Ron Butlin

RON BUTLIN AS EDINBURGH’S POET-LAUREATE (MAKAR)

Imagine my surprise when, one cold winter’s morning last year, I was phoned up out of the blue and asked if I would accept the post of Edinburgh Makar (Poet Laureate). Would I!! I was gobsmacked – and delighted! A real honour. The work is varied – everything from giving the occasional speech at public events, writing occasional poems, attending receptions, giving talks and readings . . . to being auctioned for charity (incredibly, I went for £500!). Unlike Andrew Motion I feel Laureateship is A Good Thing. Whether the commissioned poem is about The Gathering of the Clans or the opening of a poetry garden (see below), I try to re-interpret the subject and make it my own. Then, as best I can, I write from the heart.

APRIL 2008 (as Makar-designate)
April 30 - Burning Issue piece (re McGonogal) for Scotsman

MAY (as Makar-designate)
May 10 - READING at WORD Festival
May 11 - My Cultural life – for Scotland on Sunday
May 19 - Wordfringe in Aberdeen
May 20 - INTERVIEW in Herald
May 21 - POEM for Scotsman
May 30 - Five Questions for . . . RB in METRO

JUNE
June 1 - Introduction for The Mind Reader anthology (Trinity Academy)
June 2 – Meadows Writers
June 4 – Meeting with City Poet of The Hague
June 7 – Hatwalk Charity Event (auctioned for £500!)
June 11 - INTERVIEW for Evening News
June 19 – ‘Last Word’ for the List
June 20 – MAKAR INSTALLATION at the Edinburgh City Chambers
June 23 – Attending Stone of Destiny ceremony at Edinburgh Castle
June 24 – City of Literature salon
June 25 – READING / TALK at Writers Museum: Meet the Makar
June 27 – meeting Lyell Cresswell to discuss opera proposal for Scottish Opera
June 29 – meeting Ed Harper to discuss text for SCO: ‘Burns and Scott in Edinburgh’

JULY
July 2 – meeting with Swiss Consul to discuss Edinburgh Arts dinner with Swiss writers.
July 3 – Hatwalk ‘Tea with the Makar’ at the Balmoral.
July 10 – POET OF THE MONTH piece for SPL website.
July 21– Photo session for Council
July 28– BBC Radio Café, Makars’ Interview (with Liz Lochhead) INTERVIEW in textualities magazine INTERVIEW in One Magazine

AUGUST
Aug 4– READING - Opening Word Book Fringe, with Regi Claire
Aug 5– READING: National library of Scotland, with Regi Claire
Aug 9– READING: Opening Short Story Shop series at the Edinburgh International Book Festival
Aug 14– Provost’s reception
Aug 14– SAC reception
Aug 15– POEM for Ed Harper’s SCO commission (completed)
Aug 16– SPEECH at British Council Showcase reception
Aug 17– READING at the Edinburgh International Book Festival
Aug 20– Formal Edinburgh Artists’ dinner at Swiss Consulate
Aug 21– READING: Amnesty at EIBF
Aug 25– READING: Closing ‘Ten at Ten’ series at EIBF
Aug 25– SPEECH / READING: Opening the Poetry Garden at St Andrews Square
Aug 25– POEM for St Andrews Square Gardens (with Alex Salmond)

SEPTEMBER
Sept 16– BBC Radio Café (interview)
Sept 22– TALK: Blacket Book Group
Sept 23– PHOTO-SHOOT for Edinburgh Libraries Festival
Sept 26– Discussion with Susan Nickalls re Makar commission BBC Radio programme
Sept 26– Publicity material for Edinburgh Libraries Festival

OCTOBER
1 Oct – BBC Radio programme on Scottish Love Poetry
2 Oct – Official SAC Dinner for David Malouf
8 Oct – READING: Opening the Scottish Poetry Association’s new programme

NOVEMBER
5 Nov – Sitting for Joyce Gunn Cairns (portrait for Brussels exhibition)
9 Nov – TALK: ‘Writing Librettos’ for Friends of Scottish Opera
11 Nov – READING: Festival of Edinburgh Libraries
27 Nov – READING: Vital Synz (Glasgow)

DECEMBER
2 Dec – READING: launch Stolen Stories
15 Dec – POEM commissioned for Provost’s Banquet (first sketch)

JANUARY 2009
9 Jan – POEM: ‘The Magicians of Edinburgh’ for Provost’s Banquet (completed)
13 Jan – meeting with Denise Brace at Writer’s Museum
27 Jan – UNESCO City of Literature Salon
30 Jan –POEM for ‘The Gathering 2009’

