The Poems: There is no Cow on the Ice

Acknowledgements Title: There’s no Cow on the Ice (Pamphlet no 177 )Cover: Royalty Free online art Published by Malfranteaux Concepts Printed by Retro Overflow Copyright: Sheena Blackhall, May 2022 There’s No Snow on the Ice is a Swedish saying, meaning Don’t Worry.Most of these poems were penned on a week’s creative writing retreat at Dhanakosa, Balquidder, incorporating Tai Chi, Meditation & Poetry. The tutors were Linda France and Sukhema (Larry Butler). For more information on publications by Sheena Blackhall visit http://sheenablackhall.blogspot.com or the on line catalogue of the National Library of Scotland www.nls.uk/catalogues/online/index/html All of Blackhall’s poems in Scots & English are now uploaded on www.poemhunter.com . Her website can be found on http://smiddleton4.wix.com/sheena-blackhall. An interview in podcast form with the poet appears on http://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/connect/podcast/sheena-blackhall Thanks are due to Malfranteaux Concept for publishing this volume.

Title: Something Fishy This Way Comes :Pamphlet no 176: Cover: Royalty Free Clipart.Published by Malfranteaux Concepts, Printed by Retro Overflow Copyright: Sheena Blackhall, March 2022 Acknowledgements Many of these poems were written after staying a few days in Clippie Lodge, Ballater. This is an extensive refurbishment of my family’s holiday home, owned by my aunt, the late Helen Strachan, then called ‘The Shack’…a very different, basic, but much loved dwelling.

The Poems: Carpe Diem

Title:: Carpe Diem Pamphlet no 175 Cover: Girl Before the Mirror (1932) Picasso (free from the web) Published by Malfranteaux Concepts Printed by Retro Overflow Copyright: Sheena Blackhall February 2022 Acknowledgements I was commissioned by the Spectra team to contribute a piece to Writ Large. They asked artists Illuminos to use a section of one poem to be the basis of a large-scale video map projection on Marsichal College over the Spectra dates 10-13 Feb. Six Frames is a playful interpretation of six stanzas from my poem On the Bus: nummer 1 route. Using six repeating sections of the Marischal College facade, Illuminos used principles found in flick books and early animation, to take us on a journey through Aberdeen from the bus route of the poem. Using a six frames per second repeating format, the building is brought to life through cascading rhythmic imagery drawn from my poem in Scots dialect - a pulsing, whirring, humming trundle from Brig o Dee to Music Haa to Justice Coort and beyond. A bit more about their work is here https://www.illuminos.co.uk/ The poem Lang Sandy appeared in Eiks an Ens, Nummer 25 Scots Leid Associe Januar’s online feature. This is a limited edition of 50 copies February c. Sheena Blackhall ‘Picasso's rendering of the reflection in the mirror has been described by Debbie Goldberg at the Museum of Modern Art as a depiction of Death. Picasso made reference to other artworks within his compositions and may have been influenced by a painting belonging to a friend which was an image of Death holding up a mirror to a woman. The prevailing theme of this is memento mori or "remember that life is brief". From Wikipedia

The Poems: Ganesh's Daughter

Acknowledgements Title: Ganesh’s Daughter,Pamphlet no 174, Cover: Pin Interest clip art elephant,Published by Malfranteaux Concepts,Printed by Retro Overflow Copyright: Sheena Blackhall January 2022. The song ‘David Toulmin’s Heirskip’ which sings to the tune Drumdelgie was commissioned by the Elphinstone Institute to celebrate the launch of their book which brings together all the winning stories since inception of the Toulmin Story Comp together with selected others in the anthology Dinna Mess wi the Popo and other stories of the North-East of Scotland. Balvaird Castle appeared in The Northern Light Issue 55 – December 2021 Confraternity of the Knights of the Most Holy Trinity (Priory of Scotland). ‘Birse Kirk’ features in the The Dee Don Ceilidh Collective ‘Our Living Rivers and Glens’ project. Added to their media map, as an inspiration for their composers and songwriters, Jenny Sturgeon has cited it as one of her inspirations for her new song ‘Spinning Discs’. The tunes and songs are now complete, and you can listen to them on the designated website A‘legacy’ book for the project, will include all of the new music and songs, and some of the images and inspirations behind them. Birse Kirk will feature in this. The Spikk o the Nor East Leid was commissioned by DOST, and the poem (text & video) is live on dsl.ac.uk/Aitken100.‘A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (‘DOST’, 1932–2002) is a unique record of the language, history, culture and traditions of the Scots-speaking people from their earliest records to the year 1700. Running to 8,100 pages, this national treasure incorporates some 50,000 entries and 581,000 illustrative quotations drawn from more than three centuries of language use…. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of one of its most significant contributors: A.J. (Jack) Aitken (1921–1998), an outstanding figure in Scots language scholarship and editor of DOST from 1955 to 1986. …’As a lasting tribute to DOS five poets were commissioned to write poems celebration of Scots and its extensive history. The poems, written in a variety of local vernaculars, were published on St Andrew’s Day 2021, by Sheena Blackhall, Liz Lochhead, Alison Millar, Gregor Steele and Rab Wilson Sheena Blackhall c. January 2022

The Poems: Meenstrukk

Title: Meenstrukk : Pamphlet 173. Cover: The Lovers: by Marc Chagall. Published by Malfranteaux Concepts. Printed by Retro Overflow. Copyright: Sheena Blackhall November 2021.Acknowledgements: Peter Craig, editor of Echoes from Cromar’s Past, tells us that ‘the rock underlying Morven is much the same as some of the rock brought back from the Moon. The most accepted theory of the origin of the Moon is that it was formed when a large asteroid hit the Earth soon after its formation and the huge amount of ejected debris later coalesced to form the Moon. Thus Moon rocks are very similar to those that the Earth was made of at that time, but, while Moon rocks haven’t suffered any weathering or erosion (no atmosphere, water or plate tectonics), those on Earth have been constantly recycled, with the result that there are many, many more different kinds of rock on Earth than on the Moon.’

