Past Salons
Below are details of our previous salons.
November 15 2011 - We held our own version of a literary "slam". Normally a slam would be a poetry competition with judges from the audience choosing the best poem read that evening. Our version was much kinder and perhaps more relaxing and entertaining, in that lit salon members were invited to read for no more than five minutes, with comments from the audience to follow.Nine people read (mostly poetry but also some extracts from novels) to a good sized and appreciative audience. All readings were well received and it was felt all round that our salon members have a lot of talent!
Our next event also involves audience participation; a social/quiz night with a literary theme. Teams are already being formed....
October 25 2011 - Niall Campbell joined us for an intimate evening at the Highland Literary Salon on Tuesday 25th October. He read poems inspired by a wide range of events from awkward car journeys through Venus de Milo to coiled rope. Many of his poems were influenced by life as an islander, growing up as he did in South Uist.He talked too about the benefits of doing a creative writing MLitt, and how winning the Eric Gregory Award last year has brought him recognition, publishing deals and other work.
Niall's first book of poetry will be out next year and we will post more information about this when it becomes available.
September 20 2011 - We were delighted to welcome Shetland based poet Jen Hadfield to our September salon. Jen read several poems from her T.S. Elliot award winning collection Nigh-No-Place, written about Canada and Shetland (and at 34,000 feet in between!). She then gave us a rare treat of premiere readings of some of her new poems. This led into a thought provoking question and answer session which gave us an insight into what inspires Jen to produce such wonderful poetry. We covered everything from her love of the landscape and of colloquial terms to how much she enjoys swimming in the seas around Shetland. A very enjoyable evening in the company of an excellent performer.Many thanks to Hi-Arts and to Jen for including the Highland Literary Salon on the Poets Tour. Best wishes to this 'zestful poet of the road' on what we feel sure will be a very successful tour of the Highlands and Islands.
August 16 2011 - A small intimate gathering last night of Highland Literary salon heard Michael Elcock read from a selection of his fiction and non fiction work. Wide ranging discussions covered everything from the importance of editing your work through to promoting the Scottish Highlands to tourists! The evening had an international flavour as Michael's work is set in Europe, Canada and Scotland, and we heard some fascinating and highly entertaining anecdotes from life in Seville, as well as the intriguing opener of an historical novel set on the border between Holland, Belgium and France.Michael is the guest reader at this week's Moniack Mhor writing course, and so many thanks to Moniack and to Michael for sparing us time for such an interesting evening.
May 17 2011 - Thanks for making our first HLS Slam event a success! Ten of our members read their work, which included poetry, short stories, novel excerpts, dystopian nonfiction, a children's story, and a travelogue. We'll be doing slam events in the future for sure!For those who haven't been to the Lit Salon lately, I will be spending the next year or so traveling with my husband. Stewart Lackie will be heading up the Lit Salon, with immeasurable help from Tony Ross (our webmaster, email guru and financial whiz). Many of you have voiced your interest in helping move the Salon forward, and we're arranging to get those folks together before I head off into the sunset. Those of you who have kindly offered your assistance will already have received an email regarding this.
I am so grateful to everyone who has supported the first 20 months of this project. In this time, we've brought 15 writers, 2 publishers and 1 agent to Inverness. We've also hosted a writing weekend at Moniack and three reading events (including this slam!). But most of all, we've connected writers throughout the Highlands and inspired others to start similar events in Skye, Lewis, Orkney, and the far North. And personally, I've met some wonderful people and writers - you! - who have become friends for life. Thank you to everyone who has come to a Salon event, and I hope this project has served as an inspirational, positive influence on your writing and, I hope, your lives.
Kristin.
Prior to the salon, a Social Networking for Writers and Websites for Authors workshop was given by Kristin Pedroja and Tony Ross.
The hand-outs from this workshop can be found below:
Social Networking for Writers Websites for Authors
March 15 2011 - On March 15, we were thrilled to welcome crime writer Lin Anderson to the Highland Lit Salon. She presented an interesting workshop on characterisation and creating the perfect crime duo. She also spoke with us about how she researches her novels by working closely with forensic scientists and visiting the places and settings she includes - and how this adds depth and realism to her books.
February 22 2011 - We are delighted that Sara Sheridan made her first trek up to Inverness for us! Sara gave us a compelling workshop about narrative drive and story. She also touched on the joys of working with professional editors and the frank information that writing a book is only a third of the job! Her Salon event was given to a packed house and included a taste of Sara's publishing career, along with readings from her newest book, Secret of the Sands. Thank you, Sara!
January 18 2011 - Thanks to Nicola Morgan for presenting two inspiring events for our January Salon. She gave an excellent workshop about what makes publishers say yes and what makes them say no, including specific reasons for rejection such as consistency in voice and narrative drive. Her Salon event focused on her prolific writing career and included readings from two of her books, including Wasted, which is up for numerous awards in 2011. We eagerly await the publication of her book Write to be Published in June. Until then, see her blog (http://writetobepublished.co.uk/the-blog-help/) for her no-nonsense writing advice.
November 16 2010 - We were delighted to welcome literary agent Jenny Brown (www.jennybrownassociates.com) to our November Salon. Jenny presented a workshop which focused on the various meanings of 'no', the information that is expected in a query letter, and how to create a pitch that will entice agents and publishers. A few fearless volunteers read out their pitches, and Jenny gave frank and constructive advice about how to make them better. After a short break, Jenny launched into a lively and interesting discussion of the publishing industry, from last week's bestsellers to next year's e-books. She also gave us some insight about what an agent does - she can receive 1000 submissions in a month! - and what we can do to ensure agents and publishers take notice of our work.We were happy to see so many new faces and hope to welcome you again soon. A heartfelt thank you to Jenny for spending time with us and helping us to better understand the commercial side of writing.
