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Poets Advisory Group

ABOUT US

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.

TERMS OF REFERENCE 2019

Purpose

The purpose of the Advisory Group is to provide a platform and voice for poets to inform priorities for SPL activities and services, including promoting the work of poets throughout Scotland. PAG members will liaise directly with the literature and poetry sectors of the community at local, regional and national levels to inform discussions and priorities.

Membership

There should be a maximum of 15 members of the Group at any one time

Membership is by application.  Criteria and selection should reflect the different languages and people of Scotland, geographical spread and in line with the requirements of the Equality Act 2010

Membership and membership opportunities will be published on the SPL website

Group members will elect a Chair from their number. They may wish to elect a Deputy Chair

SPL staff will assist in administering the process of recruitment to the Group, but the final decision will lie with the Chair

Membership of the Group will be on a two-year rolling basis, effective each December.  A member of the Group can be reappointed, serving a maximum of four years

Members will be remunerated for reasonable travel and childcare expenses in accordance with SPL Policy.  There will be a honorarium for the Chair to reflect their responsibilities

Meetings

There will usually be three meetings a year, at different venues across Scotland

Agendas are set by the Chair with input from the Group and SPL staff.  Meetings are intended to advise and on occasion support SPL staff to help shape delivery in the following areas: events, touring, learning, engagement, project and library collections

A quorum of seven is required for meetings to take place

SPL specialist staff can attend meetings if requested by the Chair, who may also wish to invite guest speakers with relevant experience (e.g. of a topic or of a geographical location)

Summary minutes of the meetings with action points will be posted soon.

A summary report will also be included in the Annual Report and the PAG budget shown separately in the Annual Accounts

SPL Contacts

The primary contact for the PAG is a designated member of the SPL Senior Management Team (currently the Deputy Director) with escalation to the Chair of the Board.

Matters of SPL governance, finance, strategic development and human resources are the remit of the SPL Board and not within scope of the Group.

HOW TO JOIN

Vacancies in the group will be posted on this website.  Those applying will be asked to submit a brief statement of interest (max 500 words). The statement should briefly summarise your experience in the Scottish poetry scene and say why you’re interested in helping to advise the SPL.  Please note that if chosen, you’ll be asked to serve a two-year  – and not more than 4 year term. This should enable us to include new voices on a rolling basis.

 

Contact:  reception@spl.org.uk

PAG Members

RJ Arkhipov

RJ Arkhipov is a Welsh poet living in Edinburgh. In 2015, Arkhipov wrote a series of poems using his own blood as ink to protest the ongoing blood donor ban on men who have sex with men. His collection, Visceral (Zuleika, 2018), was long-listed for the Polari First Book Prize.
Find out more

Henry Bell

Henry Bell is a writer and editor from Bristol. He lives in Glasgow and edits Gutter Magazine. He was mentored by St Mungo's Mirrorball's Clydebuilt mentoring programme and has edited books including A Bird is Not a Stone (Freight).
Find out more

Chris Boyland

Chris Boyland lives in Cumbernauld, near Glasgow. His poems have been published or accepted by magazines such as: 404Ink, Gutter, Northwords Now and PENning and the latest edition (#37) of the anthology New Writing Scotland. He performs regularly at poetry and spoken word nights.
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Anne Connolly

Anne Connolly is a widely published Irish poet whose work includes the challenges of living in Northern Ireland during the Troubles.She has won several Slams, has three collections with Red Squirrel Press, and has been the Chair and Makar of the Federation of Writers (Scotland).
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Anne (AC) Clarke

A C Clarke's fifth collection is A Troubling Woman (Oversteps Books). She was one of the winners in the Cinnamon Press 2017 poetry pamphlet competition with War Baby. A series of poems with Maggie Rabatski and Sheila Templeton in Gaelic, Scots and English is due out next year.
Find out more

Magi Gibson

Magi Gibson has published five poetry collections, won the Scotland on Sunday/Women 2000 Poetry Prize, held three Scottish Arts Council Fellowships, and was a Royal Literary Fund Fellow. She's been Stirling Makar and Writer in Residence in Glasgow’s Gallery of Modern Art.
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Lydia Harris

Lydia Harris lives in the Orkney island of Westray . Her second pamphlet An Unbolted Door’was published by Maquette in 2018 and her third, Painting the Stones Back is due from Coast to Coast to Coast in autumn. She held a New Writer’s Award from the Scottish Book Trust in 2017.
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Hugh McMillan

Hugh McMillan is a poet from Dumfries and Galloway. He has been published and anthologised widely.
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Nalini Paul

Nalini Paul’s poetry practice includes collaborations across art forms, such as dance and visual art. After graduating with a PhD on Jean Rhys from the University of Glasgow, her first poetry pamphlet, Skirlags, was shortlisted for the Callum Macdonald Award (2010).
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Harry Smart

Harry Smart has published three collections of poetry with Faber (Pierrot, Shoah, and Fool's Pardon). He continues to publish poetry in magazines and online.
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Kevin Williamson

Kevin Williamson is Artistic Director of Neu! Reekie! A nationally-known Burns performer, his one-man Burns show ran at Edinburgh Fringe in 2012 to critical acclaim. He's the founder of Rebel Inc publishing house and co-founder of Bella Caledonia. One poetry collection published.
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Catherine Wilson

Catherine Wilson is a poet and arts administrator working in Edinburgh. Her poetry has been featured by BBC Radio 4, EUNIC's Transpoesie Festival and the British National Gallery. She has a background working with young people and children and improving their access to the arts.
Find out more
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