The Poems: Touch & Go

Acknowledgements Title: Touch & Go : Pamphlet no 172 Cover: Free Surrealist image from Pixabay Published by Malfranteaux Concepts Printed by Retro Overflow Copyright: Sheena Blackhall 2021. The Doctor in the Kirk was accepted by Lallans 99. The Cattie Poem was inspired by a piece written by Ananda, (Stephen Parr). Blue Lampie was written for the event North East Voices, part of the Aberdeen University Festival Wayword 21. The Howe o the Mearns was written to perform at the Johnshaven Heritage Day. Bawd bi the Dee featured in The Great Scottish Canvas virtual exhibition on 18 September during Climate Fringe Week, a week of climate events in the run up to COP26 in Glasgow. It will also appear in the Great Scottish Canvas book which will be brought to the UN climate conference, COP26, in Glasgow this November, to kickstart conversations about the future the people of Scotland want to see. The concluding Scots Owersetts are based on poems in World Poetry: An Anthology of Verse from Antiquity to Our Time.Sheena Blackhall c. September 2021

The Poems: Chacun à Son Goût / Fitiver Floats yer Boat: Pamphlet no 171

Title: Chacun à Son Goût / Fitiver Floats yer Boat: Pamphlet no 171 Cover: Free Image: Shuttershock,Published by Malfranteaux Concepts,Printed by Retro Overflow,Copyright: Sheena Blackhall 2021.The poem The Hurcheon was written to perform at The Wee Gatherin, July 21st 2021, a mini festival of the best in Scottish poetry, hosted by the Poets’ Republic Magazine. The Poem, Burns the Celebrity, was inspired by the Glasgow University Future Learning Course: Robert Burns: Poems, Songs and Legacy.Re. the poem ‘I Remember’…The Scottish Covid Memorial honours lost loved ones and recognises the impact of the pandemic upon us all, helping to shape a culture of recuperation. During summer 2021 the artistic team, led by Alec Finlay, prepared to co-create the memorial – an artwork in Pollok Country Park, online publication, and installations at satellite venues across Scotland – details of which will be confirmed in the autumn. From July, workshops took place in communities. These guided the writing of memories as an ‘I remember’ written text. The creative workshops will be guided by designer Lucy Richards and poet Ken Cockburn. The ‘I remember’ form was first devised by Joe Brainard. Examples of the ‘I remember’ produced for the memorial project can be found on the project blog. http://www.i-remember.uk/ Thanks are due to Malfranteaux Concept for publishing this volume, and to the creator of the cover image from Shuttershock.

The Owersetts: The War o the Warlds

The War o the Warlds: The War of the Worlds in North-east Scots (Doric) (Scots Edition) Owersett by Sheena Blackhall ISBN: 1782012710 Author: H G Wells. Pages: 224 Publisher: Evertype Publication Date: 2021-08-01

The Anthologies: Living our Dying

Living our Dying: eds Larry Butler & Sheila Templeton, ISBN 978-1-9196286-3-9 £15.00 pub. Rymour Books July 2012. Inspired by the work of the late David Donnison, thirty-two writers, including Sheena Blackhall, blend prose and poetry, look at dying and the process of dying. Intrinsic to the book is the desire to discuss creatively a subject often regarded as taboo. Most of us, especially in the West, find it hard to look death in the eye. In Living Our Dying, we learn how to talk more honestly about our fears, our pain, our wishes around death, and what emerges is a richer engagement with life.'I love this beautiful book. It will not only help you to die a good death, it will strengthen you to live a good life' RICHARD HOLLOWAY

The Poems: The Poem that Walked on Stilts

Acknowledgements: Title: The Poem that Walked on Stilts : Pamphlet no 170.Front Cover: An online tattoo design based on Salvador Dali’s elephant works. Back Cover: Winnie Blackhall creating a bower for a rabbit, Coull.Published by Malfranteaux Concepts Printed by Retro Overflow. Copyright: Sheena Blackhall July 2021.The back cover features Winnie Blackhall aged 8 creating a bower at the entrance to a rabbit hole at Coull, which she constructed with her sister Jessica.The front cover is taken from an online tattoo design, itself based on the work by Salvador Dali. Lockdown in a Bedroom was included in Best Scottish Poems 2020. Best Scottish Poems is an online publication, consisting of 20 poems chosen by a different editor each year, with comments by the editor and poets. It provides a personal overview of a year of Scottish poetry. The editor in 2020 was Janette Ayachi. Several Poems were inspired by artists who were included in the exhibition British Art Show 9, running at Aberdeen Art Gallery July 2021. Others were prompted by items in the programme QI (Flying with Falcons etc) What is forgotten & What Remains? is inspired by the title of an event at the Museum of Immigration, Paris, running from May2019-August 2021. Sheena Blackhall c. July 2021

The Poems: Ice Cream Dreams

Title: Ice Cream Dreams : Pamphlet no 169 Cover: free Vector download Published by Malfranteaux Concepts Printed by Retro Overflow Copyright: Sheena Blackhall June 2021 Many of the poems were inspired by works in the Aberdeen Artists online exhibition, June 2021. Protectrix was commissioned by BBC Radio 3’s The Verb programme, broadcast on 11th June 2021, presented by Ian McMillan.Thanks are due to Malfranteaux Concepts for publishing this volume, and to the creator of the cover image.Sheena Blackhall c. June 2021

The Poems: Spoiler Alert!

Acknowledgements Title: Spoiler Alert : Pamphlet no 168 Cover: Free Clipart Image Published by Malfranteaux Concepts Printed by Retro Overflow Copyright: Sheena Blackhall 2021 A section within these poems was written on a full day’s researching Upper Deeside with the storyteller & photographer, Grace Banks. Her extensive knowledge of the names of the flora & fauna of the natural world helped greatly when I wrote the poems. She also communicates with birds by mimicking their calls. Some poems are owersetts in Scots from the free online course, Future Learning, Poetry of the Holocaust from Yad Vashem. Sheena Blackhall c. May 2021

The Poems: Hard Listening

Acknowledgements Title: Hard Listening : Pamphlet no 167 Cover: inner ear vintage engraving Published by Malfranteaux Concepts Printed by Retro Overflow Copyright: Sheena Blackhall 2021 Death Echoes was inspired by the pamphlet ‘Redemption’, by the poet Ananda, (Stephen Parr). The Birthplace of Treasure Island & the poem Braemar were prompted by performing at St Margaret’s Church, Braemar, filmed as part of a series of concerts funded by a grant of £20,000 from the Performance Arts Venues Recovery Fund.Sheena Blackhall c. May 2021

