This call out is now closed: I look forward to sharing more updates on the project soon.
Thanks to funding from the Scottish Book Trust's Live Literature Remote Event Fund, I'm really thrilled to have the opportunity to work with a writer in our tiny-but-beautiful community garden in Linlithgow.
THE PROJECT
Our garden is a tiny patch of land at the end of our street. It's not big or fancy, but it's ours and we love it. It's on a busy street, with plenty of people who pass by and stop to chat and look at what's growing. We have a real mix of people - with older people's flats next door, and lots of young families walking by.
This summer, we'd love to work with a writer on a short project to help local people take even more inspiration from the garden, by connecting what we're doing with words, reading, and writing. Some ideas (we're very open to others!) include:
Quotes chalked on the pavement
Questions or provocations on tags, strung from the garden railings, for people to take home with them
Short messages written on paper bags, with a gift of home-grown produce or seeds inside
It would be lovely if these words complemented the garden (so were about community, growing, nature and / or plants) and provided some hope and inspiration to people in these difficult times. This isn't a new commission, but an opportunity for a writer to share some of what they already do in this new context.
IS THIS FOR YOU?
Given the weird and stressful times we're in, this isn't a formal 'call out' as such, and there's no requirement to 'pitch' for this work, but I wanted to throw the net as wide as possible to enable this project to reach those outside my immediate circle. It would be lovely to connect with writers (of any kind) who identify with some of the following (you absolutely do not need to have all of these!):
An interest in working with community-based projects, and writing in a way that is accessible to all kinds of people, including those who aren't regular readers
An interest in / writing about nature, growing and the natural environment
A connection to Linlithgow
I'd love to hear from anyone who'd like to bring a feminist, activist and / or less-heard perspective to this, and I'll do my best to prioritise those working independently whose income has been especially hit by the Corona pandemic.
You must be on the Live Literature Author Directory to be eligible for this (this is pretty much the only non-negotiable).
If that sounds like you (or if it doesn't, but you think you'd be brilliant for this project for another reason), then drop me a short email just to say hello. It would be lovely to see any examples of your writing or other relevant projects that you have handy to share, but please don't write anything fancy or formal just for this - a couple of lines about you and your work would be grand.
THE TECHNICALITIES
You'd need to have capacity to do this work before the end of August 2020, and I need to commission an author by the 5th June, so if you're interested please email me by the end of May.
The fee for this work is fixed at £175 by Live Literature Now. You can see some examples from Scottish Book Trust of the type of work (and the maximum amount of work expected from writers for this funding) here.
I'll respond to everyone who emails me by the middle of June. Thanks so much for reading this far! If I've forgotten anything, or if other details would be helpful, don't hesitate to shout.