Notes for Expats on Scottish bands touring internationally and features on Scottish music, sport, film and the life written by and for Scots around the world. More →
When these columns started in November 2009 I suggested that there was a noticeable change happening in Scottish writing, and attempted to answer why. Here’s a short excerpt to give you a flavour: ‘You can argue the reasons for this new confidence in Scottish writing, when it began, or even if it exists at all, [...]
It’s that time of year. Happy Christmas folks. Here is our very own Christmas video, featuring a very Scottish Santa….
There are a few Scottish novelists I would recommend to any aspiring writers who are looking for inspiration in terms of style and technique. These include A.L Kennedy, James Kelman, Alan Warner and Ali Smith. But top of that list would be Agnes Owens. If you want an example of how to tell stories simply [...]
Each month we present some of the best new photos of Scotland in the gloaming, the magical time before sunrise or after sunset. This month featuring images of the Pittenweem, Loch Duntelchaig, Arran, Balvaird Castle and more. Happy St. Andrews Day.
In today’s cultural climate a novel called ‘The Existential Detective’ could be said to have a double handicap in reaching a readership before it begins. Those who are set against the genre of crime fiction will see the word ‘detective’ and decide it’s not for them, similarly the term ‘existential’ puts many people in fear [...]
Each month we present some of the best new photos of Scotland in the gloaming, the magical time before sunrise or after sunset. This month featuring images of the Clyde Valley, Orkney, Bla Bheinn, Arisaig and more.
There is a lot of alcohol in Scottish fiction, as there is in Scottish fact. Often this becomes an easy stereotype used to denote not only nationality but also social status. There is a belief that alcohol abuse is one of the boxes to tick in the ‘urban, gritty, working class’ novel, but this doesn’t [...]
Alan Spence is one of those writers who seems to stand apart from other contemporary Scottish writers. I’ve been thinking about why this might be, and I think it is a matter of style. If you think of the adjectives that are most often applied to modern Scottish fiction they will include; grim, gritty, urban, [...]
Each month we present some of the best new photos of Scotland in the gloaming, the magical time before sunrise or after sunset. This month featuring images of Glasgow, Moray, Islay, Shetland and more.