The Poems: (166) A Bard's Life

Sheena Blackhall, A Bard’s Life, paperback, 110pp, 210x135mm. ISBN 978-1-8384052-2-9 rrp £9.99 Published 2021 by Rymour Books, 45 Needless Road, Perth.PH2 OLE https://www.rymour.co.uk Cover design by Ian Spring Typeset in Bembo, printed & bound by Imprint Digital Seychelles Farm, Upton Pyne, Exteter. A CIP catalogue record for this book is availablefrom the British Library. Poet, scholar, singer, storyteller, artist; Sheena Blackhall is a prolific and much-admired author from the North-east of Scotland. This enthralling collection follows her life from rural Aberdeenshire to the far-flung corners of the world searching for poems. As the title, A Bard‘s Life, would suggest, it‘s a kind of autobiography. It‘s told as a sequence of poems and short stories, illustrated with family photos and her own drawings, with a preface by Alan Pence..

The Poems : Skin(2)

Title: Skin (2) : Pamphlet no 165, Cover: a detail from Michaelangelo’s Last Judgement. Published by Malfranteaux Concepts. Printed by Retro Overflow Copyright: Sheena Blackhall 2021. The cover is a detail from Michaelangelo’s Last Judgement in the Sistine Chapel. It represents St Bartholomew holding his flayed skin, thought to be a portrait of Michaelangelo himself. In her Higher Art class Blackhall won the James McBey Art essay prize for her composition on Michaelangelo’s Last Judgement.

March 2021  

The Poems: Singing like Pavarotti

Title: Singing Like Pavarotti: Pamphlet no 164. Cover: Silent Scream: Surreal Photoshop Manipulation Tutorial.Published by Malfranteaux Concepts Printed by Retro Overflow Copyright: Sheena Blackhall February 2021 Limited Edition of 50 Thanks are due to Malfranteaux Concept for publishing this volume, and to the creator of the cover image.“I want to sing like the birds sing, not worrying about who hears or what they think.”― Rumi  

The Poems: An Infestation of Clocks

Title: An Infestation of Clocks: Pamphlet no 163 Cover:It isTime Photoshop Manipulation by njakkk (on pin interest) Published by Malfranteaux Concepts Printed by Retro Overflow Copyright: Sheena Blackhall January 2021

The Poems: The Pantheist

Acknowledgements:Title: The Pantheist (Pamphlet 162), Cover: Yoga Tree (in public domain),Published by Malfranteaux Concepts,Printed by Repro Overflow, Aberdeen December 2020 Two of the poems were written to perform at a Xmas event to be filmed at Saint Machar’s Cathedral. John Bett and Fiona Kennedy are producing VSA’s ‘A Guid Noel’ at St Machar’s Cathedral on Tuesday 15th December. All lockdown rules will be observed. The programme will be celebrating 150 years of VSA.

The Poems: Mind Spaghetti for a Rainy Day

Title: Mind Spaghetti for a Rainy Day (Pamphlet 161)Cover Design : clip art,Published by Malfranteaux Concepts,Printed by Repro Overflow, Aberdeen Acknowledgements:I was lucky in childhood in having a grandmother and father who loved me unconditionally. Indeed, it was more than love, I was cherished. My brother, on the other hand, was cherished by our mother. Oddly, both my brother Ian & myself were overly ambitious, well beyond our talents. He aimed to become a famous concert pianist. My ambition was to go to Paris, become a famous artist, maybe even found a painting dynasty. Both of our ambitions crashed and burned. He ended up as a chartered accountant, I diverted into writing. The careers we cherished, perished. Our ‘second starts’ did not hold us in the same tenacious grip, although neither of us forgot our father’s statement: ‘Naebody’s interested in fa comes second. It’s winnin that matters.’ Sheena Blackhall November 2020 (It is important) ‘not to love too much, for he knew the injury that a father can do to a daughter or a mother to a son by attaching them too closely: afterward, out in the world, the child would seek in the marriage partner the same blind tenderness and, failing probably to find it, turn against love and life.’ From Babylon Revisited  

The Owersetts: Twenty Sonnets for Mama

Some months ago I was contacted by Shao Lei from China's Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press(FLTRP) who is in charge of the overseas copyright of the Chinese poet Jidi Majia's works, through the good services of Gerry Loose. I was asked to translate into Scots the poem :Twenty Sonnets for Mama, which was published in 2020. Jidi Majia (simplified Chinese: 吉狄马加, traditional Chinese: 吉狄馬加, pinyin: Jídí mǎjiā) is Chinese poet and was a lieutenant governor of Qinghai from 2006 to 2010. He has won national literature awards, is also considered one of the greatest poets of minorities in China. He is the President of the China Minority Literary Association and Permanent Vice-President of the China Poets' Association.

The Little Book of Issues

Title: The Little Book of Issues (Pamphlet 160)Cover: Pixabay Photo, online, copyright free Published by Malfranteaux Concepts Printed by Repro Overflow, Aberdeen For more information on publications by Sheena Blackhall, visit http://sheenablackhall.blogspot.com or the on-line catalogue of the Nat. Library of Scotland www.nls.uk/catalogues/online/index/html. All of Blackhall’s poems in Scots and English, are now uploaded on www.poemhunter.com. Her website can be found on http://smiddleton4.wix.com/sheena-blackhall. An interview in podcast form with the poet appears on: http://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/connect/podcast/sheena-blackhall.Thanks are due to Malfranteaux Concept for publishing this volume. October 2020: copyright Sheena Blackhall Limited Edition of 50

