World Book Day, Wee Write and StAnza

It's going to be a week full of a little bit of this -

and a little bit of that -

and some this -

and some that -

I'm off to Queensferry Primary to kick off their World Book Day celebrations, to Glasgow to do a Silver Skin event with Darnley Primary as part of Wee Write, and to St Andrews for StAnza, to do a poetical visit to Canongate Primary and for the launch of the Emma Press Anthology of Age on Saturday (at Innes Bookshop on South Street at 6:00 pm - it's free - come by if you're in town and have a glass of wine with us!).

(And, if you're roaming about the streets of St Andrews during the StAnza Festival, I'm pleased to have a poem up in a window somewhere, as part of the Poetry Graffiti project.  It's called Site of the New V&A Building, Dundee, in Fog. Once I locate it myself I'll let you know!  In the meantime, it's up on the online Poetry Map of Scotland - No. 260.  A fine number, I think.)

I Went to the Zoo, Zoo, Zoo

 It was beautifully sunny at Edinburgh Zoo but a bit brisk for some of my favourite animals, which gave me even more time to concentrate on otters, pygmy marmosets and squirrel monkeys.

And now it's time to read through the Scottish entries for this year's Pushkin Prizes - I'm prepared to be impressed!

(I'm also on an Awfully Big Blog Adventure with Ursus Wehrli - come on over!)

Writing Tips on Girls Heart Books

This week I'm over on Girls Heart Books with Heather Butler, talking about writing - thanks to C.J. Busby for setting up this on-going series!

Challenging Challenges; or, How to Have Fun on a Cold February Weekend

I have a couple of challenges to brighten my weekend - one from my Patron of Reading school Queensferry Primary, and one from the Off the Rails Arthouse.  

The QPS challenge is one I courageously suggested myself, as part of the school's upcoming week-long celebration of World Book Day.  (That school never does anything by halves!)  I said, "Why don't you have each class send me a word - any word - and I'll write a story that includes them all and then I could read it to everybody at the assembly?"  Well, my words have arrived, and they're humdingers!  There are 14, and they include words like photosynthesis, numpty, caterpillar, Mrs Fourarms, Scandinavia, pony, and 8 more.  No problem ...

The Off the Rails Arthouse challenge is to write a poem in response to a selection of photographs of "People Eating".  I chose this one -

I checked with my History Girls buddies for a date and, unfailing as always, the experts gave me their verdict, based on the young women's hair and clothes (and the young man's trousers) - 1919.  Just the date is a poem in itself.

I hope your weekend has some creative stuff in it too - now it's time for me to go get stuck in - 

Happy National Libraries Day!

If you're anywhere near South Queensferry Library today, drop in and say Hi - I'm there for the celebrations from 10:30 - 12:30 - it's going to be fun!  And if you can't make it that far, go to your own nearest library and tell the librarians they're lovely.

A library is not a luxury but one of the necessities of life.

Henry Ward Beecher