Rhyme and reason to take part in contest
Creative residents of Wishaw have the chance to see their work included in an e-book celebrating Scotland’s current year of stories.
The area’s libraries are running a poetry competition “to celebrate the treasured tales we tell each other”
Winning entries will be compiled into a digital publication which will be available through online lending service BorrowBox and will be released on national poetry day on October 6.
Original poems of up to 500 words by writers of all ages – on the theme of “stories”, and in either English, Scots or Gaelic – can be submitted until August 31.
Judges will then select a collection to be made into the unique ebook anthology.
Competition organisers say: “This collection will celebrate the power and diversity of local history, and capture a taste of North Lanarkshire’s storytelling culture for future generations.”
Entries can be submitted online or as a Word document emailed to libraries@ northlan.gov.uk, including a name and poem title.
More information is available on North Lanarkshire libraries’ website.
Meanwhile, young writers aged eight to 12 are also being invited to to take part in a storytelling competition celebrating Scotland’s heritage sites which will see the most “inspiring” entries feature on social media and in a showreel.
They are asked to tell a tale featuring a Historic Scotland site, in English or Gaelic, through either a written story of 150 to 300 words or in a two-minute video.
Historic Environment Scotland has teamed up with the Scottish Book Trust and Scottish Storytelling Forum for the project, entitled “If These Walls Could Talk”.
Prizes ranging from Historic Scotland passes to book bundles and writing kits are on offer in the prize draw, which is open until June 24 with full information available online.
Culture minister Neil Gray, the Shotts MSP, said: “We are fortunate to have a wealth of historic sites in Scotland that I’m sure will fire the imaginations of budding young storytellers.
“Scotland is famous for producing outstanding writers so this exciting competition is a wonderful platform for our storytellers of the future to make their mark.”