October 19 2010 - For our first anniversary, we tried out a new concept that proved both creative and stimulating. Keith Gray came up from Edinburgh to give a workshop entitled Developing as a Writer. He discussed how structure and style are crucial to any writer's work, and through well-considered exercises he got us all writing. After a short break, our regular Salon event began, and Keith told us about his path to becoming a writer and how he continues to challenge himself by encouraging young writers and editing short story collections. He also gave a short reading from Ostrich Boys, his most recent novel.We're delighted that so many people turned out for both the workshop and the Salon event. Thanks to Keith for presenting two excellent events, and for a successful inaugural workshop.
Here is a link to Keith's workshops, made during his time as Scottish Booktrust Virtual Writer-in-Residence. (http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/children-and-young-people/creative-writing/keith-gray)
September 21 2010 - Chris Powici spoke to a packed room of writers at our September Salon.Chris is a poet and teacher and is the new editor of Northwords Now.
Chris read us some of his poetry and shared a bit about his writing practice. He also answered our many questions about his involvement with Northwords Now, including insight into what writers can do to increase their chances of publication in a literary magazine.
Many of us stayed after to talk with Chris. We appreciate his time!
June 15 2010 - Peter Urpeth joined us from Stornoway to speak about his writing journey. He did a few readings of poetry and from his novel Far Inland.He also spoke with us about HI~Arts Writing Development, including their mentoring scheme and the Work in Progress programme.
We appreciate Peter taking the time out of his very busy life to pay us a visit!
May 18 2010 - We were pleased to welcome Moira Forsyth to the 18 May Literary Salon. Moira kindly explained the acquisitions and publishing process to us, using examples from her work as Commissioning Editor of Sandstone Press.Moira also talked with us about her own writing, and her experiences working with agents and publishers large and small throughout her career. She also read from her new book, Tell Me Where You Are.
Moira is an inspiring and encouraging writer, and our group discussions continued long after her presentation was finished. We appreciate her time and hope she will join us again for future events.
April 20 2010 - Our own Angus Dunn entertained a small but lively crowd at the April Literary Salon.He shared many of his poems, including crowd favourite Blessing, and read from his book Writing in the Sand.
Angus shared insight into his writing life and answered the many questions about his work and his writing process.
We appreciate Angus taking the time to join us and look forward to seeing him at future salons.
March 16 2010 - In March, we had the privilege of hosting Sharon Blackie, co-founder of Two Ravens Press and an author in her own right, and Donald Paterson, author of "Homecomings", recently released by Two Ravens.Sharon gave us writers a much-appreciated primer on the publisher's end of the book business and talked about Two Ravens' unique author-publisher model.
Donald described his long, but satisfying journey from idea to published novel, and read to us from his debut novel.
The only disappointment of the evening was that Sharon and Donald didn't bring enough books for purchase and signing.
Those who missed out on buying Sharon's "The Long Delirious Burning Blue" or Donald's "Homecomings", can click on the book titles to order their copy from Two Ravens Press.
February 16 2010 - We were thrilled to have Simon Varwell as our guest at the February Salon. Simon entertained us with excerpts of his new "travelogue" "Up The Creek Without A Mullet" and anecdotes from the many trips which filled the book.Quite a few people stuck around afterwards, chatting to Simon about the process of writing a "travelogue", which seemed to be an idea many people have had, but never pursued.
Due to illness, Simon's publisher, Sandstone Press director Moira Forsyth, was unable to join us. We wish her a speedy recovery and hope to see her in the coming months.
A hit, as usual, it was great to see everyone. We hope that you can all join us for the next salon on March 16.
January 19 2010 - It was standing room only at the Glen Mhor for the January salon. We're delighted that Kevin MacNeil could join us, and hearing the world premiere of a scene from his new novel was a treat. Kevin also shared some poetry and lyrics with us, and discussed many aspects of writing, publishing, agents, and literature.It was great to see some new faces, and hope that you can all join us on February 16.
December 15 2009 - A very last-minute venue change did not deter our December Literary Salon, and we crowded into a corner of McNab's to hear Jennifer Thomson talk about local literary magazine Random Acts of Writing. We also heard a reading of Chris Matthews' Inverness Book Festival prize-winning story by Stewart Lackie (pictured).
Thanks to everyone who braved the weather for the evening, and we look forward to catching up again in January.
November 17 2009 - The November Literary Salon featured Janis Mackay, who shared much about her writing career, her former positions as writer-in-residence in Caithness and Sutherland, and the success of her first children's book, "Magnus Fin and the Ocean Quest", which won the 2009 Kelpies Prize. We appreciate her driving down to Inverness from Dunbeath, Caithness, and enjoyed her inspiring talk.Many of those in attendance wanted to meet again in December, so we will go ahead with the December 15th Literary Salon. Hope to see you there!
October 27 2009 - The inaugural Highland Literary Salon featured Cynthia Rogerson (author of "Upstairs in the Tent" and "Love Letters from My Death-bed"), who led a discussion about writing opportunities in the Highlands. She focused on the 2010 schedule at Moniack Mhor, the Arvon centre near Inverness. We appreciate Cynthia’s time and congratulate her on her new novel which will come out in 2010.Upcoming salon details can be found here...