Alec Finlay
Alec Finlay is a poet and artist whose work crosses over a range of media and forms, from poetry to sculpture, audio-visual and neon, adopting such innovative poetic forms as the mesostic and circle-poem. Born in Scotland in 1966 and currently based in Edinburgh, much of Finlay’s work reflects on our interaction with nature and considers how we as a culture, or cultures, relate to landscape. […]
Andy Jackson
Andy Jackson is originally from Salford but has lived in Scotland for 30 years. He is a poet, editor of several poetry anthologies, and curator of various online poetry projects including Scotia Extremis. His third collection The Saints Are Coming was published by Blue Diode in 2020 and he was Makar to the Federation of […]
Barbara Bloomfield
Barbara Bloomfield is a former BBC radio journalist who became a counsellor in 1994 and now works for Relate as a Counselling Supervisor and spokesperson. She has written five books on social history and relationships and is about to start a Winston Churchill Travelling Fellowship to Australia and North America to study creative ways of working with neuro-diverse couples and families. […]
Bev Schofield
Captain Bev Schofield is a passenger boat skipper on Loch Lomond and a lecturer in computing and creative writing at City of Glasgow College. Zimbabwean born, she has lived in her beloved Scotland for 23 years, endeavouring always to bring together her 3 passions: writing, water and people. […]
Brian Whittingham
Brian Whittingham wrote poems, short fiction and drama, and worked as a lecturer in Creative Writing at City of Glasgow College. Of his seven poetry collections, the most recent was WALKING BETWEEN WORLDS (Red Squirrel Press, 2018); five of his plays were staged. In summer 2021 Brian led a series of Walking & Writing sessions […]
Caroline Brown
Caroline Brown is a person centred life coach, trainer, facilitator and graphic recorder, having worked in social care services for 44 years managing services for people. She has been a writer in residence in a care home and a secure care unit, developing poems and stories with people affected by dementia and has written a […]
Catherine Eunson
Catherine Eunson is a parent who has worked in a variety of jobs, as music therapist, music tutor/teacher and arts manager in education. She is very keen on poetry and how naturally it helps us celebrate and appreciate how everyone is unique. […]
Christine Cather
Christine Cather received an Msc in Information and Library Studies while volunteering at Glasgow Womens’ Library, her research topic was Bibliotherapy. A community librarian for many years, poet and fiction reader, NHS Education for Scotland employed her to assist in a development of a broad bibliotherapy project and we have found a sizable interest across health, social care, literary and library sectors in Scotland. […]
Donna Campbell
Donna Campbell has had poems published in various magazines and anthologies. She was a founder member of Survivors Poetry Scotland in 1995 and works with community groups using creative writing for health and well-being. As a performance poet she has strutted her stuff far and wide around the UK. […]
Dr Ann Wales
Dr Ann Wales has held the national role of Programme Director for Knowledge Management in NHS Education for Scotland since 2005, leading strategic development of knowledge management across the health and social care system. The constant driving force behind Ann’s work is translating knowledge into decisions and actions to improve health, wellbeing and quality of care. […]
Em Strang
Em is a poet, novelist and founder of Scottish charity, Three Streams, facilitating resilience, wellbeing and creative freedom at a time of global crisis. Em’s writing preoccupations are with nature, spirituality and the relationship between the human and nonhuman. Home […]
Fiona Bailey
Fiona Bailey is former critical care nurse and Relate counsellor, currently working as a Healthy Reading Bibliotherapist for Midlothian Libraries. […]
Gerrie Fellows
Gerrie Fellows has published five collections of poetry. Her fourth collection, Window for a Small Blue Child, drew on her experience of infertility and IVF and some of its poems formed the basis of a previous Lapidus workshop. She has been teaching and mentoring writers for almost 30 years. […]
Gerry Loose
Gerry Loose is a poet whose work is found inscribed in galleries, hospitals, Botanic Gardens and wild places, as well as in his many books. He is the recipient of a Creative Scotland Award, a Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowship, a Kone Foundation Award and a Hermann Kesten Stipendium, among others. His most recent books are Fault Lines, night exposures,(both Vagabond Voices) An Oakwoods Almanac (Shearsman) and Wee Poems for Morven (Longhouse).
He was the first Chairman and Founder of the Scottish Writers’ Centre, a Founder Member of the Scottish Poetry Library, and is a member of Scottish PEN
He has many years’ experience in leading writing groups of all abilities. […]
Gordon Meade
Gordon Meade is a Scottish poet, based in the East Neuk of Fife. He divides his time between his own writing and providing the occasional poetry writing workshop for vulnerable young people in a variety of settings. His most recent collections of poems, In Transit (Enthusiastic Press, London) and EX-Posed : Animal Elegies (Lantern Publishing […]
Helen Boden
Helen Boden is a Yorkshire-born, Edinburgh-based poet, teacher, editor, walker and third-generation baker. Particular literary interests include writing and the visual arts, and writing outdoors. Her work has appeared in site-specific projects collaborating with craft makers at the Pittenweem Festival, and words for the walled garden in Edinburgh’s Hermitage of Braid. […]
Helen Lamb
Helen Lamb was a poet and fiction writer. Helen facilitated creative writing groups for Forth Valley Health Board, Falkirk & District Association for Mental Health, the Maggie’s centre in Edinburgh, and for Open Secret, a confidential service for adult survivors of childhood abuse. […]
James Hawkins
James Hawkins qualified both as a medical doctor and as a psychotherapist. He works independently in Edinburgh helping people ease psychological distress and nourish well-being. James has lectured and run workshops nationally and internationally. He blogs at www.stressedtozest.com and produces a regular, free, evidence-based newsletter on stress, health & wellbeing. […]
James King
Since retirement from the UU James has developed his career as performance artist and sound poet, while maintaining his interest in creative therapy with vulnerable groups in the community; and occasional individual dramatherapy counselling.
