As part of the Red Squirrel Tenth Anniversary celebrations, there will be a launch event for four poets – Anne Connolly, Andy Jackson Chris Powici and myself – on the 12th April in the Scottish Writers Centre, CCA, Sauchiehall Street Glasgow, from 7-9 pm. You can find full details here.

And there will be a batch of squirrel cookies. Lemon, possibly, or maybe maple spice. I’m open to suggestions!

On Monday April 25th, the Federation of Writers group in Edinburgh will be holding an event called Meet the Makar at the Merlin in Morningside. I’ll be there, but there will also be three previous Makars of the Federation – AC Clarke, Sheila Templeton and Anne Connolly, as well as poet, story writer and harpist Rita Bradd – it is shaping up to be a wonderful evening.

The latest issue of Northwords Now is on-line. It has some truly wonderful work in it this time, so much that I don’t want to pick out individual authors, because I would forget someone. But I do want to highlight a project that has been running in Glasgow for a while. AC Clarke, Maggie Rabatski and Sheila Templeton have got together to write  poems in three versions – English Gaelic and Scots. One of these poems is published here in its three manifestations. I’ve been fascinated by this project ever since I heard about it – how each of the poets and each of the languages strike resonances from each other, and I am delighted to see it here.

However, vanity compels me to add that there is a review of The Territory of Rain by Stuart B Campbell on page 30. I can only say I am honoured and very grateful that my work should have received such generous and perceptive attention.