A Wee Bit Zen

About the Book: 

Alan Spence returns with a gentle collection of haiku and short reflective poems that invite readers to pause and pay attention. With warmth, quiet humour and understated wisdom, he captures moments of stillness and surprise in everyday life,inviting readers to slow down and see more clearly.

Rooted in both Scottish sensibility and Zen practice, these poems explore impermanence, kindness and small awakenings, offering calm, clarity and gentle insight. 
A book to dip into and savour, it opens a space for reflection, presence and quiet appreciation of the ordinary.

Reviews: 

Praise for  Glasgow Zen

One of Scotland’s most accomplished literary talents. Times Literary Supplement

Spence is a calm and necessary visionary, all openness of instinct and imagination. ALI SMITH

He is a gentle writer, but never sentimental. The beautiful moments have always been earned. He is a writer to cherish, one offering deep and fulfilling pleasures. ALLAN MASSIE, The Scotsman

Memorable poignancy and poetic compression. Sunday Times

The 150 pieces in this exquisite collection take the reader through the unfolding beauty of the passing seasons, their fleeting delights presented in a pleasing pocket-size format. Scotland on Sunday

About the Author:

ALAN SPENCE is an award-winning Scottish poet, novelist, playwright and short story writer, known for his haiku and reflective works rooted in Zen and everyday life. Born in Glasgow in 1947, he is Professor Emeritus in Creative Writing at the University of Aberdeen and was Edinburgh Makar from 2017 to 2021. He and his wife run the Sri Chinmoy Meditation Centre in Edinburgh. Alan has also spent a lot of time in Japan, gathering materials to enhance his writing.