The festival will feature a glorious variety of events including writing workshops as well as author events, children’s events and will feature an eclectic mix of writing, including, children’s fiction, literary fiction, poetry, erotic fiction, film criticism, song writing and writing for the stage. an interactive online programme can be viewed at Wordplay.

Celebrating Wordplay’s close connections with Screenplay, Shetland’s Film Festival, the event will feature renowned, film critic, writer and broadcaster, Mark Kermode who will make a welcome return to Wordplay in order to talk about, read from, ask questions about and even sign his new book, “It’s Only a Movie: Reel Life Adventures of a Film Obsessive” (Random House).

Continuing the celebration of the relationship between page and screen is Simon King who will make a return visit to Shetland in order to appear at the festival after the highly successful launch of “The Shetland Diaries” in the Town Hall earlier this year.

Wordplay will feature a strong musical element this year, in harmony with Screenplay.  This will take the shape of the legendary Michael Gray, the world’s leading authority on the work of Bob Dylan whose pioneering work, “Song and Dance Man: The Art of Bob Dylan” led the way in developing a literary appreciation of the man’s work. Thirty year s and two editions later we have Song and Dance Man III, a book of genuine weight, which contains a 152 page study of Dylan’s use of the lyric poetry of the pre-war blues in his work. This will be explored in his second talk of the weekend, “Bob Dylan and the Poetry of the Blues”. Michael Gray, who is renowned as a thoroughly engaging and entertaining speaker, has also written a book about the great bluesman, Blind Willie McTell, “Hand me My Travelling Shoes: in Search of Blind Willie McTell” (Bloomsbury) which is the title of his first talk.

Another key element of the music literature theme is provided by Will Kaufman, Professor of American Literature and Culture at the University of Central Lancashire who will be doing some hard travelling himself in order to present his acclaimed live documentary, “ Hard Times and Hard Travelling: the Life and Times of Woody Guthrie.” Dr Kaufman, himself no mean singer and guitarist provides what Ralph McTell has described as “the fastest hour and a half you will ever experience” in a presentation that will involve images and live performances oby Dr Kaufman of  the great American icon’s songs as well as other songs of the period.

As well as the music thread, the festival will have a strong dramatic component featuring both the writing element of the art form and performances. Both of these elements will be explored in the session with the celebrated dramatist, David Harrower which will include a rehearsed reading from his 2007 play “Blackbird” (Faber&Faber) as well as a talk by the writer and a Q&A session. Blackbird won the Critic’s Award for Theatre in Scotland and the Olivier Award for Best Play in 2007.

There will also be drama from closer to home in the form of a series of special performances of ten minute plays written in Shetland over the last year and performed by members of Serpentine Drama, a community group, based in Shetland with the aim of encouraging the writing and performance of new drama in Shetland.

There will also be drama for children, provided by The Story Tellers who will give two performances of “Tales from The Gypsy Caravan.” ‘The Storytellers’ was formed by Pendle Productions in 1985 as a Touring Theatre Company to take adaptations of classics to all types of venues. The Company is directed by the founder, Timothy Lince whose international work includes a 17 year association with the BBC, including working as a commissioned script and musical Writer/Director, Artistic Director of Manitou Arts Centre in Toronto and numerous major musical and theatrical tours. “Tales from the Gypsy Caravan” combines the rich tapestry of traditional storytelling with animated performance, music and song to create a production that is sure to both entertain and enthral.
The first Wordplay, in 2003, was an event primarily for children, and since then the festival has welcomed a long list of great writers for younger readers. This year will see a series of events, run by children’s writers, including Shetland Arts Writer in Residence, Chrissie Gittins. Chrissie’s poems have won prizes, been broadcast on BBCR4 and animated for Cbeebies television. Her adult poetry collections are Armature and I’ll Dress One Night As You. Her children’s poetry collections were shortlisted for the CLPE Award; all three are Choices for the Children’s Poetry Bookshelf. She writes radio drama and her short story collection is Family Connections.  As well as a session for youngsters, Chrissie will take part in a poetry reading for adults.

