PENning the Warming World

The third edition of Scottish PEN's writing magazine is now online. The magazine's distinctive feature is to present the work of refugees and asylum seekers, who may not be professional writers, alongside that of members of Scottish PEN, who are. This is an important opportunity to hear these often unheard voices.

The theme of 'the warming world' elicited fewer submissisons than previous issues despite its topicality. This perhaps highlights the difficulties for art and literature of taking on issues which seem to require a political or ethical standpoint. An interesting article by Boyd Tonkin discussed these issues in the Independent in November. Poet Ruth Padel was quoted, insisting that the tradition of nature writing rests on sensuous artistry and not sermonising in verse: “Literature, whether a poem or anything else, doesn’t work unless it’s literature first.” The article also quotes Robert Macfarlane, and Ian McEwan both of the opinion that: “We have a word for literature whose political outcome is pre-meditated, and it is propaganda.” Tonkin says of writers in response to the threat to nature: 'a nagging ache about the fate of beloved places and creatures throbs behind their work, as it has since John Clare recoiled from the cruel badger-baiters and rapacious landlords of 19th-century Northamptonshire'.

The next theme for the Scottish PEN magazine is PENning Journeys, to tie in with the theme of this years' Refugee Week, and the details for submission can be found here.

Call for writing inspired by your Heroes and Heroines

The Scottish branch of international writers’ organization, PEN, invite residents of Scotland who are refugees, asylum seekers, and others whose first language is not English to submit work for the on-line showcase of new writing we have recently started. The first edition was on the theme of ‘Home’.

The writing this time should be inspired by the theme of 'Heroes and Heroines’ and will go live in October 2009. Selected items will appear on the website alongside work by our own members, and guest contributions from members of PEN Kenya.

Both poetry and prose are welcome. Poems should be no longer than 50 lines (excluding the title), prose pieces no longer than 350 words. Each person may send in one prose piece and/or up to three poems. Submissions may be in any language provided that they are accompanied by a translation into English. The translation might be the author's or writer’s own, or through collaborations with another writer whose first language is English.

Work must be submitted by Friday 15 September 2009 as a word attachment to an e-mail. If the writing is in another script than English, please scan and send as an attachment in the form of a jpeg or pdf. Send to: pensubmissions@googlemail.com Please include a biography of no more than 50 words, and your contact details including a postal address. Copyright will remain with the author. There is no payment for work included.

Writing Home: A Scottish PEN initiative to mark Refugee Week (June 15th to 21st 2009)

Scottish PEN has invited poetry and prose from refugees, asylum seekers, and those whose first language is not English to appear alongside the work of a few professional writers who are members of Scottish PEN in an on-line showcase to mark Refugee Week. The writing, inspired by the theme of 'Home', will be posted on both the Scottish Refugee Council and Scottish PEN websites from 15th June 2009.

The collection which has resulted from our invitation provides an introduction to some new writers in Scotland, and reminders of well-known names. This has been an opportunity to highlight the range of writing and writers living in Scotland in a very practical way. We've been especially pleased to encourage the kind of collaboration that enables work from writers for whom English is not their first language to reach a wider readership, and are grateful to those who worked with writers to translate their work. Read this interview on the Scottish Book Trust website to understand how this process worked between Kusay Hussein and Sue Reid Sexton.

Plans are now underway for a regular Scottish PEN on-line literary magazine which will appear on a different theme later this year.