Young writers in Scotland have made a poetic contribution to the debate about Scottish national identity thanks to funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).
A competition for school children entitled 'Whose Scotland?' asked Scotland’s young writers, aged 12-17, to reflect on the nation’s cultural identity and diversity by writing a poem about multicultural Scotland. The winner was 13-year-old Anju Gopalan of Edinburgh.
Anju not only wins £100, but also £100 for her school, and her effort and all the winning poems will be published on the ‘Whose Scotland?’ website. She will be presented with her prize on Friday 6 November by Scottish author Alan Bissett, at St George’s School, Edinburgh (2.30 pm). Alan Bissett will then read a selection of his own poems to around 80 pupils.
Alan Bissett will also visit Craigholme School in Glasgow that morning (10.00 am) where he will meet some competition runners-up and read from his works to a class of S1 pupils.
The competition is part of the Devolving Diasporas project, supported by the AHRC, which draws together researchers from the Universities of Stirling and Newcastle interested in the relationships between reading and writing and location and migration.
The ‘Whose Scotland?’ competition was run by a group of academics and creative writers at the University of Stirling and Newcastle University. Competition organiser Dr James Procter, Reader in Modern English and Postcolonial Literature at Newcastle University, said: “We wanted them to think about Scotland and the different people and cultures who have made their home here, with the title ‘In my country’. The poem could be a story about identity, belonging, migration or any aspect of being part of multicultural Scotland.”
Fellow competition organiser Dr Bethan Benwell, Senior Lecturer in English at the University of Stirling, added: “Anju’s entry particularly impressed the judges because of the way it combined skill in using language, its dramatic power and its use of metaphor. Anju’s is a wonderfully imaginative response to the idea of a Scotland that is both welcoming and hostile at the same time.”
It attracted over 300 entries and award-winning Scottish poet and children’s writer, Jackie Kay, led a team of judges to find the winning poems. Jackie studied English at the University of Stirling, and now holds an honorary degree from the University; her fellow judges were Emeritus Professor Angela Smith, and Dr Gemma Robinson, both of the Department of English Studies at the University of Stirling.
Jackie Kay said: “The standard of the winning poems was particularly high, and a pleasure to read. They represented the length and breadth of Scotland, looking back to the past and forward to the future. Imaginatively rich, diverse and stimulating, these poems show the range of young talent in Scotland today.”
Winners:
First Prize: Anju Gopalan (St George’s School, Edinburgh)
£100 book token, plus £100 donation to the school or nominated community group
Second Prize: Sean Hannah (Kilchuimen Academy, Fort Augustus)
£50 book token, plus £50 donation to the school or nominated community group
Third Prize: James Johnson (Mackie Academy, Stonehaven)
£25 book token, plus £25 donation to the school or nominated community group
Runners-Up: Matt Little (Beaconhurst, Bridge of Allan), Emily Howat (Hamilton Academy), Amy Lumsden (St George’s School, Edinburgh), John Robert MacDonald (North Uist), Chloe MacGregor (Craigholme, Glasgow), Robert Maclennan (Isle of Lewis), Calum Macleod (Portobello High, Edinburgh), Manal Malik (Craigholme, Glasgow), Eleeza Shellard (Benbecula), Jamie Duncan (Aberdeenshire).
This is Anju’s winning entry:
As I walk through the winding valleys of hills and rivers,
I come across a stunning landscape with swaying trees and shimmering waters,
The sun is shining, a yellow beam of glowing light,
Its sparkling radiance penetrates these shimmering waters,
And birds sing in harmony whilst insects buzz cheerfully,
And flowers grow, displaying their glorious scents
Yet under these beautiful waters lurks a monster,
So horrendous, so horrific, so fierce, so frightening,
Its green, scaly skin covered in brown mud,
Its sharp, pointed claws tainted with the unmistakeable scent of fresh blood,
Its immense jaws big enough to swallow you whole,
What is it?
I suddenly turn my head to see a boat, making its way
gradually towards the shimmering waters,
To where dwells this dreadful monster,
And then it clicks,
“No!” I cry, but it is too late,
For the immense jaws come up, and I see the boat
swallowed whole.
And then slowly
I see a twisted green body emerging from the water,
The monster rises and gives a colossal roar,
I watch in horror as it bares open its deadly teeth and turns
To look straight at me.
END
Background information
Devolving Diasporas is a three-year project (2007-2010) investigating the relationship between reading, location, and migration. Working with libraries and book groups in Scotland, England, Canada, Africa and India, the project is interested in how various readers in different places respond to contemporary narratives of movement, migration and diaspora. It is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council as part of the Diasporas, Migration and Identities Research programme. www.diasporas.ac.uk and www.devolvingdiasporas.com/
Each year the Arts and Humanities Research Council provides approximately £102 million from the Government to support research and postgraduate study in the arts and humanities, from languages and law, archaeology and English literature to design and creative and performing arts. In any one year, the AHRC makes about 700 research awards and 1,350 postgraduate awards. Awards are made after a rigorous peer review process, to ensure that only applications of the highest quality are funded. The quality and range of research supported by this investment of public funds not only provides social and cultural benefits but also contributes to the economic success of the UK. www.ahrc.ac.uk
Whose Scotland website: culturelab.ncl.ac.uk/whosescotland/
Alan Bissett, born in 1975, attended Falkirk High School and the University of Stirling, where he gained a First Class Honours degree in English Literature and Education, and a Masters degree in English. During this time he edited a collection of Scottish Gothic stories, Damage Land (2001), and wrote his first novel, Boyracers. His third novel, Death of a Ladies' Man was published in 2009, and he has recently moved into playwriting, working with Scottish theatres The Arches and the Traverse Theatre.
Contacts for further information:
Dr Bethan Benwell, University of Stirling
Tel: 01786 467976
Email: b.m.benwell@stir.ac.uk
Dr James Procter, Newcastle University
Tel: 0191 222 3518
Email: j.r.procter@ncl.ac.uk
Jake Gilmore, Communications Manager, Arts & Humanities Research Council
Tel: 0117 9876 773
Email: j.gilmore@ahrc.ac.uk