Needing little introduction to Shetland’s young readers is Valerie Watt, who has recently published her third dialect book for bairns.  ‘Bobby an da Burland Pearls’ inspired the musical of the same name.  With ‘Peerie Mootie’ and ‘Da Peesterleeties’ she has toured Shetland schools and nurseries, reading her stories, playing her fiddle and getting bairns involved in roleplay.  It is also rumoured she lends a hand to Tushie Truncherfaece, the world’s only trow columnist, who writes in Shetland Life. Valerie has made several highly successful appearances at Wordplay in the past, including a shadow puppet performance of Da Peesterleeties. This time round she will run a creative writing workshop based on “Bobby an da Burland Pearls” which will feature the puppets from the musical and her own excellent fiddle playing.

With her book “Tarantula Tide”, a prize winning thriller set in Shetland, Sharon Tregenza, will be making her first visit to the festival where she will present a solo event for children. This session will be based on the novel and will be all about the animals that feature in the novel and the animal smuggling trade.  Sharon will also take part in a joint event with Janis Mackay, herself a prize winning author of “Magnus Fin and the Ocean Quest.” Janis will also run a solo session for children, based on the oceanic adventure story that will involve the children imaginatively in creating their own sea monsters.

Poetry lovers will have the opportunity of almost total immersion in their favourite artform, including a reading by Christopher Reid, whose book,  “A Scattering” won the Costa Best book Prize in 2009, making Mr Reid one of only three poets to have ever been honoured in this way – the other two being Seamus Heaney and Ted Hughes.  The poet will read from his work and answer questions.

Saturday will feature two poetry double headers: first up will be Christie Williamson from Yell, now living in Glasgow, who recently won the Callum MacDonald Memorial Award for his pamphlet “Arc O Mons,” a translation from the original Spanish into Shetland Dialect, published by Hansel Cooperative Press. Christie recently featured at Stanza International Poetry festival in St Andrews and will join Christine De Luca who will be launching her new collection “North End of Eden” (Luath). She has now had published five volumes of poetry and enjoys a high standing in the national literature scene and is a prize-winning poet, writing in both English and Shetland dialect.

This reading will be followed by a special guest appearance from Orkney, by Nalini Paul, the current George Mackay Brown Fellow and Morag MacInnes. Nalini Paul has done a great amount of work in collaboration with visual artists and her most recent work is “Skirlags” (Red Squirrel Press). Morag MacInnes regularly contributes to the New Shetlander and has recently had published “Alias Isobel” a cycle of narrative poetry about fellow Orcadian, Isabel Gunn who gained employment in the Hudson Bay Company, disguised as a man.

From further afield, Vancouver, in fact and no less welcome is Miranda Pearson whose poetry has been described as “deeply startling and accomplished.” She has now had published three collections of poetry: “Prime” (Porcepic 2001), “Aviary “(Oolichan 2006), which won the Alfred G Bailey prize and “Harbour” (Oolichan 2009). Reading with Miranda will be Chrissie Gittins also a prize-winning poet. Her adult poetry collections are “Armature” (Arc, 2003) and “I’ll Dress One Night As You” (Salt, 2009) described by Moniza Alvi as “…Lively, accessible and gently surprising…”

The novel will also feature prominently at Wordplay, in the very new forms of “Da Happy Laand” (Luath 2010) by Shetland’s very own Robert Alan Jamieson, his fourth described by Kevin MacNeil as being  “… big in scope, rich in ideas, uncompromising in execution.” The other brand new book to be featured this year will be “And the Land Lay Still” by James Robertson (Penguin 2010) which was described by Irvine Welsh, in his review for The Guardian, as “nothing less than a landmark for the novel in Scotland”.

Making her first appearance at Wordplay is Mitzi Szereto, author, blogger (Errant Ramblings) and creator/presenter of Mitzi TV. She has published several books, including In Sleeping Beauty’s Bed: Erotic Fairy Tales. Mitzi pioneered the erotic writing workshop in the UK and Europe, and has lectured in creative writing at several British universities. She edited the first erotica anthology to feature a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. As well as giving a reading and Q&A session, Mitzi Szereto will run a two-hour workshop on how to write erotic fiction.

