December 2022
Always been a fan of the poet Charles Causley, so I’m delighted that one of my poems has been chosen for The Maker, by the Charles Causley Trust.
December 2022
Yoyo & a’ Cholcach Bheag , the Gaelic version of Yoyo & the Little Auk – will be shown on BBC Alba on Boxing Day!
November 2022
I had great fun doing this cover shot for the excellent debut album by Air In The Lungs. It was taken in the wee small hours from a hotel window high above Hope Street in Glasgow. The eponymous Air In The Lungs will be released in spring 2023 through Last Night From Glasgow. I was lucky enough to hear it in advance and it’s brilliant. Check out the first single, ‘Sweet Is the Dream’ right here.
July 2022
My first story to be published in an Australian journal! ‘Adelfine of the East Neuk’ has found its way into the 2nd edition of the excellent South Australian magazine, The Saltbush Review.
July 2022
The opening image of the work-in-progress showing of ‘Another Nice Mess’ by The Southside Group/The Occasion.
April 2022
A trailer for Yoyo & The Little Auk!
March 2022
Very excited to have written Yoyo and the Little Auk, in collaboration with the RSNO (Royal Scottish National Orchestra), Visible Fictions, composer Euan Stevenson and animator Gavin C Robinson; and narrated by the wonderful James Cosmo. As well as introducing children (ages 3-6) to the magic of classical music the story explores themes of multiculturalism, migration and Scotland’s natural world.
March 2022
At last I got to see Theatre sans Frontiers’ Sherlock Holmes and The Speckled Band, on the last show of their North of England tour. While I had great fun working on it, I had even more fun watching it. The whole production was hugely entertaining, and the cast were a joy to behold.
March 2022
Always a joy and a privilege to be co-editor on the excellent Causeway/Cabhsair; the biannual magazine of new Irish & Scottish writing. (Published by Aberdeen University Press) This issue will feature more writers than ever before with some weil kent names rubbing shooders with emerging writers.
February 2022
Great to be facilitating a series of creative writing workshop for The Argyll Arts Collective It’s called Making The Old Hat New (a nod to the wonderful Stephen Sondheim there!)
January 2022
A little script writing for some very old friends –Theatre Sans Frontiers, on their new show Sherlock Holmes and The Speckled Band
January 2022
Looking forwards to telling some stories, old & new, at The Creggans Inn, Strachur for The Argyll Arts Collective
January 2022
Having great fun writing Another Nice Mess in cahoots with The Southside Group/ The Occasion. Looking at the post-war Glasgow at the time of Laurel & Hardy’s visit in 1947, it’s already promising to be something special.
November 2021
Delighted to see Blessed Assurance pick up a judges Special Mention at the recent Saltire National Book Awards.
Looking forward to seeing my poem “We Wish You A Scary Christmas’ in the winter edition of The Caterpillar, a wonderful publication, and one of the few dedicated to children’s literature. 2021
Great to be collaborating with The Occasion again. This time on the excellent Peabody Chronicles with The Southside Group.
August 2021
Currently co-editing the next edition of Causeway/Cabhsair, the biannual magazine of new Irish & Scottish writing. (Published by Aberdeen University Press) As ever there are some wonderful contributions from both emerging and established writers.
May 2021
Lovely to be working with artist Skye Loneragan again, on “Once Upon A Time…” a Ward 18 Glasgow Life artist-in-residency project. We’ve been working with new Scots and those for whom English is a second language. We have been working on the theme of Time- all of it online. Oh for some real face to face time!
November 2020
It’s been a joy working on Visible Fictions ,Twelve Days of Christmas project. You can see my contribution, Nettie McIvor’s Shortbread / Three French Hens, here.
November 2020
A lovely review of Blessed Assurance by the good folk of Scots Whay Hae. Click here to read it and while you’re there take a look at the other good bookish and musical things they’re getting up to.
October 2020
INSTAMATIC (part of the This Fire project produced by The Occasion) is now live and there have been some lovely responses to this photo-audio story, created by Khursheed Ali in New Delhi and myself in Glasgow. See for yourself.
Here are a few lovely comments from folk who have seen Instamatic.
