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Our people

Learn more about the staff, Board, and the Poets Advisory Group of the Scottish Poetry Library.

Our Staff

Asif Khan

Director. Contact Asif about strategic partnerships, sector advocacy or becoming a patron.
Find out more

Aly Barr

Deputy Director/Head of Operations. Contact Aly about events, projects or matters related to the running of the Library building.
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Jill Mackintosh

Head Librarian. Contact Jill about the collection, both new stock for adding to the library and old stock for withdrawal; enquiries and requests.
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Toni Velikova

Assistant Librarian. Contact Toni about collections management, periodicals selection, acquisitions, reference enquiries, cataloguing and indexing, and the archive and cuttings collection.
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Samuel Tongue

Projects Co-ordinator. Contact Sam about National Poetry Day, Tools of the Trade, publications or new project ideas.
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Rod Hunt

Enquiries, volunteering and Library Services. Contact Rod with ideas or for information.
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Ross Jamieson

Administrator. Contact Ross about the Library's shop, both within the building and online.
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Marcas Mac an Tuairneir

Service Development Coordinator (Scottish Gaelic). Contact Marcas if you have questions about the Gaelic language and literature or if you would like to find out about integrating Gaelic into a project.
Find out more

Alistair Heather

Marketing Manager. Contact Alistair about SPL media, marketing and communications.
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Online Shop

Browse our range of poetry books, cards and gifts in our online shop.
Shop now

Join

Become a Borrower or support our work by becoming a Friend of SPL.
Join us

Podcasts

Our audio programme of poets, poems and news for you to listen to.
Listen Now

Our Board

The board, as the charity trustees, have overall responsibility for the organisation. The Board is responsible for setting strategic direction, approving policies, for employing staff and overseeing SPL performance and finances. Aiming for best practice, the Board has formally endorsed the Scottish Governance Code for the Third Sector.

Board members have a range of skills, experience and different perspectives. Board members are elected by members, but the Board can also co-opt individuals for limited periods.

More information is available here.

Gordon Munro (Co-chair)

Re-elected 2020. Councillor, City of Edinburgh Council.

Charlie Roy (Co-chair)

Appointed 2019. Publicist, linguist and former teacher.

Dr James Ripley (Company Secretary)

Appointed 2018. Academic Librarian.

Patrick Corbett

Appointed 2019. Academic.

David Forbes Rutherford

Appointed 2019. Accountant.

Laura Fyfe

Appointed 2021. Writer and teacher.

Chris Wardhaugh

Appointed 2021. Company Director.

Claudia Daventry

Appointed 2021. Writer and teacher.

Events

Discover our poetry events at the library & online.
Find forthcoming Events

Our Honorary Presidents

From time to time, the Board of the SPL asks distinguished poets to become Honorary Presidents of the Library.

Previous Presidents have been George Bruce, Seamus Heaney, Norman MacCaig, Sorley MacLean, Naomi Mitchison, Edwin Morgan, Iain Crichton Smith, Derick Thomson, and Tessa Ransford

Poets Advisory Group

The SPL Poets Advisory Group was established in December 2017 as a means for poets to share their ideas on how the library engages and works with poets across Scotland. Participants contribute topics for discussion in the meetings, and SPL staff may ask for the Group’s feedback on projects. Following the Group’s meetings, detailed notes from the discussion are shared with SPL staff to be taken into account when determining and implementing SPL activities in line with the business plan ambitions for 2018 to 2021. For more information on PAG, click here.

Poetry Groups at the SPL

Several poetry groups meet at the SPL, where the comfortable surroundings and access to volumes of poetry make for a rich writing experience. You can discover more about each of the groups that meet at the SPL here.

We also have a page where you can find out more information about poetry groups that meet outside of the SPL here.

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Scottish Poetry Library
5 Crichton's Close, Canongate
Edinburgh EH8 8DT
Tel: +44 (0)131 557 2876
© Scottish Poetry Library 2022.
The Scottish Poetry Library is a registered charity (No. SCO23311).
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Scottish Poetry Library