Poems: The Mannequin

Title: The Mannequin (Pamphlet 159).Cover: Copyright free from Pixabay. Published by Malfranteaux Concepts.Printed by Repro Overflow, Aberdeen Limited Print 50 copies Acknowledgements:Seasonal Shifts was inspired by participation in A Half-Nijuin Renga in for National Poetry Day October 1st 2020, run by Gerry Loose & Ken Cockburn on Zoom: the actual group Renga ‘No Quasimodo clang; can be found on the Lapidus website, https://www.lapidusscotland.co.uk/no-quasimodi-clang/. Making a Stand was inspired by a Zoom meet with the Scottish Poetry Library, discussing poems about racism. Prior to that I was commissioned by Aberdeen City Libraries to pull together responses by the general public on Aberdeen’s Future, which prompted my own poem, Aberdeen: The Future. Twa Traditional Malay Pantuns was published in Pantouns. Bretagnes-Celties, Pantun Sayang: Les Amis Francophones du Pantoun (AFP), with thanks to Georges Voisset. In September I was contacted by Lisa Jablow, from The Voice for Asian Elephants Society. This was founded by Sangita Iyer, who created the documentary Gods In Shackles, about the temple elephants of Kerala. The VFAES two-day event in November is to include a concert, wherein my poem The Walk of the Temple Tooth Elephant, will be set to music and sung.Some poems were inspired by the BP Portrait Award 2020 exhibition, Aberdeen.October 2020: copyright Sheena Blackhall

The Owersetts: The Itchy Coo Book o Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales in Scots

The Itchy Coo Book of Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tales in Scots By (author) Martin Waddell; Edited by James Robertson; Edited by Matthew Fitt; Introduction by Julia Donaldson; Illustrated by Emma Chichester Clark. ISBN 978-1-78530-313-5 2020 This classic collection brings together nine favourite stories, The Little Mermaid, translated by Sheena Blackall is the final story.

The Poems: The Thunderbolt Carline

Title: The Thunderbolt Carline (Pamphlet 158), Cover Design : k-mitch-hodge-w8 free download from upsplash,published by Malfranteaux Concepts Printed by Repro Overflow, Aberdeen. Sawney Bean has been recorded for an upcoming event on Waywords, hosted by Aberdeen University. In the Gairden is to be published by Lallans. The Maid o Ocram is a Doric owersett of a poem by John Clare. I heard the Scots version, Lord Gregory, sung with great feeling by the late Stanley Robertson. For more information on publications by Sheena Blackhall, visit http://sheenablackhall.blogspot.com or the on-line catalogue of the Nat. Library of Scotland www.nls.uk/catalogues/online/index/html. All of Blackhall’s poems in Scots and English, are now uploaded on www.poemhunter.com. Her website can be found on http://smiddleton4.wix.com/sheena-blackhall. An interview in podcast form with the poet appears on: http://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/connect/podcast/sheena-blackhall.Thanks are due to Malfranteaux Concept for publishing this volume, and to the creator of the cover image.Sheena Blackhall September 2020 Dedicated to Skye Anderson, aged 3. This is a limited print run of 50 books

The Poems: The TVs 10th Birthday

Acknowledgements I wrote The Cam-ruadh and Fear na Bruach: Man of the Braes, after filming stories in Ballater with Jackie Ross and Grace Banks for the 2020 International Storytelling Festival. Two Chekhov owersetts were performed via Zoom in the Edinburgh Literary Festival Chekhov event, Doctor Chekhov’s Prescription, 23rd August 2020. 2020 marks 160 years since master playwright and short-story writer Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was born in Southern Russia. This was hosted by Starling and the Scotland Russia Forum in cooperation with Tom Hubbard and friends . Twa Laments were published in the anthology The Hale Clamjamfry, Poems from the North East of Scotland, pub by Tangletree Pres, Aboyne, with the aid of the Doric Board. Veesions frae a Heilan Burn, 1986: was a Scottish Poetry Library commission chosen by Thomas Clark as part of the Scottish Poetry Library’s ‘Champions’ project, a guest curatorship programme to help extend their national reach. Thomas Clark says, ‘Oor theme is ‘Vision’, an if language is a wey o seein the warld, there’s naebody maks thon ony plainer than Sheena Blackhall. Is a ‘futterat’ actually jist a common ferret? Dae ‘sparkling’ an ‘skinklin’ really mean the exact same thing? The act o seein, an describin whit is seen, is a transformative yin, kythin the mither tongue o the minority as somethin mair than either medium or message. Blackhall’s rich northern Scots middens awthegither the intermediary o English, an cairries its imagery vieve frae the ee straicht through tae the hert.’ The film of the poem (Glen Gairn) was filmed an edited by Andrew Davidson from Scots Radio supported by the Doric Board. It went live on the SPL site on August 12th 2020 : https://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/veesions-frae-a-heilan-burn-1986/ For more information on publications by Sheena Blackhall, visit http://sheenablackhall.blogspot.com or the on-line catalogue of the Nat. Library of Scotland www.nls.uk/catalogues/online/index/html. All of Blackhall’s poems in Scots and English, are now uploaded on www.poemhunter.com. Her website can be found on http://smiddleton4.wix.com/sheena-blackhall. An interview in podcast form with the poet appears on: http://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/connect/podcast/sheena-blackhall. Thanks are due to Malfranteaux Concept for publishing this volume, and Frieda Morrison for her ongoing support. August 26th 2020: copyright Sheena Blackhall

The Poems: The Love Jam of Nostradamus

Acknowledgements:Pamphlet no. 156 Title: The Love Jam of Nostradamus, Published by Malfranteaux Concepts Aberdeen, Printed by: Repro Overflow 5 Novar Place Aberdeen.Cover: A black & white version of a woodcut by Johannes Zainer 1473. The Murderet Bairn is based on information from https://holeousia.com/about-me/deeside-tales-the-stories-of-a-small-glen/ I recorded The Auld Woman fa steeked the door on Daith, on the following website: Forest Heritage Scotland : Discover your roots in Scotland’s forests www.forestheritagescotland.com. The Auld Wumman fa steeked the yett on Daith, is a story told to me by Stanley Robertson. This is a version I wrote from the transcript of the audio file I recorded. The story Bojo was written in response to the Journalists’ Charity/Dickens Fellowship competition which aimed to find a new Dickens character for the 21st century. There were almost 300 entries in the competition to mark the 150th anniversary of the great writer’s death. The competition was used to raise awareness (and funds) for the Journalists’ Charity which, having begun his career as a freelance Parliamentary reporter, Dickens helped found over 155 years ago. ‘Bojo’ was one of the short listed entries. The Journalists’ Charity trustee, Charles Garside, recorded it on You Tube Volume 1 track 12. https://journalistscharity.org.uk/dickens/ The Ballads of Torry and Banchory were inspired by The Storytelling Centre Edinburgh’s project Scottish Story Ripple. Deeside poems were written on a day up GlenGairn filmed by Grace Banks for our THAIA initiative. The Lonely Monkey Puzzle Tree was published by Sally Evans on her poetry website, inspired by her comments on Facebook. This a Limited Edition of 50 books. For more information on publications by Sheena Blackhall, visit http://sheenablackhall.blogspot.com or the on-line catalogue of the Nat. Library of Scotland www.nls.uk/catalogues/online/index/html. All of Blackhall’s poems in Scots and English, are now uploaded on www.poemhunter.com. Her website can be found on http://smiddleton4.wix.com/sheena-blackhall. An interview in podcast form with the poet appears on: http://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/connect/podcast/sheena-blackhall.This book is dedicated to Sally Evans, poet & friend 2020 © Copyright Sheena Blackhall August 2020