“A lovely interweaving of texts and stories, cats and dogs. Timely and melancholy.” S.M
“Behold this beautiful work. Best watched after nightfall.” J.R
“I have just watched, in the dark with only a candle. Beautiful.” AT
“What beautiful photos, the density of the black and white and lustrous lights of night skies and street shadows … adds a sense of mystery and stillness to familiar places in and around the west end, and contrasts and makes connection with the also beautiful photos of Delhi.” B.H
“Cats and catapults. Well done, those sleepless nights, those lonely walks (nocturnes), were all worth while. Getting under the skin of the cities somehow.” M.S
“I was absolutely transfixed through the whole thing.” M. D
“Everything about it was so tender and human and the photography is stunning!” A.R
“Well worth watching. It’s beautiful work. Blessings, love and thanks.” L.B
“A beautiful insight into two very different but similar cities. Beautifully spoken/written. Such a lovely idea & what a great relationship.” B.H
“Great atmospheric piece capturing life in these peculiar times.” AT
“Nice work. So good to see artists adapting.” MM
“Very moving!” JC
“Beautifully photographed images of two very different worlds brought together in a strange harmony. The parallels of first world problems put into perspective. If this pandemic has taught us anything then it is that we are very much the same though different.” J.B
“Oh it is just MAGIC. Fantastic. What a superb idea but also just so gently, profoundly composed. Love it.” S.L
“Very atmospheric. … There’s something magical about being alone in the middle of the night and contemplating the wider world.” LL
“Stunning images. So impressed.” IL
“Wonderful piece, very atmospheric. I felt myself being in those streets and places and I enjoyed this journey very much.” TM
“Just brilliant, loved the feeling of this piece and such great contrast yet somehow the same.” SJ
“Wonderful images. Glasgow/Delhi in lockdown seen at night was unheimlich and strangely familiar and similar. Could have continued ….” BR
October 2020
Having mixed feelings about having to suspend my Aberdeen-Curtin Alliance PhD until spring 2021. But the travel restrictions to Western Australia -due to Covid 19 – means that I can’t do the research I need for the practice part of my PhD. ( a novel, titled ilk) The story is there, if a little fuzzy, and likewise, the characters feel as though they are hovering in the wings, waiting for their cue, waiting for the light.
September 2020
As my Blessed Assurance book events at Aye Write and the Edinburgh International Book Festival have been cancelled due to the current Covid19 pandemic, a few people have requested a Q & A and a few readings from the book. For Part One of my lock down Q & A click here and Part Two, click here.
After a considerable pandemic related delay, Causeway/Cabshair: a magazine of Irish & Scottish Writing is now winging away around the world. It’s a beautiful thing, full of beautiful things, and I have had such fun puttng it together and writing the editorial.
August 2020
I’m delighted to be working on Instamatic, an audio-visual collaboration with Khursheed Ali, a young photographer I met a couple of years ago in New Delhi. It’s part of the This Fire project produced by The Occasion. It’ll be broadcast in October, but meanwhile you can find out more about it here and see a few still images from the show, here.
June 2020
A Soup Song is my contribution to the National Theatre of Scotland’s Scenes for Survival project. There was a brilliant creative team on board to make it happen; Annie Louise Ross plays the soup maker and it was directed by the wonderful Nic Green and Peter McMaster. To see it, click here.
May 2020
Another playful poem. F is for Fantoosh, a celebration of one of my favourite Scottish words. I’ve made a little video of it. To see it, click here.
I’ve been keeping myself amused (and sane) by writing and recording some poems for children. Here’s one called No News is Good News about that day in 1930 when there was ‘no news’. Click here.
Anyone been celebrating World Naked Gardening Day? To see a video recital of my naughty little poem all about this unusual day, click here.
April 2020
Granny and Grandpa is now live! This is a short verse piece that I wrote and performed for Visible Fictions’excellent Phone Fictions project. Click here to view it.
March 2020
Sad to announce that due to Covid 19 lockdown, Glasgow’s wonderful AyeWrite Book festival has been cancelled, as has my debut appearance with Okechukwu Nzelu and Mister Edinburgh Festival, Roland Gulliver. For more of what might have been, click here.
As the lockdown continues to take it appears that August’s Edinburgh International Book Festival (along with all its other arts festivals) has also been cancelled. Yes, was very much looking forward to my first appearance, but it’s the right decision.
