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Dumfries and Galloway
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Tag Archives: writing
Great Lives, The Lisbon Lions, Scottish Landscape and Bohemia in a Small Scottish Town
I’d never heard of the improvisational guitarist Derek Bailey until I encountered his story on BBC Radio’s Great Lives programme. Amongst other things, the programme was memorable for a short and fractious exchange between the presenter Matthew Parris, and comedian … Continue reading
Posted in Comment, Dumfries and Galloway
Tagged Art, avant-garde, music, Poetry, writing
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Roncadora
I arrived at the Coach and Horses last Thursday with no intention to write anything about the evening which was to come. But I went home with a different idea entirely for the event celebrated not just poetry but … Continue reading
Tower of Song
This essay on song writing is also available as a video podcast on YouTube or can be listened to as an audio podcast or download an MP3 file. I have no plans to podcast regularly, though I do have one … Continue reading
Posted in Misc
Tagged bob-dylan, folk-music, indie-folk, Joni Mitchell, leonard-cohen, music, Poetry, singer-songwriter, songwriting, writing
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The Reporter
A lament for a small town newspaper Not long after publishing my memoir, Remembered Fragments, I thought it might be an idea to contact the Newry Reporter in order to draw this momentous event to their attention. After all, at … Continue reading
Posted in Comment
Tagged Community News, Digital Media, journalism, Journalism ethics, Local Journalism, media, Media Consolidation, Memoir, Newry, news, Newspapers, Northern Ireland, Nostalgia, writing
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Publishing’s Age of Change
Kirkcudbright Book Week, Selkirk Arms 9th March 2025 Is it truly impossible for aspiring writers to break into the publishing industry? At this, the penultimate event in Kirkcudbright Book Week 2025, the panel of experts seemed to think so. The … Continue reading
A New Year’s Wish for the Blogisphere
And a Sauerkraut Starter For most of us who blog, I suspect, it is a relatively thankless pursuit. WordPress “Stats and Insights” makes it depressingly clear to me that only a small band of people subscribe to my blog and … Continue reading
This is Robert Rutherford Speaking. What can I do for you?
I was lucky enough to be in attendance at a book launch in Dumfries’s Coach and Horses to celebrate the publication of Pete Fortune’s two books of short stories, Waving at Strangers in Passing Cars and A Pauper from Irishgait … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Comment, Dumfries and Galloway, Environmental
Tagged environment, poem, poems, poet, Poetry, situationalism, writing
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Nate’s Forge
Thornhill was busy today, and my usual parking spot near the Drumlanrig Cafe was unavailable. By chance, I found a space at the Old School, located behind Nate’s forge. Frequent visitors to Thornhill will likely know of the giant fork … Continue reading
Posted in Comment, Dumfries and Galloway
Tagged Art, Blacksmith, Books, Cats, Dinosaurs, Dumfries and Galloway, food, photography, Sculpture, thornhill, writing
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Native: Life in a Vanishing Landscape
I spotted Patrick Laurie this morning, just outside Dumfries at Loch Arthur farm shop and cafe. Having never previously seen him in person, I paused for a moment wondering had I got the right man, but where others were enjoying … Continue reading
Carruchan 
Questioning Identity
Two Tales from Wigtown In his book, Against Identity, Alexander Douglas quotes Upton Sinclair: “It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.” Douglas goes on to say: “Well, try … Continue reading →