Another first for the festival is the arrival of Book Camp, a three hour master class on how to get published in the world of fiction for children which will be run by Julia Churchill a literary agent with the Greenhouse Agency and Leah Thaxton, senior publisher with Egmont, the largest Children’s Book publisher in the UK. The session will consist of an hour, from the agent’s perspective, an hour from the publisher’s perspective and a further hour’s opportunity to discuss questions from the floor. As with all the Wordplay workshops, advanced booking is necessary for this session.

Shetland Arts Literature Development Officer Donald Anderson said, “ It is immensely exciting to see such a wide variety of writers and events. I think that our volunteer curators, Genny White and Christine Hughson, have made a great contribution in helping us to bring together such a fine programme.”

Shetland Arts would like to thank the event’s main funders, Creative Scotland and Sponsors BP/Sullom Voe Terminal; Brudolff Hotels and Shetland Family Centre Services for their continued support of Wordplay.

Tickets for all events are available from Shetland Box Office, Islesburgh Community Centre, Lerwick – 01595 745 555.

Advanced booking is recommended for all events.

The programme for each festival can be seen on the Wordplay and Screenplay pages.

Adult Learning offer a range of other evening classes, details of which can be found on their website www.learnshetland.com where you can also enrol online.

Music Technology

Pro Tools 101 – An Introduction to Pro Tools.

Introduction to the industry standard digital audio production software package. The course includes Pro Tools functionality; digital audio theory, recording, editing and mixing; MIDI sequencing and software synthesizers. Included in the course is the official ‘Pro Tools 101′ book and instructional DVD. Students are eligible to undertake the Pro Tools 101 exam to gain an industry certified qualification. Tutors: Fraser Mouat, Thomas Cockayne and Bryan Peterson.

12 week course from 14 September (Tuesdays, Lerwick) – more details

Cubase for Beginners

Learn to use Cubase software to record and edit digital audio and midi, apply effects, mix down tracks and produce your own CDs. Tutor: Fraser Mouat.

4 week course from 15 February 2011 (Tuesdays, Lerwick) – more details

Digital DJ’ing – An Introduction

The course covers software and hardware setup, loading music from an iPod or USB drive, beatmatchining, EQ use and set construction. Tutor: Fraser Mouat.

4 weeks from 11 January 2011 (Tuesdays, Lerwick) – more details

Graphic Design

Graphic Design for Digital and Print

The course covers an introduction to graphic design skills for digital and print formats, featuring practical exercises using pencil/paper and graphics software. Tutor: Jono Sandilands.

6 weeks from 20 September (Mondays, Lerwick) – more details

Creative Writing

Creative Writing – Beginners

The hands on leaner centred course covers creative writing techniques and how to employ them, such as looking at different ways to start writing and to access and develop ideas.  Tutor: Jen Hadfield

10 weeks from 13 September (Mondays, Lerwick) – more details

Creative Writing – Advanced

The course covers poems and short stories, developing and improving creative writing, increasing confidence and skills and preparing for publication. Tutor: Donald Murray.

10 weeks from 13 September (Mondays, Lerwick) – more details

Crafts

Creative Needle Felting

The course covers needle felting onto silk and other fabrics.  Needle felting is a creative process, which can be used to embellish a garment, scarf etc. Tutor: Mary Thomson.

5 weeks from 21 September (Tuesdays, Brae) – more details

The Process of Design

The course covers the whole design process, from sketchbook to final product. Tutor: Emma Blain

10 weeks from 14 September (Tuesdays, Scalloway) – more details

Jen Hadfield will feature at 3.30pm alongside Rodge Glass and Eleanor Thom in a session chaired by Jenny Brown entitled “Exclusive Short Stories by Leading Writers”. She will read a piece of non-fiction on the theme ‘Elsewhere’ commissioned by the festival. Six days later on Sunday 5^th September at 10am, she will will appear at Wordplay 2010 in Shetland, where she will run a poetry writing workshop entitled, “Make it Strange: Dreams and Transformations.”

