Coming very soon is Jo Gilbert’s new collection The Department of Stuff & things.
Jo Gilbert is a spoken word artist and writer from Aberdeen who enjoys shouting into a microphone at full volume. Writing in their native tongue of Doric and English, Jo's work has featured on BBC Radio 4, in art exhibitions, installations and short films, as well as spray painted on a mural at Aberdeen Beach.
Their poem ‘Yon Hairy Stick’ originally commissioned by Aberdeen Art Gallery was included in the Scottish Poetry Library’s ‘Best Scottish Poems’ 2022 and is part of the permanent collection at AAGM, along with ‘Oor bit, oor airt’ and ‘Velveteen Beings’. Jo was a finalist at the Loud Poets Grand Slam at Edinburgh International Book Festival in August 2023 and has won multiple slams all over Scotland. Past projects and commissions include Stanza Poetry Festival, Look Again Festival, National Theatre of Scotland, the Scottish Poetry Library and Aberdeen Performing Arts. Widely published in journals and anthologies, Jo's debut poetry collection 'WTF is normal anyway?' published in August 2022 by Seahorse Publications was nominated for a Scots Language award in 2023.
Jo is currently working on too many projects in amongst actual life – ‘many of which shall be abandoned for a shiny new thing.’
Also published in March is Karen Macfarlane’s Native River and Other Returnings
Karen Macfarlane grew up in Dundee and has now (probably) resettled by the Tay after several years in the Highlands. She is an Occupational Therapist and previous jobs have included a Timex production line, freelance writing for magazines, gardener’s labourer, and mental health support work. A mid-life crisis resulted in her completing a BA in Creative Writing and Art History. Karen’s first collection, All About the Surface, was published by Seahorse Publications in 2024.
