Here you'll find information about some of the clubs and societies championing the work of Scotland's writers. Information about joining can be found in the membership section of each individual website or via the email contact listed.
Borders Writers' Forum
http://www.borderswritersforum.com/
Promoting the work of writers living and working in the Scottish Borders.
Carlyle Society
www.malcolmingram.com/tcsoc.htm
ian campbell@ed.ac.uk
Celebrating the work and life of Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881), a Scottish essayist, satirist and historian born in Ecclefechan, Dumfies and Galloway. The Society meet regularly in Edinburgh and run a series of talks and events.
Dorothy Dunnett Readers' Association
www.ddra.org
enquiries@ddra.org
Based in Edinburgh, this charity promotes interest in the novels and writing of Scottish author Dorothy Dunnett. Perhaps best known for her two series of historical novels, The Lymond Chronicles and The House of Niccoló, she was a prolific writer. Born in 1923 in Dunfermline in Fife, she passed away in 2001.
The Association produces a quarterly published magazine Whispering Gallery so that members from all over the world can keep up-to-date with the DDRA. Events and meetings are also arranged and encouraged – details of these meetings can be found on their website. There is also the Annual General Meeting which is held in Edinburgh every Spring.
Dororthy Dunnett was honoured at the Writers’ Museum in April 2006 with an inscribed stone laid in Makars’ Court, Ladystairs Close. The Writers’ Museum supported this with an exhibition about Lady Dunnet and her work.
Edinburgh Sir Walter Scott Club
www.eswsc.com
secretary@walterscottclub.org.uk
Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) is one of Scotland's finest writers, and there are fans of his work all around the world. The Edinburgh Sir Walter Scott Club has been in existence for over 110 years, having celebrated its centenary in 1994. It has a membership of over 350, most of whom live in or around Edinburgh and Glasgow, but there is a considerable number from other parts of Scotland, and also from England and overseas.
The object of the Club is to foster the name of Sir Walter Scott through meetings, lectures, publications and excursions. For more information about membership and events visit their website. The site also features an online discussion group.
James Hogg Society
www.cc.gla.ac.uk/hogg/#introduction
The James Hogg Society was founded in 1981 to encourage the study of the life and writings of James Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd (1770-1835), and to bring together all those interested in him.
Hosted by Scottish Studies, Crichton College, the University of Glasgow, the Society holds a variety of social events. One event saw members meet in Ettrick to commemorate the centenary of the completion of the Hogg birthplace monument, with a simple service in Ettrick Kirk and a celebratory visit to the monument, followed by evening entertainment at the Gordon Arms Inn in Yarrow.
The Society holds bi-annual conferences, which offer a forum for the discussion of all aspects of Hogg and his world, and bring together international admirers of Hogg to re-assess his work. Speakers are invited to offer their papers for consideration for publication in the Society's peer-reviewed journal, Studies in Hogg and his World.
Muriel Spark Society
www.murielsparksociety.org
Founded in 2001, with Dame Muriel's personal blessing, she was particularly happy to know that the Society was based in Edinburgh - which she termed 'her own city'.
Muriel Spark (1918-2006) was one of the most admired and beloved Scottish writers of her generation, and author of over 20 novels. Most famous of these is The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, which introduced the world to the captivating Miss Jean Brodie, and is also one of the finest novels ever written about Spark's native city, Edinburgh.
The purpose of the Society is to promote the understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of Muriel Spark's work, and to provide a forum for all those wishing to extend their awareness of her achievements.
The committee organises a varied programme of events, including talks by eminent speakers, and an annual lunch to commemorate Dame Muriel's birthday. Members also receive an annual newsletter.
Robert Fergusson Society
uk.geocities.com/rfsociety2003/
contact@robertfergusson.com
The Robert Fergusson Society exists to preserve the memory of the poet Robert Fergusson (1750 - 1774), and to render his work familiar to as many people as possible. Every year they lay a wreath on the poet's grave (a simulacrum of the stone erected by Robert Burns) and hold a dinner to celebrate Fergusson's life and work.
Robert Louis Stevenson Club
www.rlsclub.org.uk
alan@amarchbank.freeserve.co.uk
Robert Louis Stevenson is perhaps one of Edinburgh's most famous authors. The author of Treasure Island and Kidnapped, his books are read in many languages around the world. The RLS Club was formed in 1920 by people who had known Stevenson and who wanted to care for his memory.
The Club's main objective is 'fostering interest in Stevenson's life and works'. This has been met by the organisation of exhibitions, lectures and readings, the presentation of prizes for literary competitions, and the maintenance of the first Edinburgh museum dedicated to RLS at his birthplace at 8 Howard Place. The fine collection of memorabilia originally displayed there has been transferred to the City of Edinburgh's Writers’ Museum in the Lawnmarket.
The Club has members all over the world, has close links with the RLS Club of Monterey, California, and is twinned with the Association sur le Chemin de R L Stevenson in Cevennes, France. Promotion of interest in RLS amongst children remains high on the list of priorities for the Club, and school competitions supported by the Club have led many children to Stevenson and have demonstrated how they respond enthusiastically to his books.
Saltire Society
www.saltiresociety.org.uk
ian@macdonald.abelgratis.net
The aim of the Saltire Society is to preserve all that is best in Scottish tradition and to encourage every new development that can strengthen and enrich the country's cultural life. They promote excellence in many fields through a series of national awards.
The Scottish Literary Awards support two categories: Scottish Book of the Year Award (£5000) and Scottish First Book of the Year Award (£1500). The awards date back to 1995 and have a prestigious list of recipients.