Later, at 8.30pm, Donald S Murray will appear in conversation with Will Self, in a session entitled “Fresh perspectives on St Kilda on the 80^th Anniversary of the Evacuation.” Murray whose book the “Guga Hunters” was reviewed by Will Self, for the Daily Telegraph, said “I feel immensely lucky to be appearing with Will Self at Edinburgh Book Festival, and I am looking forward to the event with great excitement.”

Murray is also delightedly anticipating the imminent publication of his newest book, “And On This Rock: Italian Chapel, Orkney” (Birlinn) which is due off the presses in September and will be launched in Edinburgh at at 7.30pm on 1^st October in Valvona and Crolla on Elm Row.

www.shetlandarts.org/events/wordplay

www.edbookfest.co.uk

The event, already sold out, will feature Christine de Luca, Lise Sinclair and Christie Williamson and will include performances of poetry and music. Christine de Luca is of course an established voice on the Scottish literary scene. She has had four collections of poetry published, Voes & Sounds (1994), Wast Wi Da Valkyries (1997), Plain Song (2002) and Parallel Worlds (2005) (selected works published in Shaetlan, English and French), for which she won the poetry Prix du Livre Insulaire 2007.

Appearing with her is musician and poet Lise Sinclair. Lise writes in Shetlan and English, and her poetry has been translated into seven languages. Her most recent work includes the pamphlet, Here, published by North Idea in 2006, the CD Ivver Entrancin Wis (shetlandmusic, 2007), Empty Ocean (broadcast on Radio 3’s Between the Ears in 2009), and a recording in Iceland for the SPL and Literature Across Frontiers.

Completing the trio for what promises to be a marvellous afternoon of poetry and song, is Christie Williamson. Christie who now lives in Glasgow was brought up in Yell. His poems have appeared in magazines and anthologies across Scotland and have been commended in competitions. In 2008–9 he was one of four mentees in St Mungo’s Mirrorball’s inaugural Clydebuilt mentoring scheme. Arc o Möns, translations of Federico Garcia Lorca’s poetry into the Shetland dialect was published in 2009 by Hansel Co-operative Press.

Also appearing at the festival will be Shetland resident Jen Hadfield, whose second collection, Nigh No Place won the TS Eliot Prize in 2008. Ms Hadfield will give two readings on Sunday 21^st at 11.30, in St Mary’s Hall and at 2.15pm in the Undercroft.

For more details visit  www.stanzapoetry.org

The art work for “Small Expectations” was created by Douglas Robertson who will also launch the book at the Bedales Gallery in Hampshire where he is holding a private viewing of “The Net Mender” his latest exhibition of specially commissioned box constructions and drawings, which includes the original art work for the book. Douglas is himself no stranger to Shetland having exhibited and run workshops here in the past. Nor is he a stranger to collaborating with poets, having worked with, amongst others, Jen Hadfield, Christine de Luca, Andrew Phillip and Kevin MacNeil. Speaking about the launch he said, “I thought Donald’s idea of the simultaneous event and readings was an excellent way to launch the book, particularly as it will include superb readers and singers from several islands. I am very pleased and privileged to be able to play a part in the launch by exhibiting the original cover artwork as part of my exhibition”

As well as the launch of “Small Expectations”, the event will also be a celebration of the languages of the Islands of Scotland’s edge and will feature readings in Gaelic, Shetland Dialect and Orkney Dialect, by writers such as Myles Campbell from Skye, Morag MacInnes from Orkney, John Murray from Lewis and James Sinclair from Lerwick. The launch will include a performance by Donald Anderson of two songs co-written with Donald S Murray. There will also be Gaelic songs contributed by Ryno Morrison and the renowned traditional Gaelic singer, Mairi Smith.

Murray will read a selection of poems and stories from “Small Expectations”, his fourth book, which has already garnered some excellent reviews and has been hailed by no less a commentator than James Robertson (author of “The Testament of Gideon Mack” and “The Fanatic”), as “…fine, assured writing, full of contradictions, dichotomies and ironies.”