During his teaching career he facilitated many extra-mural groups ; mainly with elderly people and people with a learning disability. […]
Jane Walker
Jane Walker is a self-taught artist and creative writer and has facilitated health and wellbeing workshops for 24 years which aim to raise confidence and general wellbeing of participants, and bring them joy and inspiration. […]
Jayne Wilding
Jayne Wilding lives and writes in the East Neuk of Fife, Scotland. She is a freelance writer and researcher. sky blue notebook from the Pyrenees draws on the experience of living in the foothills of the French Pyrenees for three year […]
JL Williams
Books by JL Williams include Condition of Fire (Shearsman, 2011), Locust and Marlin (Shearsman, 2014), Our Real Red Selves (Vagabond Poets, 2015), House of the Tragic Poet (If A Leaf Falls Press, 2016) and After Economy (Shearsman, 2017). Williams offers writing workshops, coaching and mentoring sessions for poets, and loves reading poetry aloud and collaborating […]
Jo Davidson
Joanna Davidson is an Art Psychotherapist. She followed a path from art school that has woven through various settings in social work, education and health, intertwined with counselling and therapy trainings and connecting with tons of brilliant people. For Jo, process itself is the intrinsic thread through the light and dark story of life. The […]
John Glenday
John Glenday’s first collection, The Apple Ghost won a Scottish Arts Council Book Award and his second, Undark, was a Poetry Book Society Recommendation. Grain (Picador, 2009) was also a Poetry Book Society Recommendation and was shortlisted for both the Ted Hughes Award and the Griffin International Poetry Prize. His fourth collection The Golden Mean […]
John Killick
John Killick has worked directly as a poet with people with dementia for twenty-one years, editing seven collections of their poems and publishing five books on creative approaches. He is currently Poet Mentor for two projects at the Courtyard Centre for the Arts, Hereford, and one at Ty Newydd, Wales. […]
John McCormack
John McCormack is Learning and Development manager with the Scottish Recovery Network where he helped develop the Write to Recovery website. John has a long-standing interest in the healing power of narrative and integrates this in his teaching of counselling skills at Glasgow Caledonian University. […]
Kathrine Sowerby
Kathrine Sowerby is a writer living in Glasgow. She has won a New Writers Award from the Scottish Book Trust and participated in poetry translation projects in Pakistan and Latvia. Her recent books are The Spit, The Sound and The Nest and House However, both published by Vagabond Voices. kathrinesowerby.com […]
Kathy Kindness
Kathy Kindness has been a clinical psychologist for the past fifteen years. She has worked in various health settings, including cycstic fibrosis, rheumatology and palliative care. She has a particular interes in spirituality and health, and in holistic care. […]
Ken Cockburn
Ken Cockburn works as a freelance writer, translator, editor and writing tutor, based in Edinburgh. His poetic practice often involves collaborators and other art forms, as in his ‘Road North’ project with Alec Finlay, a Scottish version of Basho’s 18th-century journey in northern Japan. […]
Kenneth Steven
Kenneth Steven is first and foremost a poet. Some 16 of his collections have appeared over the years: his volume of new and selected work Iona was published by Paraclete Press in US in 2021. He’s also very much a Scottish novelist and children’s author. He and his wife Kristina live on the west coast, […]
Lesley Morrison
Lesley is a retired GP, still active in medical education and medical humanities. She deviated into public health for a while but missed listening, and responding to, people’s stories so returned to general practice. She is co-editor of Tools of the Trade, the little book of poetry for new doctors published by the Scottish Poetry […]
Lesley O’Brien
Lesley O’Brien loves to tell tales from all around the world. Stories are often interactive, through songs and playing guitar, use of a range of percussion instruments, games, rhymes and a variety of interesting props. […]
Lilias Fraser
Lilias Fraser works at the Scottish Poetry Library on a range of reader development projects that use poetry in different contexts, including reading groups, the annual National Poetry Day postcards campaign with public libraries and schools across Scotland, and projects that help make poetry easier to explore for different readers […]
Linda Jackson
Linda Jackson is the founding editor of Seahorse Publications, and edited Janet Paisley: Growing and Dying. Her own work includes The Siren Awakes (2020, the first of three memoirs). The Cabinet (Red Squirrel Press, 2021) is a poetry collection remembering her mother via items in a display cabinet. Linda has been a tutor/teacher for 35 […]
Lorna Hill
Lorna Hill is undertaking a PhD in Creative Writing at Stirling University which focuses on the role of women in crime fiction. She runs a bibliotherapy group at Women’s Aid East and Midlothian as part of the Scottish Graduate School of Arts and Humanities doctoral artist in residence scheme. […]
