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2019
A new collection Bale Fire launched alongside a reprint of Black Cart
2018
Killochries is reprinted by a new publisher Polygon. Coordinated, judged and edited two anthologies “Beyond Boundaries” and “Brushes with War”
2017
The new collection Black Cart was launched and there were readings at a range of book festivals : Aye Write, StAnza, Cove and Kilcreggan, Colonsay, Woodstock, and Edinburgh International Book Festival
2016
Killochries shortlisted for Seamus Heaney centre prize. I judge poetry by heart national competition. Readings at Lahore Literary festival, Ullapool Book Festival, the word festival and the Edinburgh International Book festival. Coordinate a National Poetry day initiative pairing Big Issue sellers and poets across the city.
2015
Launch my new collection Killochries and read from it as part of the Aye Write Festival
Prodigal wins the Callum Macdonald Memorial Award and I undertake a residency at the Harvard centre for Helllenic studies in Greece. Chosen as a judge for the Wigtown Poetry competition. Launch Schools poetry competition. Killochries shortlisted for Fenton Aldeburgh first collection and Scottish Poetry book of the Year in Saltire Awards.
2014
Andy Scott’s Kelpies sculpture officially launched in Falkirk along with my textcaptured in stone. In July appointed as Glasgow Poet Laureate by the Lord Provost Sadie Docherty
Edit and Launch "The Laws of the Game" anthology as part of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Jointly composed a poem with Liz Lochhead as a gift from Scotland to the Gold Coast. Launch new collection Prodigal. Spend a week in Lahore on a translation project.
2013
Run writing workshop for Largs Writers Group
Big birthday celebration at Glasgow Art Club full of poetry and song.
In may completed the Old MacDonald had a Farm project for Africa in May raising enough to stock 28 farms.
Later in the year was the joint winner of the McLellan Poetry prize and second in the James McCash Poetry competition. The year finished with a reading at the Scottish Writers Centre
2012
Launch Old Macdonald had a Farm for Africa 12 month charity challenge with Liz Lochhead. The launch event took place on 18 May - An animal-themed evening of poetry and song with a wonderful range of performers including Liz Lochhead, Alasdair Gray, Douglas Dunn, Bernard Mclaverty, AonghasMacNeacail, Rab Wilson, Gerrie Fellows, Miriam Gamble, Peter McKay, Gerry Cambridge, Tawona Sithole, Robyn Marsack, Eleanor Livingstone, and Lesley Duncan.
This was followed by further fund raising activities through the year including a series of events as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival
Headlined at Shore Poets in October.
December sees the launch of the new collection "Rider at the Crossing" published by HappenStance.
2011
Princess Anne in attendance at the official launch of Arria
Included in the Dualism exhibition where photographer Chris Park incorporated portraits of poets along side examples of their work.
"Lifeline" a second collaboration with the sculptor Andy Scott unveiled in Alloa.
Two collaborative works included in the Poetry Beyond Text exhibition opening in the DCA. "Three little Words" with artist Murray Robertson and "Lot 76" with Michael Waight bringing together the work of seven poets and seven farmers.
Launch of Spellwinders an anthology of jazz inspired poetry from some of the leading poets in Glasgow to celebrate 25 years of the Glasgow Jazz Festival.
Performed at The Wickerman Festival and at the Edinburgh Fringe at Captain's Bar as part of the Early Word series
2010
The book and exhibition Grace Notes 1959 launched at the Glasgow Jazz Festival in June. The sequence has been specially commissioned by the Glasgow Jazz Festival and was inspired by his personal response to four ground breaking and influential jazz albums released in 1959 by Ornette Coleman, Charles Mingus, Dave Brubeck and Miles Davis.
In August the statue Arria designed by sculptor Andy Scott erected at Cumbernauld with words of the poem Watershed welded and wrapped around its legs.
In October work chosen for the prestigious Oxford Poets 2010 anthology edited by David Constantine, Robyn Marsack and Bernard O’Donoghue and published by Carcanet Press.
2009
The Cowpit Yowe Exhibition is showcased at the StAnza international Poetry Festival in St Andrews in March
The Poem “The field” is chosen for the anthology Kin – Scottish poems about Family (Editor – Hamish Whyte) brought out by Polygon
The poem “Black Cart” comes 3rd in the the prestigious Wigtown Poetry Competition. Judge Professor Douglas Dunn had to choose from among 1500 entries in Scotland's leading poetry competition.
Chosen as one of four Scottish writers who were recipients of the Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowship, taking up residency at the Hôtel Chevillon at Grez-sur-Loing – a frequent haunt of Stevenson in the 1870s which is now an international artists' retreat.The other writers were Iain Finlay MacLeod, Zoe Strachan, and Jo Clifford. This residency ran from September 11th until October 22nd.
Won the James McCash prize for the best poem in Scots with the poem Hame Tongue.
2008
In January helped coordinate a 24 hour read of Edwin Morgan poems at The Gallery of Modern Art in Glasgow handing out free copies of a special edition of his poems.
Launched new collection "Cowpit Yowe" on Tuesday 26th February. Tramway hosted a gallery exhibition of a series of poems from Cowpit Yowe that ran from 13th July through to 24th August
Created and performed "Written in the stars" with Liz Lochhead at The Glasgow Science Centre Planetarium.
2007
Highlights
2006 Highlights
2005 Highlights
2004 Highlights
2003 Highlights
2007 Highlights
Read for the first time at StAnza Scotland’s Poetry festival along side Daljit Nagra and Jenni Daiches.Also helped organise, hosted and performed at The 100 Poets Gathering – an idea of mine to celebrate StAnza's 10th Anniversary.
"St Mungo’s Mirrorball” is chosen as the only poem in the controversial Demos publication “The Dreaming City: Glasgow 2020 and the power of mass imagination” The poem is also used as inspiration for an experimental jazz piece “St Mungos Whispers” composed and performed by jazz saxophonist Raymond MacDonald and poet Aoife Mannix which came out on the Sub-Urban Collectives CD “The Dreaming City”
Read at the Glastonbury Festival in June performing on all three days and launched “ Baxter’s old ram sang the blues” on the Sunday there. Also became the first poet ever to perform at The Connect Festival at Inverary on Friday 31st August – 2nd September. Read along side William Gault Bonnar in support of Glasgow’s Commonwealth Games Bid.
The Big Mistake is chosen as one of the 20 best Scottish Poems of 2007
2006 Highlights
In August 19th performed at The Jazz Bar in Edinburgh as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival
The Moleman’s Apprentice is chosen as one of the 20 best Scottish Poems of 2006
The man who wanted to hug cows is chosen for the anthology Scotland’s 100 Favourite Poems
The new poetry collection “High Auchensale” is launched. The collection is named as one of the books of the year by The Herald and the Sunday Herald (not bad for a pamphlet! )
2005 Highlights
The collection “Bovine Pastoral” is chosen as the runner up in the Calumn MacDonald Memorial Award
Queen of the Sheep is chosen as the title poem of the New Writing Scotland Anthology
2004 Highlights
Herd is chosen as one of the 20 best Scottish poems of 2004
Balemartin Bard appears in “Bringing back the Brightness” The best of 20 years of New Writing Scotland.
Rhino City is commissioned for the architectural poetry walk in The Block Architectural Festival
“ Bovine Pastoral” my first collection is launched and sold out in 6 weeks
2003 Highlights
Wild Poppies comes 3rd in The Edinburgh Fringe Poetry Competition and I get to read on the Fringe as part of the prize.
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