Culture Fund: George Mackay Brown Fellowship

Our project was to publish selected works of much-loved Orcadian writer Bessie Skea (known as ‘Countrywoman’) during 2023, the centenary of her birth.  We also planned 4 writing workshops exploring Bessie’s writing and nature writing more generally, two of which were for Orkney Voices, the group for writers in Orcadian language, and two for the children’s writing group, Wirdsmit.

The project was highly successful, and we are very grateful to the Culture Fund for your support.  The Wirdsmit workshops happened over one day, led by local writers Britt Harcus, Gabrielle Barnby and Amber Connolly.  The group spent the day in Shapinsay, which the young writers thoroughly enjoyed.  The explore various kinds of nature writing and responded to some of Bessie Skea’s work.

Orkney Voices also produced writing inspired by Bessie’s work.  They took part in the Orkney Nature Festival, and a renga (group poetry) session led by Yvonne Gray.

Throughout the year, Sarah Jane Gibbon compiled the publication A Glisk of Sun, pulling together a wide selection of Bessie Skea’s poetry, prose and newspaper columns.  Some of the work had neve been previously published, and much of it was long out of print. Emma Grieve provided lovely illustrations for the cover and text, and an introduction was written by Howie Firth.

Designed by Ian Ashman, the book was printed by the Orkney Media Group, and launched in early December, with readings and mulled wine in the Warehouse Buildings, Stromness.  Since then it has sold steadily, bringing Bessie’s work to a new readership as well as to those who fondly remember her newspaper columns in The Orcadian.

It has been very satisfying for us as an organisation to be able to produce a publication for which there is clearly a high demand, and which adds to Orkney’s literary archive.  It also adds to the growing number of quality publications produced by the GMB Fellowship, enhancing our reputation as a local publisher.  A Glisk of Sun, coinciding with the centenary of Bessie Skea’s birth, also gave us the opportunity to explore Bessie’s writing and nature writing more generally through the associated workshops with Orkney Voices and Wirdsmit, benefiting all who took part, both workshop leaders and participants.