Luke Winter
Luke Winter’s books include Stories for Strangers volumes 1-3, stories written on the street for people who walked by, saw Luke and his typewriter, and smiled. He tours with The Story Wagon, offering creative writing, traditional storytelling and story sharing activities. Photo credit: Ruth Armstrong […]
Magi Gibson
Magi Gibson has thirty years experience of working therapeutically with adults, as well as having worked as a teacher of teenagers with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. She is an award-winning poet and writer, has held several Arts Council Fellowships, and is currently Reader in Residence with Glasgow Women’s Library. […]
Mandy Haggith
Mandy Haggith is a poet, author and environmental activist who lives in Assynt, in the NW Highlands of Scotland. Her most recent novel is Bear Witness. During 2013 she was poet in residence at the Edinburgh Royal Botanic Gardens, celebrating the ancient relationship between nature and writing exemplified by the Gaelic Tree Alphabet. She has gathered poems about trees from around the world into the anthology, Into the Forest. […]
Margot Henderson
Margot Henderson is a Scots-Irish Poet, Storyteller and Community Artist. Much of her work is socially engaged and site-specific, celebrating community and our connection with place. She leads Writing Groups for Maggies Highlands and CLAN Elgin, Well-being groups with the WEA and teaches Mindfulness Meditation. She is a cultural Creative with Nature Culture Scotland […]
Maureen Sangster
Maureen Sangster , poet/writer/artist. Her most recent publication with Sheena Berry was Circle Line: ConversTations about Fife railway stations and their communities. She has delivered bibliotherapy in health and community settings such as a Reader in Residency in a mental health facility, Maggie’s Centre, Fife and stroke clubs.. […]
Rosie Alexander
Rosie Alexander is a poet and writing facilitator based in Orkney, Scotland. A member of Lapidus since 2005, she has run writing workshops for community groups, mental health charities and independently. She has previously contributed to Writing Routes: A Resource Handbook of Therapeutic Writing published by Jessica Kingsley in 2011. […]
Sarah Whiteside
Sarah Whiteside is a writer and music therapist. She is currently Writer in Residence at Roxburghe House, a palliative care unit in Aberdeen. […]
Sheila McLean
Sheila McLean lives in Kirkcaldy. Born in Keith. Army childhood. Studied at Glasgow University(M.A.) and Jordanhill College (Primary Teaching Diploma). Worked in teaching, office work; catering; caring and latterly for ten years as a theatre usherette. I enjoy literature, the countryside and nature. I occasionally write poems and stories. […]
Sheila Templeton
Sheila Templeton writes in both Scots and English. She was delighted to be nominated as Scots Writer of the Year in the Scots Language Awards 2020. She’s also won a number of prizes, the latest being the Neil Gunn Adult Poetry Competition 2019 and the James McCash Scots Language Poetry Competition 2020… for the 4th […]
Sir Kenneth Calman
Sir Kenneth Calman is Chancellor of the University of Glasgow. Former Chief Medical Officer for Scotland then England & Wales; He chaired the Commission on Scottish Devolution 2008-9, and was President of the British Medical Association 2008. He was awarded a KCB in 1996. His most recent publication is: “A Doctor’s Line. Poems and Prescriptions in Health and Healing.” […]
Stewart Ennis
Stewart Ennis has been working in theatre as a writer, actor, teacher and director for the past 30 years. He was a founder member of international theatre ensemble Benchtours and has created work throughout the UK, Europe, East Africa and India. He is currently part time creative writing tutor at HM Prison Shotts. […]
Sukhema (Larry Butler)
Larry Butler teaches tai-chi and leads expressive writing groups at the Maggie Cancer Care Centre. Poet & editor for PlaySpace http://playspacepublications.com/, convenor for Lapidus Scotland . Publications include Butterfly Bones (Two Ravens), and Han Shan Everywhere (Survivors’ Press). […]
Ted Bowman
Ted Bowman is a grief and family educator based in Minnesota. He was a long-time member of the National Association for Poetry Therapy, a sign of his use of poetry, writing, and literary resources in his work. He has worked in Scotland and England for many years, often with Lapidus and related mental health and grief organizations. […]
Valerie Gillies
Valerie Gillies has written eight books of poetry, and was the Edinburgh Makar, poet laureate to the city, from 2005 to 2008. She facilitates the Creative Writing and Journaling Workshops at Maggie’s Centre. Her most recent book is The Cream of the Well: New and Selected Poems, Luath, Edinburgh, 2015. […]
Wendy Woolfson
Wendy Woolfson provides bespoke workshops for vulnerable, social inclusion and adult and child disability groups promoting the therapeutic value within the stories, for those starting out in storytelling to those looking to deepen their practice. She tells stories from all over the world finding inspiration from her own experiences of life, love and travel. […]