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…

Fellow of Winnie-the-Pooh

This week I started my new role as a Royal Literary Fund 'Fellow' at Stirling University. With over 100 institutions involved across Britain, this scheme has employed many creative writers over the last ten years in providing one-to-one support to students engaged in writing as part of their studies. Although not part of 'the institution' exactly, I am given a lovely home in the Department of English Studies on a campus that at this time of year and with this spell of weather, really comes into its own. Some of the buildings have rather tested my navigational skill but as the RLF scheme is principally funded by the AA Milne Trust, and I like to think of myself as a 'Winnie-the-Pooh fellow', I'm following a delightful precedent when walking in circles!