Kathleen Jamie, Makar – National Poet for Scotland
Scotland's Makar takes up Otago Fellowship
Posted: Thursday Jul 04, 2024
Kathleen Jamie, the Makar – National Poet for Scotland, will be based at Otago’s Centre for Irish and Scottish Studies in September and October.
Scotland’s Makar takes up Otago Fellowship | University of Otago
One of the most distinguished Scottish writers of the past four decades and current Makar – National Poet for Scotland Kathleen Jamie will be taking up a writing fellowship at the University of Otago later this year.
The Centre for Irish and Scottish Studies (CISS) and the School of Arts at Otago, in conjunction with the Caselberg Trust, are delighted to announce they will host the poet and essayist in the CISS Writers Fellowship in September and October.
Kathleen will finish her three-year tenure as Makar in August this year, and the nature poet and environmental writer is enthusiastic about visiting Otago soon after.
“I am thrilled to be able to accept this fellowship and travel to Otago; my first visit to the southern hemisphere. Many years have passed since I was last able to spend so long abroad; the promise of a whole new environment and different ways of thinking is truly exciting.”
Humanities Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Jessica Palmer welcomes Kathleen’s appointment.
“It is an honour to be hosting Kathleen Jamie, the current Makar – National Poet for Scotland. Otago holds strong historical connections to Scotland, and much of our own literary culture has been shaped by the very rich poetic traditions of the Scots. It is wonderful to see this cultural exchange continue with such vitality.”
Kathleen will be based in CISS, which sits within Te Kete Aronui - Division of Humanities, where she will mentor postgraduate students in Scottish Studies and the creative writing programmes, contribute to undergraduate courses and give several public lectures and readings.
Stuart Chair in Scottish Studies and Director of the Centre for Irish and Scottish Studies, Professor Liam McIlvanney, says it is a real coup for Otago to host a writer of Kathleen’s eminence and achievement.
“She is a world-class poet with enormous experience as a teacher. To have her at Otago for two months will be of tremendous benefit to our students, our programmes and our whole institution. Her presence will also deepen the literary connections between Scotland and Aotearoa.
“To bring a nature poet of Kathleen Jamie’s accomplishment into contact with the cultural and environmental taonga of the Otago Peninsula is a genuinely exciting prospect; I can’t wait to see the work that she produces,” Liam says.
Kathleen is a previous winner of the Forward Prize and the Costa Award for poetry and has recently retired as Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Stirling. She is also a nature and environmental writer and the author of four noted books of essays, including Findings, Surfacing and, most recently, Cairn.
Head of the School of Arts, Professor Simone Marshall, says her visit will be of value to the literary community.
“It is a true honour for us to host Kathleen Jamie at the University of Otago. Kathleen will have a significant impact on the Dunedin writing community, and her expertise and influence will be of immense value to our upcoming Creative Writing postgraduate students.”
Read more about the Centre for Irish and Scottish Studies Fellowship