February 2020
Just back from a lovely little literary get together at the Uxbridge Book Festival. For the radio interview I gave at the event, click here.
July 2019
I’m over the moon that my debut novel, Blessed Assurance, has finally been given me a publication date – 18th November 2019 – by Scottish book publisher, Vagabond Voices. (I’m also delighted by Mark Mechan’s cover design)
There will be various launches throughout September and October, in bookshops in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen. I’ll keep you posted.
June 2019
It’s been a busy month. Started work on my PhD at Aberdeen University (and Curtin University, Western Australia) So far I’ve been reading thousands of pages of Australian fiction; Randolph Stow, Patrick White, Alex Wright, David Malouf, Tim Winton, Peter Carey, Alex Miller, Kate Grenville. What storytellers! What joy! Now after being overwhelmed by these extraordinary writers, I have to try to put pen to paper myself
Nice to see my urban wildlife poem, The Puddocks, in the summer edition of The Curlew. It’s a stunning literary journal, beautifully produced and illustrated, and all profits got to environmental charities.
I’ve also had a great few weeks with artist, poet and playmaker, Skye Loneragan, photographing and filming her Ward 18 /Creative Communities project around Cranhill & Balmarnock. See here for more.
And I’ve been having such fun performing some of my poems to groups of primary school children at various Glasgow libraries, including Ruchill and Knightswood.
May 2019
SCAPAfest outdoor, yoga and adventure festival,3rd to 5th May on Ardkinglas Estate, Loch Fyne, Argyll. I’m going to be reading The Sleepin Pipe O’ Inverfey and a few other new fairy stories written in Scots. It’ll be the first public outing of these unco tales, and I’m looking forward to sharing them.
March 2019
A really useful Scottish Book Trust, weekend industry marketing lab. There were friendly fellow authors and all manner of booky bods, every one of them generous with their time and experience. I left all tooled up, ready to wield my tome and tackle book shops, book festivals and other book related giants Bring them on Sancho!
Intergenerational Mentoring Network. What a joy to be sharing a love of books with a couple of sparkling and curious wee Primary 2s. What better way to start a Wednesday morning! What better way to get the literary fires burning!
February 2019
Aberdeen-Curtin Alliance. Just received confirmation that my proposal has been accepted and I’ve been awarded the Aberdeen-Curtin Alliance scholarship to study a fully funded PhD in Creative Writing. It’s a practice based PhD. In my case this means another novel. (working title, ilk ). Years 1 & 3 will see me travel up and down to Aberdeen and Year 2 I’ll be based in Fremantle, Australia. What a gift! What an opportunity! What a privilege! Thank you Beatrice Colin, Chris Dolan, Skye Loneragan and Rebecca Robinson for your help. More soon.
January 2019
The Curlew, a beautifully produced Welsh quarterly dedicated to nature writing and illustration has just told me that they’ll be publishing one of my short poems – The Frogs On Queen Margaret Drive in their summer edition. I’m particularly pleased as this is such a simple poem inspired by my daily walks down that very street.
Blessed Assurance. It has been confirmed that my first novel, Blessed Assurance, will be published by Vagabond Voices in September 2019. I’ll post more information (launch dates, cover etc) as when and it arrives. Feeling …relieved and nervous. Looking forward to feeling excited.
Corsica. Chris Craig (Actor & fairy Godfather), Andy Alston (Keyboard player with Del Amitri and Oatcake Maker extraordinaire) Trish Mullin (Actor) and myself took a stripped down version of our Fantoosh dinner show to the L’Aghja Theatre in Ajaccio, Corsica. It’s been almost 15 years since I was last there. It’s a beautiful island and artistic director Francis Acqui and his L‘Aghja Theatre team were once again the most wonderful hosts. Nick Brett from Edinburgh Steiner School brought over homemade haggis from the inspirational Garvald Farm in the Scottish borders, a place he has a close connection with. The Andy Alston led Scottish – Corsican ceilidh at the end of the evening was a thing of beauty.
Burns Behind Bars. A little tour of Rabbie Burns related readings and performance, in HMP Low Moss, HMP Dumfries and HMP Greenock. I was creative writing lecturer in HMP Shotts (and occasionally in HMP Low Moss) for several years so I’m very happy to be able to continue that relationship. I’ll be performing with actor/musician Deborah Arnott of the most excellent bluegrass/folk band Blueflint.