The Poems: The Plumber's Widow

Acknowledgements Title: The Plumber’s Widow: 2020 Pamphlet 155 Published by Malfranteaux Concepts Aberdeen Printed by: Repro Overflow 5 Novar Place AberdeenCover: Detail from a sketch by Henri Toulouse Lautrec Acknowledgements This a Limited Edition of 50 books. For more information on publications by Sheena Blackhall, visit http://sheenablackhall.blogspot.com or the on-line catalogue of the Nat. Library of Scotland www.nls.uk/catalogues/online/index/html. All of Blackhall’s poems in Scots and English, are now uploaded on www.poemhunter.com. Her website can be found on http://smiddleton4.wix.com/sheena-blackhall. An interview in podcast form with the poet appears on: http://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/connect/podcast/sheena-blackhall I wrote Tales frae a Clachan to ingather in ballad form Ballater stories, inspired as a spin off from an upcoming performance of 'The Hills an in Atween' for SISF. See Grace’s description here:‘The Hills an in Atween – a tapestry o life wi Grace Banks and Sheena Blackhall Grace Banks has worked wi schools as a storyteller and outdoor practitioner for years. Increasingly the question has arisen: how can we support our next generations to care and love the land if they’ve no connection with nature? Grace devised a simple project where for 8 weeks a class would be fully immersed in their local river (not physically!) – looking at the life that’s dwelt on, in and around it from the distant past, to now and what of our future? In Autumn19 the Storytelling Centre provided a seeding grant from The Andy Hunter Bursary, which enabled Grace and Sheena to introduce the project to 4 classes in 4 schools through story and song. Each class was visited by a number of specialists and artists who supported them to discover and explore their local river. The teachers were given supplementary materials to compliment the youngsters’ experiences so the whole class deepened their understanding of the importance of waterways both generally and locally. Their discussions, artwork, creative and factual writing and music express much of what they have gained.The project also enabled the young people to be introduced to their local green or historical community groups, which was wonderful. The children’s creations weave into this audiovisual-scape, which portrays the significance of our waters and the life they support.’ G.B.’Thanks are due Malfranteaux Concepts for publishing for this pamphlet. Sheena Blackhall © July 2020

The Poems: The Rabbit Man

Title: The Rabbit Man: 2020 Pamphlet 154, Published by Malfranteaux Concepts Aberdeen, Printed by: Repro Overflow 5 Novar Place Aberdeen Cover: Poster by Anonymous, no Text, Magician on Moon,This a Limited Edition of 50 books.The poem Lockdown XX was inspired by the digital exhibition of the Aberdeen Artists’ Society, 2020. Thanks are due to Frieda Morrison for bringing The Narcissistic Fish by Scottish Opera to my attention. Thanks are also due Malfranteaux Concepts for publishing for this pamphlet.

The Poems: Into the Blue

Title: Into the Blue: 2020 Pamphlet 153. Published by Malfranteaux Concepts Aberdeen. Printed by: Repro Overflow 5 Novar Place Aberdeen. Cover: ‘Into the Blue’ by the artist Rosy Long. This a Limited Edition of 50 books. 2020 © Copyright Sheena Blackhall June 2020 Of the 10 children of George Philip & his wife Helen Craib of Coull, Tarland, (my great grandparents), half immigrated to the New World. Their first child George, homesteaded in Tilston Manitoba in Canada in 1898, and one of their grandsons later moved to Medicine Hat. Three of my great grandparent’s children immigrated to Illinois, two to Canada. Their 7th child, Patricia, married Arthur Simpson of New Deer, and they immigrated to America, passing through Ellis Island, as did their 8th child William, who married Arthur Simpson’s sister. Ellis Island is a historical site that opened in 1892 as an immigration station, a purpose it served for more than 60 years until it closed in 1954. Located at the mouth of Hudson River between New York and New Jersey, Ellis Island saw millions of newly arrived immigrants pass through its doors. The first nations in the area of Canada where the Philips’ children settled were the Blackfoot and the Cree. The first nations where the Philips’ children settled in Illinois were, amongst others the Dakota Sioux. One descendent of the Craibs is settled in Halifax, Nova Scotia. On my father’s side, my brother Ian Middleton settled in Rua Engenheiro Monlevade, São Paulo, swopping his mother tongue for Portuguese. The indigenous Guarani people live on the lands surrounding the Pico do Jaraguá Mountain in São Paulo. Three families have lived on this 72-hectare plot of land since July 2014 when FUNAI (Brazilian federal agency of Indian affairs) recognised it as traditional Guarani territory. My half-brother Charles Middleton Ritchie settled in Oshawa Ontario. Canada seems to have been a popular choice for Deeside men to emigrate to. Amongst the First Nation people there, are the Mohawk, the Cree, the Chippewa and the Delaware Indians. Most of the diaspora from both my parents’ families, (Craibs & Middletons) went not to emigrate, but to work in Ceylon and Kuala Lumpur, tending to retire, for the most part, back to Aberdeenshire. But that is another story

