Stravaigin

About the Book: 

Warm and genuine, Liz Niven addresses different cultures and continents providing an honest yet satirical view of the world. From the streets of Glasgow to the Jewish Quarter of Prague, her poetry encompasses the outside world through the view of Scottish eyes: woman in a Headsquare, keeping out wind and rain, clothing memories, of every nightmare day spent since their sons were taken.

Reviews: 

What makes Stravaigin important, beyond the sheer beauty and wormth of its poems is that these different wavelengths reach us and touch us, and that whatever tone or mode she is using, Liz Niven's voice is wry, warm, and human. ALASTAIR READ

An exciting poet whose observational voice is international in scope, traversing continents and tiers of society. Her work marries humane warmth and genuine affection with wry wit and sharp social comment - a poet worthy of our closest attention. JANET PAISLEY

Niven's earthy humour and acute eye for detail make Stravaigin a collection well worth checking out. THE BIG ISSUE

Liz Niven's poetry is mature and humane. Her identity is that of a Scot and a woman, but she voices international and egalitarian concerns. Her feminism is another aspect of her enlightened stance. PN REVIEW

This is a wide-ranging volume, gutsy and confident... there is a yearning for maintaining roots, fund in relationships, a common humanity and overall, a strong faith in the power of our culture, our poetry, to thrive. SCOTTISH STUDIES REVIEW ASLS

A leading Scottish poet of today. She has added depth to characters and relevance to the geographical and historical. SCOTS MAGAZINE

Affirming and resonant, she's a worthy heir to MacDiarmid's crown. WATERSTONE'S, BATH

About the Author:

LIZ NIVEN lived in Glasgow for the first twenty years of her life. Since then, she has lived in Dumbarton, Easter Ross, Galloway and now Dumfries.  A former teacher, she has been Writer-in-Residence for dgaa, Scots Language Development Officer for Dumfries & Galloway Education Department and is now Cultural Co-ordinator for Creative Writing in D&G’s schools. For many years she has been a leading consultant on the use of Scots Language in Education, editing resources for education, co-writing the Advanced Higher Examination in Scottish Language and writing the first Dossier on Scots in Education for Mercator in the Netherlands. Her poetry and language related writings are widely published (UK, USA, Canada, Netherlands, Slovakia, Czech Republic) and broadcast on BBC Scotland, Radio 4, BBC Northern Ireland and ITV. Her award-winning poetry includes collaborations with sculptors for wood and stone installations on the River Cree in Galloway and commissioned poetry for Highlands & Islands Airports Ltd’s Gateway Arts Project. The latter commission is the subject of a television documentary entitled ‘Poet on a Plane’. She has been awarded two Scottish Arts Council Writers’ Bursaries, in 1996 and in 2003, and was awarded joint first prize in the Herald/McCash Poetry competition 2003.