McLellan Festival: William Letford and Jim Mackintosh with McLellan Poetry Competition 2024 winners

Join us on Saturday 7th September 2024 for a wonderful evening of poetry presenting the winning and commended poets of the 2024 McLellan Poetry Competition.

The first half of the evening will be presented by the judge of the 2024 Scots Competition, the poet Jim Mackintosh. Jim will announce the winners and a number will be joining us to read their winning or commended poems, after which Jim will read some of his own entertaining Scots poetry.

Jim Mackintosh [https://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poet/jim-c-mackintosh/] is a poet, editor, playwright and producer who has published six collections including Flipstones (Tippermuir Books, 2018) and edited or co-edited four anthologies including The Darg (Drunk Muse Press, 2019).

Along with Duncan Chisholm and Hamish Napier, Jim brought Beyond the Swelkie to Celtic Connections in 2022 as a multimedia production which was then toured and returned to Celtic Connections in 2023

His book The Banes o the Turas (Tippermuir Books, 2022) was a poetical translation into Scots of Turas Viaggio by Italian poet Pino Mereu and was shortlisted for Book of the Year at the 2023 Scots Language Awards. It was premiered at the 2024 Celtic Connections and is now touring Scotland.

Jim was the Makar of the Federation of Writers Scotland in 2021, the Poet in Chief of the Hampden Collection (2019-22) and the Poetry Editor of Nutmeg Magazine (2017-22) and is the current Makar of the Cateran EcoMuseum in East Perthshire and the Angus Glens.

His latest book published by Seahorse Publications - We are Migrant will be launched in Glasgow on the 1st May. The book is a series of poems examining the constant shift of humanity from my Jim’s own Great Grandfather’s journey as a 14 year old boy from Donegal to work on the railway tunnels of Glasgow, to the hellish existence of refugee camps in too many places across the world, to the desperate plight of people fleeing persecution, crossing dangerous waters and war zones, to the highland clearances and much more. The collection includes the poem Tour Package which was Highly Commended in the 2023 McLellan Poetry Prize.

We are delighted that during the second half of the evening, the wonderful poet William Letford [https://www.williamletford.com/] will be joining us to present the winning entries of the 2024 International English Competition, and to read a selection of his own captivating work.

William Letford published his first collection of poetry while working as a roofer. Since then, his work has been adapted into film, projected onto buildings, carved into monuments, adapted for the stage, written onto skin, cast out over the radio, and performed by orchestras.

He has helped restore a medieval village in the mountains of Northern Italy, taught English in Japan, fished with his bare hands in Indonesia, been invited to perform in Iraq, South Korea, Lebanon, Australia, Germany, India, Palestine, and many more countries.

William (Billy) Letford has published three books, “Dirt”, “Bevel” and his latest book published this year “From Our Own Fire” which is a Telegraph and Observer Book of the Year.

“The pleasure I have gained from William Letford's poems... will, I am confident, stay with me for ever.” - Nicholas Lezard, Guardian

“William Letford is the future of Scottish poetry.” - Mark Buckland, Cargo Publishing

You can read the winning and commended poetry entries from the 2023 Scots Competition here [https://www.arrantheatreandarts.co.uk/ files/ugd/ada7ae 80bd80e995c744cbabdf42a82abe0905.pdf] (read the winning and commended poetry entries from the 2023 Main Competition here [https://www.arrantheatreandarts.co.uk/ files/ugd/ada7ae 0d56cb67b0dc4fc69cc775a3b4c28dd4.pdf]). The 2024 winning and commended poems for 2024 will be published on the Arran Theatre and Arts Trust website [https://www.arrantheatreandarts.co.uk/poetry-competition] after the gig on 7th September.

The McLellan Festival Season Ticket costs £50 and gives access to all of the McLellan Book Festival events AND all the McLellan Arts Festival events except Scottish Ensemble, National Theatre of Scotland and poetry workshop .

The McLellan Arts Festival runs from Friday 30th August to Wednesday 11th September 2024. More info is available here [https://www.arrantheatreandarts.co.uk/mclellan-festival].

The McLellan Arts Festival Programme

Friday 30th August: Traditional Ceilidh in Whiting Bay Hall with Gillian Frame, Finlay Napier, Arran’s young musicians and John Inglis’s Scottish stories. Whiting Bay Hall 7.30 | £12.00

Saturday 31st August and Sunday 1st September: McLellan Book Festival and Wee Mac Arran Children's Book Festival. Adult events £12 if bought individually or £40 for a McLellan Book Festival Weekend Pass, children's events free.

Wednesday 4th September: Poor Things – award winning film in Corrie and Sannox Village Hall 7.30 | Entry by donation

Thursday 5th September: Scottish Ensemble - venue, prices and programme to be confirmed

Friday 6th September: Poetry competition 2023 winners’ gig in Corrie and Sannox Village Hall | £12

Saturday 7th September: Poetry competition 2024 winners’ gig including Scots language winners in Corrie and Sannox Village Hall | £12 Poetry workshop - details TBC

Sunday 8th September: Vivaldi’s Gloria in Community Theatre at Arran High School. Performance conducted by Andrew Nunn of Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Soloists from Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. McLellan Festival Chorus | £12

Wednesday 11th September: National Theatre of Scotland in Brodick Hall - prices and programme to be confirmed

McLellan Book Festival Programme 2024

Sally Magnusson [https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/arran-theatre-and-arts-trust/mclellan-book-festival-sally-magnusson/e-obpdxg]: Saturday 31st August, 4pm

Alex Gray [https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/arran-theatre-and-arts-trust/mclellan-book-festival-alex-gray/e-lbvzgk]: Saturday 31st August, 7pm

Sara Sheridan [https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/arran-theatre-and-arts-trust/mclellan-book-festival-sara-sheridan/e-vlyvqm]: Sunday 1st September, 4pm

Alistair Moffat [https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/arran-theatre-and-arts-trust/mclellan-book-festival-alistair-moffat/e-ploago]: Sunday 1st September, 7pm

More information about the authors and books on our website here [https://www.arrantheatreandarts.co.uk/mclellan-book-festival].

Also follow us on the McLellan Book Festival facebook page here [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555662311463] for regular updates.

More info on pricing

We offer a range of pricing for savings on those wishing to attend multiple events across the McLellan Book Festival and/or the McLellan Arts Festival:

£12 per McLellan Book Festival [https://www.arrantheatreandarts.co.uk/mclellan-book-festival] event or

£40 for a McLellan Book Festival Weekend Pass on Saturday 31st August and Sunday 1st September, giving you access to all of the McLellan Book Festival events (click here to purchase [https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/arran-theatre-and-arts-trust/mclellan-book-festival-weekend-pass/e-qlozje]) or

£50 for a McLellan Festival Season Ticket, running from Friday 30th August to Wednesday 11th September which gives you access to all of the McLellan Book Festival events AND all the McLellan Arts Festival events except Scottish Ensemble, National Theatre of Scotland and poetry workshop

More info about the McLellan Arts Festival is available here [https://www.arrantheatreandarts.co.uk/mclellan-festival].