Speaking about the launch, Mr Murray from the Port of Ness in the Butt of Lewis, now a resident of Shetland said, “ I am delighted to have been given the opportunity to launch this book in so many places at once, and I would especially like to thank the UHI and especially the technical staff of Shetland College, The Millennium Institute in Inverness, Lewis Castle College in Stornoway, Orkney College in Kirkwall and Sabhal Mor Ostaig in Skye for their support. I think that it is great that people from different areas around the edges of Scotland, who nevertheless have so much in common in terms of their experiences and culture should be enabled in coming together to celebrate both their commonality and their diversity.”

One writer who will need very little introduction is Louis de Bernieres, perhaps best known for his best selling novel, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin (1994) winner of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best Novel. A Partisan’s Daughter (2008) was short listed for the Costa Novel Award and his new book, Notwithstanding: English Village Stories is due to be published this autumn. As well as writing, he plays the flute, mandolin, clarinet and guitar, and performs regularly with the Antonius Players.

Another festival guest, coming to Shetland for the first time, is the acclaimed writer, animator, broadcaster and artist, Steven Appleby who lives in a garden shed in London besieged by children and sycophantic cats. Over the past 23 years his work has appeared in newspapers (including The Guardian, The Times and The Sunday Telegraph), over 20 books (including Men: The Truth; Normal Sex; Antmen Carry away My Thoughts As Soon As I Think Them and Jim – The 9 Lives of a Dysfunctional Cat), television (the animated series Captain Star), BBC Radio 4 (Steven Appleby’s Normal Life), theatre (Crocs In Frocks) and on the walls of art galleries and private homes.

Adding to the eclectic feel of Wordplay 2009 is Mark McCrum, a writer of thirty years experience which includes work as a travel writer – Happy Sad Land (1994), and a ghost writer Jack and Zena (1997). Mark has also written about television – he wrote a book about Castaway. In 2001 he published Somebody, Someday in which he chronicled a tour with pop star Robbie Williams.

Another writer who will require little introduction to Shetland readers, especially young Shetland readers, is Mairi Hedderwick, the author and illustrator of the massively popular, Katie Morag stories. Mairi will be making a very welcome return to Shetland, in the company of Katie Morag, for her first appearance at Wordplay. As well as her books for children, Mairi Hedderwick has also written for adults, and her book, A Highland Journey: Sketching Tour of the Highlands, Retracing the steps of John T Reid, which follows the footsteps of the Victorian artist who travelled extensively in the Highlands and Islands, including Shetland (which he wrote about in Art and Rambles in Shetland).

Two other children’s writers who will make the trip north for Wordplay are, Keith Brumpton and John Fardell. Apart from a growing list of illustrated books which include such titles as Chariots on Fire and Curse of the Vampire Squirrels, Keith Brumpton has also devised and written TV programmes, including BBC’s spy show M.I High. Keith will run drawing workshops for young people. John Fardell, In addition to writing and illustrating children’s books – Manfred the Baddie, The Flight of the Silver Turtle – is also a cartoonist, and his work has appeared in various publications including The Independent, The Herald, The List, and Viz.

There is a strong crime theme, with three of the UK’s best selling and most talented crime writers due to appear. Shetland crime enthusiasts will need no introduction to Stuart MacBride, author of Cold Granite, Broken Skin, Dying Light and Flesh House all set in Aberdeen and featuring DS Logan Macrae, whose new book, Blind Eye is now published in hardback by Harper Collins.

Stuart will appear alongside his compatriot, Allan Guthrie, author of five novels, the most recent of which, “Slammer” was described in the Scotsman as “ the most relentlessly page-turning novel this reviewer has come across in a long, long time…” As well as a leading novelist, Allan is an editor and a literary agent with Jenny Brown Associates.

Also no stranger to Shetland is Ann Cleeves, author of the highly successful “Raven Black”, “White Nights” and the newly published “Red Bones”, three quarters of her Shetland Quartet of novels featuring Fair Isle born detective Jimmy Perez. Ann will take part in a very special event featuring her friend CSI Helen Pepper a lecturer at Teesdale University, which will involve Helen taking the audience through one of the crime scenes from Ann’s novels and examining it from the perspective of a professional Crime Scene Investigator. Ann and Helen will also run a series of workshops in Shetland schools in the week before the festival.