Title: The Arrival of Thoughts: May 2020 Pamphlet 152 Published by Malfranteaux Concepts Aberdeen Printed by: Repro Overflow 5 Novar Place Aberdeen Cover: Is ‘Time Transfixed’ by the Belgian Surrealist René Magritte, 1898–1967. Magritte was unhappy with the English translation of the original French, La durée poignardé, which literally means “ongoing time stabbed by a dagger.” The Art Institute of Chicago is pleased to offer free, unrestricted use of over 50,000 images of works in the collection believed to be in the public domain or to which the museum otherwise waives any copyright it might have. This a Limited Edition of 50 books. Some of the poems were inspired by two of Catherine Arnold’s books, Necropolis, London & its Dead, and Bedlam, London and its Mad. The Bird Man was written to celebrate the wide range of creative work undertaken down the years by Larry Butler. Craobh was inspired by a project led by Mandy Haggith. The Beauty of Painted Stairs was written on receiving an e mail from Don Robert House, with photographs of some amazing street art. This book is dedicated to Don Robert House Illinois, and his family, my kinsfolk 2020 © Copyright Sheena Blackhall May 2020

The Poems: The Prophet Hen of Leeds

Title: The Prophet Hen of Leeds Published by Malfranteaux Concepts, Aberdeen Printed by: Repro Overflow, Aberdeen Cover: Mediaeval Engraving from godecookery.com, A Feast for the Eyes 32. Stuffing a Hen: illustration from Mediaeval Life. The poem ‘Immigrant’is published by Silvia Errejon from Pearson Educacion in Spain. Pearson Educacion is a publishing company specialized in publishing textbooks for English teaching language in schools. This publishing plan includes a new Secondary method for English Language Teaching for students aged between 12 and 16 . Title: 9788420569246 / 9788420569260 Real World Advanced Students' Format: print and digital Territory: Spain. Craigcoilleach, Ballater is to be published by Lallans. The Wee Sea Quine :Owersett from The Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Anderson, was commissioned by Itchy Coo for a forthcoming anthology. Thanks are due to Malfranteaux Concepts for agreeing to publish this pamphlet and for Repro Overflow for printing it. 2020 © Sheena Blackhall May 2020

Not my Circus, Not my Monkey Poems & Tales in Scots & English by Sheena Blackhall & Tom Hubbard Published by Malfranteaux Concepts 2020 © Copyright Sheena Blackhall and Tom Hubbard 2020 The cover image is of an Aztec monkey god (1) Sheena Blackhall Ozomatli the Aztec monkey was considered the companion spirit ('nahual') and servant of the god Xochipilli (god of music and dance). The monkey was a creature associated with the arts, games and fun. The song 'Elphinstane' was written to commemorate the Institute's 25th anniversary. Others celebrate the recently opened Music Hall & Art Gallery in Aberdeen. Gairden Veesitors was inspired by a calendar created by the wildlife photographer Catriona Low of Kintore. Dreams was written in Glasgow's Botanic Gardens inspired by a tea tree, during a workshop overseen by Larry Butler. Blythe was one of the first poems written as Makar for the Doric Board. Blythe Yule in Aiberdeen was published in the Evening Express. Thanks are due to Philip & Vicki Watt for their ongoing help and support. Acknowledgements (2) Tom Hubbard Not all the pieces in my section are 'new' in a strict sense, but they appear here together, along with more recent items, for the first time. Thanks to the Ledig- Rowohlt Foundation for my 2012 residency at the Château Lavigny, Canton of Vaud, Switzerland, where a number of these pieces were composed. I'd also like to thank the Elphinstone Institute of Aberdeen University.where, as a Visiting Scholar in 2012, I gave the lecture on William Alexander; I'm also indebted to my friends at Glasgow University's Slavonic section (School of Modern Languages and Cultures) for inviting me to present the paper on Pushkin in Scotland at a weekend conference in December 2019. I was fair joco when Sheena invited me to share this pamphlet, the third of our collaborations .since 2012! My daughter Claire Hubbard has helped with the pagination. Thanks, too, to the editors of the following publications where some of these pieces appeared for the first time: Bella Caledonia; A Festschrift for Duncan Glen at Seventy-Five; Fras; The Glad Rag; Lallans; The One O' Clock Gun; Scotia Nova; Scottish Poetry in Translation. For details of my recent books of poetry and fiction, please visit the website of Grace Notes Publications. Details of these and my other works are also available on the online catalogues of the National Library of Scotland, Glasgow University Library, and the Scottish Poetry Library.

Title: Henry VIIIth’s Perks.Pamphlet no 150 Poems in Scots & English Published by Malfranteaux Concepts Printed by Service Graphics Aberdeen The Cover Image is the King of Spades c. Sheena Blackhall March 2020 Many of these poems were written whilst a patient in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. Slains was written for filming at Slains Castle during a visit with Freak Films and Dr Fiona-Jane Brown. The Thunder Hole was written after a photographic session at Maryculter House for a tourism project For more information on publications by Sheena Blackhall, visit http://sheenablackhall.blogspot.com or the on-line catalogue of the Nat. Library of Scotland www.nls.uk/catalogues/online/index/html. All of Blackhall’s poems in Scots and English, are now uploaded on www.poemhunter.com. Her website can be found on http://smiddleton4.wix.com/sheena-blackhall. An interview in podcast form with the poet appears on: http://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/connect/podcast/sheena-blackhall Thanks are also due to Malfranteux Concepts for agreeing to publish this collection.Sheena Blackhall March 2020 Dedicated to Kenna Anderson ‘Just take this step’, said the horse. ‘The horizon will look after itself.’…‘ The Truth is I need pictures. They are like islands , places to get to in a sea of words.’ From: The Boy, the Mole, the Fox & the Horse’, by Charlie Mackesy, Ebury Press, 2019

The Poems: The Gas Mask in the Glory Hole

Acknowledgements: The Gas Mask in the Glory Hole Pamphlet 148 Poems in Scots & English by Sheena Blackhall Published by Malfranteaux Concepts 2020 Printed by Thistle Reprographics, 55 Holburn Street, Aberdeen.The Reiver Rattie was written as a Doric version of The Reiver Rat, the Scots translation by James Robertson of The Highway Rat, by Julia Donaldson. Drumneachie Ferm was chosen as one of the poems to appear on the Best Scottish Poems online, 2019. Thanks are also due to Malfranteux Concepts for agreeing to publish this collection.Sheena Blackhall February 2020

The Poems: The Undertaker Bees

Acknowledgements: The Undertaker Bees Poems in Scots & English by Sheena Blackhall Published by Malfranteaux Concepts 2020 Printed by Thistle Reprographics, 55 Holburn Street, Aberdeen. Wid Mannie was written to re-enact at Aberdeen’s Belmont Cinema, prior to a screening of The Reiver Rat, the Scots translaton by James Robertson of The Highway Rat, by Julia Donaldson. Deeside Games was written to deliver to the annual dinner of the Ballater Games Committee.Thanks are also due to Malfranteux Concepts for agreeing to publish this collection.Sheena Blackhall January 2020.Dedicated to my children,Ross, Morag & Kenna & grandchildren Jessica, Winnie, Natalie & Skye.

