The Poems: The Black Sky Blowing

Title: The Black Sky Blowing. Poems in Scots & English by Sheena Blackhall. Published by Malfranteaux Concepts Printed by Thistle Reprographics, 55 Holburn Street Aberdeen. The cover image is by Rosy Long, entitled ‘The Wind blew the Black Sky inside out’c. Blackhall 2019. Most of these poems were written in an exploratory trip to the Pennines in April, 2019. The Lion Rampant is included in the anthology ‘Scotia Extremis’ edited by Brain Johnstone & Andy Jackson, published by Luath Press ISBN 9781912147564, 2019. Còmhradh an Alltain is to be published in the May edition of the magazine of Irish & Scottish writing, Causeway/Cabhsair, pub AUP 2019. Nummers has been selected for future publication. Kinker was written after a day’s teaching Scots in the village school of Kincardine O'Neil. The Black Sky Blowing was inspired by the work of the artist Rosy Long, entitled ‘The Wind blew the Black Sky inside out’. ‘Sin I Cam By Johnshaven', was a project gathering and investigating the rhymes old and new of a coastal village and its hinterland, with an emphasis on the Doric, a three month project (January-March 2019) jointly worked on with Ewan McVicar, Sheena Blackhall, Christine Kydd and Andy Shanks, hosted by Johnshaven Museum's club for people with dementia; The Johnner Celebration song was written as a celebration of this.Thanks are also due to Malfranteux Concepts for agreeing to publish this collection.Sheena Blackhall April 2019