We are pleased to be supporting a project to curate a North-East Scots/Doric anthology of new writing, a collaboration between Jo Gilbert, The Friends of Elphinstone, and the Elphinstone Institute which is funded by Aberdeen City Council Creative Funding.
New and established writers were encouraged to send their best poetry, short stories, flash fiction and short plays for consideration. All work had to be previously unpublished, and each contributor will receive a payment of £50 for their work and a copy of the anthology. The work will be selected by spoken word artist and writer Jo Gilbert and a panel of North-East writers, including Sheena Blackhall, Shane Strachan, and Mae Diansangu, whose work will also feature in the book.
The project is also looking for vibrant and eye-catching artwork that will fit on an A5 book cover. The artwork can be in any form (paint, print, digital design etc.) but must be digitised to submit. The selected artist will receive £100. North-East Scotland based artists have until midnight on January 1st 2023 to submit their work. Full submission details can be found at https://talesfaethedoricside.wordpress.com/artwork-for-doric-anthology-submissions/
The two main goals of the project are to create paid opportunities for new and established writers to showcase their work and to create a companion pamphlet to accompany the anthology comprising of questions and activities that secondary schools and teachers can use in their Scots language work. The pamphlet panel will be led by Dr Dawn Leslie, lecturer in linguistics at the University of Aberdeen, who also teaches a Doric undergraduate course, which is in high demand.
The project arose from conversations with teachers and others working in and around Scots, a lack of new work suitable for older students in Doric was identified, sparking the idea for an anthology of new writing.
Successful contributors were invited to the launch, on Tuesday 21st February at The Blue Lamp, Aberdeen from 7pm. The anthology will be published through Doric Books - a community interest company dedicated to promoting NE Scots.