of the main themes in Magic Afoot, the first issue of Textualities magazine, which will be available mid-May. In it, MARK OXBROW, co-author of Rosslyn and the Grail, recalls his fateful first visit to the chapel and discusses its literary, spiritual and historical associations. In ‘May Revels and Roslin’ he draws out the interesting connections between Robin Hood, Roslin gypsies and May Day tradition. …

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A Scot who grew up in Nebraska looks back and remembers his childhood, his trips back to Edinburgh, his Grandpa… and wonders where his life went wrong. New fiction from ERIC SWANEPOEL. …

More…Bombyx mori (Silk and the Sky)

Interview with performance poet ANITA GOVAN. She talks about the difficulties and joys of balancing motherhood and poetics, overcoming dyslexia to work with words, and her reaction to seeing her poems – until now always performed live – collected for the first time in Jane. She also recites two of her poems, ‘Love’ and ‘Three Monkeys and Me.’ …

More…Mothering Words

MARTIN BELK’s opening salvo in the debate on what liberal education should be. …

More…The Closing of the Western Mind

Two poems from TESSA RANSFORD, founder and former director of the Scottish Poetry Library. ‘On Earth as in Heaven’ is inspired by Rosslyn Chapel, and is about the ideals behind the concept of the two pillars – priest and king – which the chapel is supposed to represent. …

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Textualities editor Jennie Renton interviews Australian poet LES MURRAY. They discuss his new book, Hell and After, a collection of poems by four nineteenth century Australian poets. Murray also gives his views on Scottish literature and the state of Australian publishing. …

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Reviews of The Endings Man by Frederic Lindsay, A Window in Thrums by J. M. Barrie, Encarnita’s Journey by Joan Lingard, and Espresso Tales by Alexander McCall Smith. …

More…Fiction Roundup

A poem from GWEN SUOMINEN. …

More…The Lonely Lighthouse Keeper

Transcript of a discussion between LOUISE WELSH and LIN ANDERSON about the fascination of crime writing. The talk was part of the autumn 2005 programme of ‘meet the author’ events at North Edinburgh Arts. The authors discuss their influences, and the ethics of writing about crime. …

More…Death and Literature

New fiction from MARGARET LONGSTAFF, about a wee girl who goes to sleep in her Grandmother’s bed. …

More…A Noise in the Night