For the latest SWH! podcast Ali spoke to Young Adult author Ross Sayers about his latest novel Daisy on the Outer Line, as well as his previous work Mary’s the Name and Sonny and Me (all published by the YA publisher Cranachan). Ross is one of our favourite writers, and there are none better writing in the field of YA fiction today. It’s a fascinating conversation about finding the voice, language, getting “into character”, being defensive of those characters, the challenges with a time travel plot, and a whole lot more. You can find Ross’s books, and lots of other excellent YA titles, at Cr ..read more

This Thursday (18-02-2021) sees the start of this year’s Paisley Book Festival, which runs until Saturday 27th Feb. With the theme of ‘Radical New Futures’, the programme is carefully curated to offer a wide range of events, with something for everyone. You can peruse the full programme at your leisure, and get tickets, at paisleybookfest.com, keep up to date with what’s going on with Facebook, Twitter @BookPaisley, and Instagram @PaisleyBookFest. You can also hear co-producer Keira Brown and writer-in-residence Imogen Stirling talking all about the festival on the S ..read more

For the latest of our Glasgow Film Festival Podcasts Ali spoke to Australian filmmaker Heather Croall about her documentary Yer Old Faither which, as the title suggests, is about her Glaswegian born Dad who took the family to settle in the industrial city of Whyalla, Australia. A deeply personal film which will nevertheless be relatable to all, Croall uses home movies, family pictures, delightful animation, and her own footage, to tell a tale about one man’s apparently ordinary, yet quite extraordinary, life – one which impacted on the lives of a whole community in all sorts of ways. It ma ..read more

For the latest in out series of Glasgow Film Festival podcasts Ali spoke to director, producer, and cinematographer Alastair Cole to talk about his film Iorram (Boat Song), which is the first cinema documentary entirely in Scots Gaelic. Alastair talks about the unusual structure of the film, the vital importance of audio archive, the different types of cinematography used, the problems with filming at sea, connecting stories across time, and so much more. Here’s the trailer: This series of podcasts are in conjunction with GFF 2021, where we talk to various filmmakers, direc ..read more

For the latest in out series of Glasgow Film Festival 2021 podcasts Ali spoke to Maya Medvesek, better known as internationally renowned DJ Nightwave, to talk about the music documentary Underplayed. The film shines a light on gender inequality in the electronic dance music scene, and Maya, who features in the film, talks all about her experiences as a DJ, the challenges and discrimination she has faced, the women who were early pioneers of electronic music, the Producer Girls project, her hopes for the future, and so much more. Here’s the trailer: And Nightwave will be DJ’in ..read more

For the first of our Glasgow Film Festival Podcasts Ali spoke to a previous guest, Anthony Baxter, this time around to talk about Eye of the Storm, his documentary about the landscape artist James Morrison. Anthony discusses why he chose James as his subject, the use of mixed media in the film – especially Catriona Black’s animation, the soundtrack and what it brings to the film, the importance of storytelling, how the art influenced his own work, and a whole lot more. Here’s the trailer: This series of podcasts are in conjunction with GFF 2021, where we talk to various fil ..read more

Yesterday, as part of the inaugural Gray Day – a day celebrating the life and work of Alasdair Gray – saw the launch of the Gray Matters Podcast. It’s a series of interviews with friends, family, academics, and acolytes of Alasdair which will give a vital audio archive of people’s memories and thoughts on one of Scotland’s great cultural figures. The first two are with Professor Alan Riach and Alasdair’s sister Mora who both talk to Sorcha Dallas, the custodian of The Alasdair Gray Archive, about the launch of his debut novel Lanark (40 years ago today), and share their own recollections of ..read more

If it’s February in Glasgow it can only be the Glasgow Film Festival. This year running from today (Wednesday 24th February) to Sunday 7th March, it’s the festival for the more discerning film fan. As with most things in our lives at the moment, it is all online which offers viewers greater flexibility not only as to what to watch, but when to watch. Here’s how you can get involved: The Scots Whay Hae! podcast will be talking to some of those involved and we will also be reviewing the best of what’s on, but before it all kicks off here is the SWH! GFF preview. 2021’s programme has ..read more

Sorcha Dallas at the Alasdair Gray Archive For the latest SWH! podcast, Ali caught up with Sorcha Dallas, the custodian of the Alasdair Gray Archive, to talk about the plans for Gray Day, which is the 25th February 2021 – the 40th anniversary of the publication of Alasdair’s debut novel Lanark, a book which had a profound impact on Scotland’s literature and culture. They talk about the day itself and what’s happening to mark it, the wide-range of people involved, the ‘Lanark’ readings which have been posted in the run up to the 25th, the ‘Gray Matters’ podcasts which will be available on the d ..read more

For the latest SWH! podcast Ali caught up with filmmaker, DJ, and comic book creator Etienne Kubwabo to talk about Beats of War his comic book series which is so much more. The two discuss the inspiration behind the book, the importance of place and why Etienne was determined to put Scotland on the page, and hopefully on the screen, the influences from his own life that came together to create the characters and stories told. Etienne also talks about being inspired by the work of Stan Lee and Mark Millar, the musical side to the project, the importance of collaboration in all his work, his e ..read more