Scotia Nova

About the Book: 

there’ll be nae cries o
misery
jist the creakin soun
o openin doors

Read these poems and be inspired.

In the wake of the 1979 Devolution Referendum, followed by the impact of Thatcherite policies on Scottish society, many Scottish writers and intellectuals began articulating the distinctiveness of Scottish literary, cultural, social and political traditions and outlooks. Some joined popular political campaigns, from opposing the Poll-Tax and Trident to the Campaign for a Scottish Assembly, which led to a Scottish Parliament. Many now look forward to new possibilities for the future with more confidence in the value and importance of our country’s culture and politics, as these poems reveal.

Whatever the outcome of Scotland’s Independence Referendum on 18 September 2014, a better Scotland is possible. Across every aspect of life in Scotland – housing, inequality, life expectancy, health, education, crime, sectarianism, localism and more – we all know that a better Scotland is possible. And then there’s Trident. And the Bedroom Tax. And the Democratic Deficit. And on it goes.

Reviews: 

This is a confident, upbeat collection, drawing on shared history and language... invoking the ghosts of Hugh MacDiarmid, Margo MacDonald, Naomi Mitchison, Burns and Lenin. ANDY CROFT, Morning Star

The majority of the poems are successful. At its strongest moments it is a testament to the richness of Scottish poetry, and serves as a detailed snapshot of the nation. MICHAEL GRIEVE, The Saint

About the Author:

ALISTAIR FINDLAY has had a diverse career, from clay miner to social worker. He has published four previous collections of poetry, including Sex, Death and Football (2003), The Love Songs of John Knox (2006), Dancing with Big Eunice (2010) and Never Mind the Captions (2011).

Read Alistair’s profile by Angus Reid in the Morning Star.

TESSA RANSFORD was born in India, educated in Scotland and has lived all her adult life in Scotland apart from eight years working in Pakistan in the 1960s. She has published many books of poetry since the mid-70s and has been translated and published in Germany, Austria, France, Denmark and Japan.

Tessa founded the Scottish Poetry Library in 1984 and was director there until its establishment in new premises in 1999. She has an honorary degree for services to Scottish literature from the University of Paisley (now the University of the West of Scotland) and in 2000 she was awarded an OBE for her services to the SPL. Tessa was also founder/organiser of the School of Poets poetry workshop (1981-99) and editor of Lines Review poetry magazine for ten years. Founder of Scottish pamphlet poetry and active in Scottish PEN, she is also now the Royal Literary Fund Writing Fellow at Queen Margaret University.