The Poems: Why give Nuts to a Man with no Teeth

Title: Why give Nuts to a Man with no Teeth? Pamphlet no 146.Poems & Tales in Scots & English. Published by Malfranteaux Concepts.Printed by Thistle Reprographics, 55 Holburn Street, Aberdeen. The cover image is by the artist Sue Ruben. The back cover is by Sine NicThearlaich (Sheena Blackhall). Many of these poems were written at Dhanakosa 18th- 25th October 2019 after performing the ritual of TeSlagi or the Dance of the Four Directions under the direction of the creative writing tutor Larry Butler. Others were inspired by the music of the Burmese-Scottish composer of Electronic Music Fiona Soe Paing. The poem ‘Stanley Superman’ was written for ‘A Barrie Night: Remembering Stanley Robertson’ performed at Aberdeen’s Lemon Tree, part of the ‘Being Human’ a festival of the humanities.Several others were written during the Sound Festival Aberdeen during workshops and inspired by We need to talk / Il faut qu'on parle. which explores the relationship between two cellists. Yuletide was written to perform at Fiona Kennedy’s concert: VSA St Machar’s 2019. Walter Scott: Hot Trotter was a response to studying an Aberdeen University online course, Walter Scott: The Man Behind the Monument, a four-week course delivered by Professor Ali Lumsden, the director of Aberdeen’s Walter Scott Research Centre & Honorary librarian Abbotsford, and Kirsty Archer-Thompson who is responsible for the collections, interiors and built heritage of Abbotsford.Thanks are also due to Malfranteux Concepts for agreeing to publish this collection, and also to the artist Sue Ruben for allowing the use of her work to provide the cover image. As well as painting, Consultant psychiatrist Dr Sue Ruben worked in both General Adult Psychiatry and Addictions in North Wales, and Liverpool. Sheena Blackhall November 2019

The Poems: The Glastonbury Thorn

Acknowledgements: Title: The Glastonbury Thorn (Pamphlet145)poems & Tales in Scots & English, Published by Malfranteaux Concepts,Printed by Thistle Reprographics, 55 Holburn Street, Aberdeen, The Cover Image the Glastonbury Thorn (postage stamp)c. Sheena Blackhall October 2019 Price £5.00 At the first Scots Language Awards on the 27th September in Glasgow, Blackhall was presented with The Janet Paisley Lifetime Achievement Award. The Scots panel which awarded this honour included Matthew Fitt, Ali Heather, Sheena Wellington, James Robertson and more. The poem, Gaitherin Lear, was written to read at the Ceremony. The Tale o C-Thru D2, frae the Planet Diabetes has been accepted by Lallans. This tale was written at the request of Garthdee Diabetic Doctor, Dr House.The Imp of the Perverse was written to explore the metaphor for the urge to do exactly the wrong thing in a given situation for the sole reason that it is possible for wrong to be done. The impulse is compared to an imp (a small demon) which leads an otherwise decent person into mischief, and occasionally to their death. The phrase has a long history in literature, and was popularized (and perhaps coined) by Edgar Allan Poe in his short story, "The Imp of the Perverse". The Imp of the Perverse is also exemplified in "Le Mauvais Vitrier" ("The Bad Glazier"), a prose poem by Charles Baudelaire.For more information on publications by Sheena Blackhall, visit http://sheenablackhall.blogspot.com or the on-line catalogue of the Nat. Library of Scotland www.nls.uk/catalogues/online/index/html. All of Blackhall’s poems in Scots and English are now uploaded on www.poemhunter.com. Her website can be found on http://smiddleton4.wix.com/sheena-blackhall. An interview in podcast form with the poet appears on: http://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/connect/podcast/sheena-blackhall Thanks are also due to Malfranteux Concepts for agreeing to publish this collectionc. Sheena Blackhall October 2019

Winter Wreath & The Anthology of Scottish Folk Tales

The Anthology of Scottish Folk Tales (Hardback)Publisher: The History Press Ltd ISBN: 9780750992039 contains ‘French Kate’ by Sheena Blackhall. Winter Wreath was published by Equinox Publishing, printed by The Gatehouse Design & Print Agency, Robert Gordon University Aberdeen. It was launched at Spin in Aberdeen, as part of the Not Quite Dead Poets Society evening. Equinox Publishing is run by Angela Joss & Andy Bisset

The Poems: Goodbye to a Soul

Title: Goodbye to a Soul Poems & Tales in Scots & English by Sheena Blackhall.Published by Malfranteaux Concepts Printed by Thistle Reprographics, 55 Holburn Street Aberdeen. The cover image is Murder by the artist Rosy Long August 2019 For more information on publications by Sheena Blackhall, visit http://sheenablackhall.blogspot.com or the on-line catalogue of the Nat. Library of Scotland www.nls.uk/catalogues/online/index/html. All of Blackhall’s poems in Scots and English, are now uploaded on www.poemhunter.com. Her website can be found on http://smiddleton4.wix.com/sheena-blackhall. Interviews with the poet appear on: http://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/connect/podcast/sheena-blackhall and on Scots Radio: https// www.scotsradio.com/sheena-blackhall/ https://soundcloud.com/scotsradio/sheena-blackhall Thanks are also due to Malfranteux Cconcepts for agreeing to publish this collection, and to the artist Rosy Long for agreeing to the use of her work as cover. Most of these poems were written from August 3rd- 9th 2019, during a research trip to Duxford, Bletchley, Stratford, Ely, and the current Art exhibition at the National Arboretum. Others were inspired by work being done by Larry Butler & Sheila Templeton into approaches and responses to the subject of death. Two stories and associated Crathes Poems by Sheena Blackhall were written as part of The Hills an in Atween project. Grace Banks is heading this project; its aim is to discover more about the local rivers and the surrounding land – how folk made use of both over time - the legends, facts, stories, songs. It is hoped the work that will be shared and created will then form part of an audio/visual tapestry which will be presented to the International Storytelling festival 2020. As Grace has put it; ‘An interweavin doon the rivers exploring land use through time wi tales an sangs old and new, wi music and birdsang, wi pictures an photies to gie colour an meanin –through war and peace, through avarice and austerity. Encouraging a respect, a listenin and response tae what the earth needs.’