FEBRUARY
3 Feb – POEM commissioned for The Gathering 2009 in the Scotsman
9 Feb – POEM commissioned for ‘The Homecoming’ (first sketch)
11 Feb – READING at Edinburgh University
23 Feb – RECEPTION for European Literature at SPL
28 Feb – READING for GAZA fundraiser

MARCH
6March – Meeting with Scottish Opera re new opera
18 March – RECEPTION for WORD Festival
23 March – Meeting with ECAT re possible Makar’s music group
24 March – RECEPTION / READING, at Playfair Library, made Hon Writing Fellow by Edinburgh University (first-ever, with Ian Rankin)

APRIL
2 April – REVIEWING Edwin Morgan Archive
15 April – RECEPTION / READING Provost’s Banquet
19 April – RECEPTION at Italian Film Festival
24 April – READING commissioned poem at funeral of composer Edward Harper
27 April – TOAST at Edwin Morgan’s Birthday celebration
29 April – CONCERT, setting of one of my poems for voice and orchestra by composer Ken Dempster
30 April – RECORDING poems for PEN

MAY
1 May – READING / SEMINAR Honorary Fellow at Edinburgh University
2 May – READINGS for Poets in Motion
10 May – INTERVIEW - BBC RADIO - Sally Magnusson
20 MAY – INTERVIEW – BBC RADIO CAFÉ
29 May – JUDGE (with Alexander McCall Smith and others) of The Gathering 2009 Poetry Competition

JUNE
8 June – TALK / READING representing Scottish PEN at Foyles’ Gallery in London (I’m being put up at the Groucho Club no less!) NB – this event has now been postponed until later this year.
19 June – ATTENDED Hon Fellow Reception at University of Edinburgh
22 June – TALK / READING as part of Penicuik Academy’s Book Week

JULY
Article for Scottish Poetry Library’s POETRY READER (Issue 5 – Summer 2009) which included my poem ‘Absinthe with Eddie’.
2 July – JUDGE Edwin Morgan Poetry Prize
8 July – Exhibition opening of portraits by Joyce Gunn Cairns OBE (including a portrait of myself!)
16 July – MEETING with ECAT directors to discuss my running their ‘Book Group’ for contemporary music
20 July – Reception for Discovery of Spain exhibition at the NGS
26 July – READING at Big Tent Event at Falkland Palace, representing Scottish PEN

AUGUST
6-30 August – PLAY based on my novel The Sound of My Voice opens at the Assembly Rooms, to run throughout the Edinburgh Festival
10 Aug – MEETING at UNESCO City of Literature office to plan The Bard in Edinburgh for EIBF
August – FIVE APPEARANCES at Edinburgh International Book Festival
15 Aug – READING to open the Story Shop sessions
16 Aug – READING at the Amnesty session
24 Aug – READING with Ruth Thomas
25 Aug - JUDGE at the Edwin Morgan Memorial Poetry Competition
29 Aug – READING / TALK in ‘The Bard in Edinburgh’
10 Aug – Reception for National Trust for Scotland / Bonham’s The Scottish Sale
17 Aug – Bonham’s Literary Lunch
13 Aug – Interviewed by critic Brian Hoyle for an extended essay on my work for the prestigious ‘British Writers Series’ published in USA.
13 Aug – Reception for Creative Scotland Revealed
20 Aug – Reception to launch HEADSHOOK anthology of Scottish Writing
20 Aug – Reception for Scottish Agents
21 Aug – Reception for London Review of Books
21 Aug – James Tait Black Prize ceremony and reception
26 Aug – WORKSHOP at the Scottish Parliament
26 Aug – Reception at Norwegian Consulate
27 Aug – Reception for ALCS
30 Aug – Awards Ceremony where Billy Mack received the ‘Best Male Actor on the Fringe’ award from The Stage for playing the lead in the play adaptation of my novel ‘The Sound of My Voice’!!

SEPTEMBER
1- 22 Sept - READING TOUR of Switzerland with Regi Claire, which included an event in a seventeenth-century wine cellar at the Trauben in Weinfelden. (combined with a much needed holiday!)
11 Sept – POEM for ‘Edinburgh Inspiring Capital Clipper Round the world yacht race’
27 Sept - READING at the Edinburgh Shore Poets

The Sound Of My Voice
'One of the greatest pieces of fiction to come out of Britain in the 80s'
Irvine Welsh