Continuing the crime writing theme and expanding on it, Ann Cleeves will join leading television writer, Mark Greig in conversation. A writer with a long pedigree and an enviable track record, Greig’s work includes, Ashes to Ashes, Life on Mars, The Bill and Taggart. In this session, both writers will discuss the similarities and the differences they experience in their different forms of writing.

Combining fact and fiction will be three Shetland residents, Tom Morton, Donald S Murray and Donald McDonald who will explore the importance of landscape to their writing. Listeners to Radio Scotland’s afternoon programme will of course be familiar to Tom Morton who has published a string of fine novels – the latest of which, Serpentine, (Mainstream Publishing (4 Jun 2009) is currently available in paperback. Appearing with Tom will be Donald McDonald who has published two books via the internet – Antichaos and Palindrome (lulu.com) – both of which combine dark humour with a keen eye for human foibles. Pitching in from a non-fiction perspective, is Donald S Murray, whose latest book, The Guga Hunters , was published in 2088 by Birlinn Books. The book is a fascinating history of the men of Ness, in the Butt of Lewis, of which Murray is himself a native, who set off every summer to the remote skerry of Sulisgeir, to catch the gannet chicks which they preserve for eating. The book has met with great critical acclaim, not least from Will Self who reviewed it glowingly, in the Daily Telegraph.

As well as the crime fiction, children’s fiction and literary fiction, the festival will also feature a bevy of truly exceptional poets with readings featuring, 2008 TS Eliot prize winner, Jen Hadfield – Almanacs ( Bloodaxe 2005) and Nigh No Place (Bloodaxe 2007). Jen will be joined by Tivoli Prize winner, Kevin MacNeil – Love and Zen in the Outer Hebrides (Canongate 1998), himself until very recently a resident in Shetland. Also appearing is, Gerry Cambridge, editor of Scottish-American, literary magazine, Dark Horse, and several volumes of poetry including Aves (Essence Press, 2007; reprinted 2008), a collection of prose poems about wild birds; and Madame Fi Fi’s Farewell and Other Poems (Luath, 2003); and ‘Nothing but Heather!’: Scottish Nature in Poems, Photographs and Prose (Luath, 1999; 2nd edition, 2008). As well as his appearances at the festival, Gerry will be working as creative writer in residence in Shetland Primary Schools. Shetland resident is Gordon Dargie, whose talent came to the attention of the Scottish literary world with the publication of tunnel of love earlier this year, by prestigious pamphlet imprint Kettillonia Press poems from which were also published in the Scottish Review of Books and The Herald.

A star attraction at the festival will be an appearance by Puppet State Theatre, who will perform their hit show, The Man Who Planted Trees. The show has been a sell out for three successive years at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and has another run in Edinburgh this year. A captivating adaptation of Jean Giono’s environmental cult classic. A French shepherd sets out with his dog to plant a forest and transform a barren wasteland… this show is suitable for anybody over the age of seven and is a must see. “IT IS VERY, very rare to find something that appeals as effortlessly to children and adults as this magical show …” Scotsman, 5 Stars

Literature development Officer Donald Anderson said, “this year’s festival seems to be particularly busy and we are delighted to have such a wide range of literature related activity on offer and once again to welcome so many fine writers and artists to Wordplay.”

Tickets for all festival events are available from the Shetland Box Office – 01595 745 555 from Friday 7th August. Discount rates are available for tickets purchased before August 28th. For details see the festival programme, which can collected from Shetland Arts offices at Toll Clock Centre, Lerwick and venues around Shetland and downloaded from shetlandart.org/events/wordplay

Shetland Arts’ Creative Connections is a marathon, seven-day and night festival, celebrating the contemporary creative culture of Shetland, incorporating four summer schools, cultural and creative visits across the islands, showcase concerts and dances, a specially curated exhibition and an artist residency.  This event is part of Scotland’s Year of Homecoming and takes place throughout Shetland between 3 – 9 August.

