Finishing a Fellowship

What a great conclusion to my three years as Royal Literary Fund Fellow at Stirling University. First, my grand ‘walk home from the office’. Then the Publishing MLitt celebrated its thirtieth birthday and World Book Night on April 23rd by sending a whole lot of books ‘walking’ as dominoes, including my ‘best foot books’. Then the launch of Kathleen Jamie’s new book of essays ‘Sightlines’ for which the gorgeous wall pictured below was painted in the Pathfoot Building alongside a celebration of the Fergusson Collection of paintings (which I’ve had the joy to walk past every time I’ve gone to work there). Then a ‘farewell’ reading this Tuesday for Creative Writing students and assorted lecturers alongside fellow-RLF-Fellow Eleanor Updale and Charles Wallace Fellow from India Nabina Das. And finally as I cleared my office yesterday evening, a chance to join the Publishing students for the final showcase of their book production projects – very fine results indeed. I’ll miss my work, the students and colleagues there very much, but now as one door closes, another opens…