“When artists master the art of the short-story, their miniatures may convey a reality as complicated as that of any novel. Linda Cracknell's collection ‘Life Drawing’ demonstrates her ability to capture moments of emotional intensity, then place them in relation to the characters' past, present and possible future . . . Life Drawing evokes different human existences, but all the stories reveal the author's sympathy with her characters and the lives they have chosen to live.” Scottish Studies Review
Linda Cracknell is a fiction and drama writer whose short story collection Life Drawing was published in 2000 after the title story won the Macallan/Scotland on Sunday short story competition in 1998. In 2001 Life Drawing was short listed for the Saltire First Book of the Year Award. To read a sample story from Life Drawing, go to: http://www.11-9.co.uk/authorzone/index.htm

To purchase a copy of Life Drawing phone Book Source on 08702 402182 (Mon-Fri 9-5) with credit card details handy.
Current work

Recently published stories include And the sky was full of crows in ‘Northwords Now’ Spring 2006. Angel Face features in the first edition of Southlight, a new literary magazine from Dumfries and Galloway, April 2006. Over the Garden Wall is published in Issue 118 (August 2006) of The Edinburgh Review. The above stories all feature in a collection The Searching Glance, which is currently seeking a publisher.

In and Out the Windows, a story from an episodic novel (work in progress) focussed on a Perthshire woollen mill reached the top twenty of the Scotsman/Orange 2006 short story competition, and was published in the resulting anthology Work, by Polygon in July 2006, ISBN 1 904598838.

In March 2006, a stage play in development, Flashpoint, was selected by the Playwright’s Studio for a staged reading at the Citizen’s Theatre, Glasgow. The play is now in a further development phase.

A number of Linda’s stories and two afternoon plays have been broadcast by BBC Radio. The Best Snow for Skiing, her play about poet Hugh MacDiarmid’s wife, Valda Trevlyn Grieve, was broadcast by Radio Four in July 2005. It was inspired by Linda’s position as writer-in-residence (2002-2005) at Brownsbank Cottage which was the last home of the poet and his wife. For photograph by Gerry Cambridge see: http://www.gerrycambridge.com/photography.html The cottage is now preserved by the Biggar Museum Trust. www.brownsbank.org.uk

Linda is also a creative writing teacher and workshop leader with various residencies in Scotland and further afield, including mentoring African writers through the Lancaster University/British Council Crossing Borders scheme. http://www.crossingborders-africanwriting.org/
Linda convenes the ‘Writers in Exile’ subcommittee for Scottish PEN. http://www.scottishpen.org/ and is on the steering group for Scottish Book Trust’s ‘Words@Work’ writer development programme http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/ .

Forthcoming events, workshops and residencies:
· Since January 2006, Linda has been working with schools in the Langholm area as part of the Arts Across the Curriculum Scottish Arts Council/Scottish Executive research project. See http://www.flatprojects.org.uk/projects/a_authareas/index.asp

· Guest reader at Moniack Mhor, Arvon Foundation, Inverness-shire Writing for Radio Wednesday August 16th. www.arvonfoundation.org

· Edinburgh International Book Festival, 6.45pm, Friday August 25th. A ‘Writing Business’ Panel event for LiteratureTraining on ‘going full-time’ as a writer. http://www.edbookfest.co.uk/

· Black Isle Words Festival. Workshop sessions and reading. Thursday 7th- Sunday 10th September. (Queries to Words Inc, PO Box 5706, Inverness IV1 9AF; or by calling 01463 713 552).

· WESTword Young Writers Festival in Douglas Ewart High School and Stranraer Academy in association with Wigtown Book Town Festival and The Creative Arts Team (CREATE) at Dumfries and Galloway Council.

· Writers’ workshop as part of Perth’s ‘The Word’s Out’ Festival. 2pm, Saturday 28th October. www.thewordsout.org.uk/

Agent: Jenny Brown Associates. http://www.jennybrownassociates.com/

© Linda Cracknell 2006


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