Now into its sixth year, Fiddle Frenzy is Shetland’s renowned fiddle school using top exponents of their craft to teach tunes and techniques drawn from the unique island traditions as heard world wide by our contemporary performers. In addition to the daily workshops held throughout the week in Lerwick, Whalsay and Fetlar, Fiddle Frenzy provides seven days of concerts in Lerwick’s Garrison Theatre, at the Clickimin Centre, in the village of Voe and on the island of Fetlar. This year’s showcase concerts include performances by Aly Bain and Phil Cunningham, Fiddlers Bid, Bryan Gear and Violet Tulloch, Fullscelidh Spelemannslag, Kevin Henderson, the Heritage Fiddlers and many more.

For 2009 there have been additions made to the week long summer school event.  ‘Art Craft Experience’ is based on Shetland’s well known textile culture, grown from our knitting techniques and continuous creative development. During the workshops the tutors will teach basic Shetland knitted structures and their contemporary application for creative textiles.  Afternoon visits will take students to the studios of some of Shetland’s visual artists, craft makers and applied artists, to see their work and share in their experiences of working as an artist in Shetland. Students will visit the Bonhoga Gallery for the ‘Diaspora’ exhibition featuring four Shetland artists who have chosen to live outwith Shetland, and four artists who have made their home in the islands.  An artist in residence with family connections in Shetland, Hazel White, will spend a month at The Booth, an artist living/working space in Scalloway.  She will take part in some of the workshops while developing a project around her work in digital jewellery.

‘Makkin’ Wi Wirds’ is the title of the writing workshops with T.S. Eliot Prize winner, Jen Hadfield, exploring ideas of place through praise poem, myth and music. Shetland has a well respected literature scene, and these workshops will give students the encouragement to realise their ideas and visit some of the dramatic sites that have inspired some very high profile writers, from Robert Louis Stevenson to Will Self. Students will have an opportunity to share their compositions by stepping up to the ‘open mike’ at Creative Connection Club nights.

Another integral part of Creative Connections is ‘Shetland’s Storytelling Festival’, our top storytellers accompany the afternoon cultural trips and provide an insight into the folklore of the islands and the contemporary yarning that still flourishes in day to day Shetland life, act as hosts for the concerts and the festival club and provide that invaluable insight to Shetland past and present.

Clickimin Comedy is a stand up comedy event on Friday 7th at the Clickimin Centre, Lerwick, featuring visiting comedians Michael Redmond, Steven Dick and Eilidh MacAskill together with local comedian Les Sinclair and compère Sandy Nelson. The event is part of Shetland Arts comedy development programme which has so far included events such as Stand Up At Sound and Stand Up Helly Aa.

Creative Connections ‘Festival Club’ at the Garrison Theatre, provides a chance, each evening after the concerts, for all students and visitors to mix and enjoy traditional music and storytelling sessions until the early hours.

Bookings can be make from Shetland Box office 01595 745555 or in person from Islesburgh Community Centre, King Harald Street, Lerwick.

Contact us for more information on Creative Connections.

Vimeo (High definition version)

Jen Hadfield from Neil Astley on Vimeo.

YouTube (Lower definition version)

Another Shetland poet who has recently been on her travels is Lise Sinclair. As well as an accomplished song writer, pianist, guitarist and singer, Lise is a fine poet with a growing international reputation. In June she was in Bremen for the Poetry on the Road festival, where she read at three events in three different venues: the packed Shakespeare Company Theatre in Bremen, aboard the old three-master Schulshiff Deutchland, in the harbour of Vegesack and on front of 500 pupils of the Kippenburg Gymnasium. According to festival organiser, Michael Augustin, Lise’s readings were “absolutely great!” and the festival “went very well. We had 26 writers from 15 countries (including Ernesto Cardinale, Hans Magnus Enzensburger et al) and all places were jam packed…”

For further info visit the following websites

• Scottish Poetry Library
• Wordsworth Trust
• Poetry on The Road