December 2018
The Caterpillar. I am delighted that quarterly magazine, The Caterpillar (child of literary mag The Moth) will be publishing one of my poems – A Cat Is NOT For Christmas – in their winter edition. It’s such a beautiful magazine, one of the few still appearing in print and the only one I know of that specializes in children’s literature. It looks like I’ll be sharing the covers with some exceptionally playful poets and word weavers.
Poetry Reading. It’s the Friends of the River Kelvin (FORK) ‘Winter Warmer’ at the Ha’penny House down below the Botanical Gardens. I’ll be showing my support for these good folk by reading a few home-made children’s poems, including When Santa Went Out One Halloween (aka…We Wish You A Scary Christmas)
November 2018
Book Week Scotland! This year the theme was ‘Rebel’ and I was in Knightswood Primary School in Glasgow, reading a few Rebel related poems. (including one specially written for the occasion) What a wonderful bunch of children they all and what a book loving school! The icing on that cake was being asked to come back the following day to present prizes at the prize giving ceremony.
Prison Writing Anthology. Also, as part of Book Week Scotland, I’ll be in HMP Shotts with book publisher, editor and writer Allan Cameron of Vagabond Voices. We will be continuing our work editing an anthology of prison writing, which will be published next year. I’m particularly proud of this project, as I was creative writing lecturer at HMP Shotts for several years, a period of great creativity in my life.
Rites of Passage. Looking forward to exploring Rites of Passage in rural Cumbria with Dead Good Guides. (That’s Sue Gill and John Fox, who in a previous incarnation were known as the inspirational Welfare State International) I’m fully expecting to journey outwith my cosy wee comfort zone. Thank you Creative Scotland for your support! More on this can be found on my BLOG page. See link above.
August 2018
I’ll be facilitating another Words Work Well Bibliotherapy workshop on the subject of reading and writing with prisoners. Once again it’s called Bedtime Stories for Beginners (If you can be bothered, that’s also a link my article of the same title.)
May 2018
The Monster and Mary Shelley have temporarily shuffled off into the sunset after their successful tour of the Scottish Highland and Islands came to an end at Lyth Arts in beautiful Caithness. However, the feedback has been so positive that The Occasion are already looking to re-animate them in 2019 and take it to venues in England, Ireland, and a few more in Scotland.
Thank you director Pete Clerke, performer Catherine Gillard, Composer (and voice of ‘The Monster’ Rich Williams, designer Ali Maclaurin, lighting designer Paul Froy and production manager Davy O’Neill for bring it to life so successfully.
Reviews of The Monster and Mary Shelley
“Stewart Ennis’ captivating script sparkles, weaving the contemporary with the classical. There’s high melodrama, horror and a huge dose of comedy. Catherine Gillard delivers a tour de force performance as Mary. Switching from child to teenage rebel to adult dealing with love, lust and loss. This is a well-judged piece of writing …quick, modern and witty prose. ” The Review Hub
“Like its subject, Stewart Ennis’ script is a multi-faceted gothic collage that gives vent to the assorted voices in Mary’s head … a vivid cut-up of psychological light and shade that gets to the dark heart of the creative urge within. The Herald
“Electrifying theatre! Ennis’ script is profound and compelling. His themes of love, loss, place and identity are delivered with empathy and understanding; often dark but punctuated at intervals with spells of bright humour to bring light to the mood. Catherine Gillard puts on a convincing and spell-binding performance as the charismatic Mary” SEAL
“…a fascinating and hilarious contemporary look back at Mary Shelley’s creation of Frankenstein. … a wonderfully engaging show … Catherine Gillard is utterly entrancing.” The Wee Review
“The teentastic-Georgia-Nicolson-style retelling of how Shelley lost her virginity at her mother’s graveside is stand-out hilarious.” Aunty Pat’s Film, Theatre & Telly Zine
“The script is a stonker!” Enthusiastic audience member
The Monster and Mary Shelley – Rehearsal Day 1 at The Pearce Institute in Govan.
More about My Monster
Fed up reading? Here’s a short soundcloud interview I did on Radio Saltire.
Stewart Ennis 