Scots Whay Hae!

The latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast is the third of our Edinburgh Fringe Festival Previews, where Ali talks to a few of the artists who will be appearing at the Fringe this year.

First of all actor, writer and theatre maker James Clements' tells us all about The Burns Project where we are promised "An immersive theatrical Burns experience like no other.". Without any spoilers, James talks about the research undertaken, ...

The latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast is the second of our Edinburgh Fringe Festival Previews, where Ali talks to a few of the artists who will be appearing at the Fringe this year.

First of all writer/director Aoife Parr and composer and sound designer Tom Baines talked about their show Anatomy of Pain which is "An unflinching look at the NHS through the eyes of a young person’s struggle with a lifelong medical condition". T...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! Podcast Ali spoke to music journalist, critic (and tour guide) Fiona Shepherd to talk about Glasgow's Greatest Hits: Tales From The City Of Music which is published by Polygon Books. Fiona co-authored the book with Alison Stroak and Jonathan Trew with whom she also founded Glasgow Music City Tours.

Fiona talks about Glasgow's reputation and status as a City of Music (a title granted by UNESCO, ...

For the first of our Bloody Scotland podcasts - Scotland's International Crime Writing Festival - Ali spoke to the five shortlisted authors for this year's Scottish Crime Debut of the Year. They include David Goodman - A Reluctant Spy, Natalie Jayne Clark - The Malt Whisky Murders, Foday Mannah - The Search for Othella Savage, Claire Wilson - Five By Five, and Richard Strachan - The Unrecovered.

They each give a brief summar...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali caught up with writer and academic Liam McIlvanney to talk about his superb new novel The Good Father, which is published with Zaffre (and which is rightly longlisted for this year's Bloody Scotland McIlvanney Prize).

It's a novel which is difficult to discuss without offering spoilers, but they just about manage it. After giving a brief description, Liam explained why this was righ...

The latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast is the first of our Edinburgh Fringe Festival Previews, where Ali talks to a few of the artists who will be appearing at the festival this year. The three shows discussed this time around are all part of the Made In Scotland Showcase, which has come to be a reliable mark of quality.

First of all, Christine Thynne and Robbie Synge talk about These Mechanisms, "[...] a show treading the lines b...

For the latest podcast Ali spoke to writer Andrew Meehan to hear all about his latest novel Best Friends, which is published by Muswell Press.

Andrew gave a brief synopsis before talking about where the initial idea came from, creating relatable and believable central characters in June Wylie and Ray Draper, the importance of coming to care for them and their relationship, why he wanted to avoid looking too far into the past, and ca...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to Chris Brookmyre and Marisa Haetzman who write together as Ambrose Parry to hear all about The Death of Shame - the fifth novel in the Raven and Fisher series - and much more.

They talk about how they initially came to collaborate, something which brought together two distinct parts of their life; namely Chris's crime writing and Marisa's research for her master's degree...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to Natalie Jayne Clark to hear all about her debut novel, The Malt Whisky Murders which is published on the Polygon imprint of Birlinn.

Natalie gives a reading from the book, before talking about the initial idea behind the novel, pitching that idea at Bloody Scotland, getting published, developing the central characters, creating a supporting cast, influences, the importance of place...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to poet Gordon Meade to hear all about this new collection of selected poems Beyond The Ninth Wave, which is published with the Into Poetry imprint of Into Books.

Gordon gives a career overview, going back to his early interactions with poetry, his first experience of being published, and the extraordinary story which lead to his writing seriously and subsequent career.

The two also di...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to comic book artist and writer Emily Brooks Millar to hear all about her new illustrated book Birddad. which is being funded through a Kickstarter campaign.

The first comic book artist to appear on the SWH! podcast (we think!), Emily talks about how she came to work in the medium, the importance of the support and encouragement from those around her, the challenges faced, and her exp...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to writer and poet Michael Pedersen, in the splendid surroundings of Glasgow's Mitchell Library, to talk about his debut novel Muckle Flugga, which is published with Faber & Faber.

Michael describes the place and people of Muckle Flugga before talking about why this is the story he has told for his debut, explaining that the time was just right.

He then breaks down the three ce...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to filmmaker Ciaran Lyons to hear all about his debut feature Tummy Monster, which is playing across UK cinemas in May.

Ciaran talks about the audience reaction to the recent screening at the Glasgow Film Theatre, before describing the film, detailing why this story became his debut, the practicalities faced, expanding on the themes and ideas which drove it, and the collaboration nece...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali caught up with writer Callum McSorley to talk about his new novel Paperboy, which is the sequel to his McIlvanney Prize winning debut Squeaky Clean, both published with Pushkin Vertigo.

Callum explains the premise of Squeaky Clean to give listeners an idea of his original vision, before explaining the ways Paperboy builds on that celebrated novel and his approach to writing a sequel.

He then...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to double bassist and returning guest Roberto Cassani to hear all about the album Pictish Spaghetti which he has made with guitarist Graeme Stephen, and which is out now on Brooklyn label 577 Records.

Roberto talks about collaborating with Graeme and how that came about, the dynamic of the double bass and guitar, their recording process, the joys of improvisation, the landscape of Per...

For the latest podcast Ali spoke to writer and musician Carrie Marshall to talk about her latest book Small Town Joy, which is published by 404 Ink.

A widely-published writer, including the critically-acclaimed memoir Carrie Kills A Man, Carrie is also a musician with indie rock band Unquiet Mind, and Small Town Joy is an inquiry into the ways LGBTQ+ artists have shaped Scotland’s musical soundtrack.

Carrie explains the reasons for w...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to Fraser Scott who is the director of The Gray Plays, a concert reading of four short plays by Alasdair Gray, which will be at Oran Mor on the 4th May.

Fraser talks about the project, the book that inspired it, who is involved (including some well-kent names), and breaks down each of the four plays and why they were chosen.

He also explains how he came to know the work of Alas...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to writer Craig A. Smith to hear all about his new novel The River, which is out now with Into Books.

Craig explains the full title of The River: A Path Of Least Resistance, why this was a story he wanted to tell, having a picture of the story in his head and the way it developed, the central character of Lachlan McCormack and what he represents, writing a love story, depictions of ch...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! Podcast Ali spoke to Ann Campbell who is the Festival Director of the Dunoon Film Festival which moves to Spring this year, and runs between 24th - 27th April.

Ann talks about the history of the festival and the importance of the local community. She also explains her own role before breaking down this year's programme and what people can expect, emphasising that it is about so much more than just...