The Poems: A Scottish Pilgrimage

Title: A Scottish Pilgrimage (pamphlet 143) Poem in Scots by Sheena Blackhall.Published by Malfranteaux Concepts. Printed by Thistle Reprographics, 55 Holburn Street Aberdeen. The cover image is a wood engraving c. Wellcome Images, via Wiki Commons. The cartoon characters within were drawn by Sheena Blackhall. Thanks are due to Louise Baxter, chairwoman on the board at Aberdeen Arts Centre for suggesting this undertaking, and to Malfranteaux concepts for agreeing to publish it. Sheena Blackhall is my writing nom de plume. However over the years I have designed covers and illustrated books for myself and others, under the name of Sìne NicTheàrlaich, (Gaelic: Sheena, daughter of Charles). After a year’s study at Gray’s School of Art, Aberdeen, I was a member of the Forecourt Art Group who exhibited at Langstane, and for many years was a member of the Aberdeen Artists’ Society. Sheena Blackhall/ Sìne NicTheàrlaich July 2019

The Poems: Green Man Rising

Title: Green Man Rising: Pamphlet no 142, Poems in Scots & English, Published by Malfranteaux Concepts, Printed by Thistle Reprographics, 55 Holburn Street, Aberdeen. The Cover Image ‘Green Man’ is by the artist Rosy Long, c. Sheena Blackhall July 2019 Price £5.00 Many of these poems were written in response to ‘The Lost Words’, by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris.Thanks are also due to Malfranteux Concepts for agreeing to publish this collection, and also to the artist Rosy Long for allowing the use of her work to provide the cover image.

From Gweedore to Skibbereen: Irish poems, ballads and pieces by Sheena Blackhall and Tom Hubbard, with Scots translations of poems by Theo Dorgan, Paula Meehan, Gillian Clarke and Gabriel Fitzmaurice: Published by Malfranteaux Concepts, Aberdeen: Printed by Thistle Reprographics, 55 Holburn Street, Aberdeen: Cover image by Sine NicThearlaich Cost: £6.00 © Sheena Blackhall and Tom Hubbard May 2019. In 1960, when I was 13, my father booked us by car ferry to Ireland. He had a carefully planned itinerary in mind, one that took in his favourite songs ( He was a gifted tenor). And so we saw the sun go down on Galway Bay, the mountains of Mourne, the Roses of Tralee, Dublin’s fair city. I kissed the Blarney Stone with some difficulty. Danny Boy would have been impressed. On another occasion I was invited with others to a dinner hosted by Sir Duncan Rice to honour Seamus Heaney, one of my favourite poets. After, I sent him a short poem describing him as a ‘Lead Wolf’ in the poetry pack. His reply was typical of his Irish humour: it arrived on a postcard: ‘What can a lead wolf say but woof woof!’ In 2003 I was to perform at the Burns International Conference at Magee Campus, University of Ulster in Londonderry. I came down with flu once there and spent all weekend in bed, having ruined the speaker’s paper which I was due to illustrate through song. In 2015 I treated myself to a weekend in Dublin, immersing myself in the rich culture of the city. This was a much more fruitful visit. Paula Meehan was my tutor at an Arvon Creative Writing week which I attended, and I greatly enjoyed her work and that of her husband Theo Dorgan . The Welsh poet Gillian Clarke’s poem ‘Overheard in County Sligo’ is another of my cherished poems: my thanks go to those three poets for graciously allowing me to owersett their work into Scots: I’ve included Irish songs taught to me by the North East traveller John Watt Stewart. Like my father, I delight to sing them. Finally, on a whim, I sent my DNA off to Cambridge for testing. On my mother’s side I am Ashkenazi Jew. I persuaded my father’s grandson in Canada to have his DNA tested. The result of my paternal DNA? 100% the same as the indigenous Irish population!

The Poems: Neeps an Sheeps (pamphlet 140)

Title: Neeps an Sheeps 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 ‘Neeps an Sheeps : Blackhall May 2019. Price: £5 Ghaists o Schoolhill was written in response to a suggestion given by Alfie McGuinness, Director and Head of Construction & Design at Dandara Ltd. (Currently working on the Triple Kirks project). Neeps an Sheeps was inspired by Rosy Long’s delightful picture and title. Thanks are also due to Malfranteux Concepts for agreeing to publish this collection, and to Rosy Long for agreeing to the use of her work as the cover. Neeps an Sheeps Inspired by Rosy Long’s title of her work Spring rain dreeps On neeps an sheeps In cauldrife Buchan parks Bit sheeps wi neeps Can thole the dreeps They’re weirin wooly sarks!

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

The Gods of Grayfriar's Lane: The e-books

THE GODS OF GRAYFRIAR'S LANE :SB SHEENA BLACKHALL Publishing, Aberdeen. A Novella by SHEENA BLACKHALL BSc (Hons, Psych), Dip.Ed, M.Litt (Distinction), MUniv (Abdn) Edited for E-Book by PAUL J. DONALD BMus (Hons), DLITE PGDE (Primary) E-Book (Second) Edition: © 2019 Sheena Blackhall. Edited for E-Book by Paul J. Donald. Published by Sheena Blackhall Publishing, Aberdeen. Distributed via Smashwords (www.smashwords.com). THE PUBLISHERS AND AUTHOR HAVE DONE THEIR BEST TO ENSURE THE ACCURACY AND CURRENCY OF ALL INFORMATION IN ‘THE GODS OF GRAYFRIAR’S LANE – A NOVELLA BY SHEENA BLACKHALL’; HOWEVER, THEY CAN ACCEPT NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY LOSS OR INCONVENIENCE SUSTAINED BY ANY READER AS A RESULT OF ITS INFORMATION OR ADVICE. NO PART OF THIS E-BOOK MAY BE REPRODUCED IN ANY FORM WITHOUT PERMISSION FROM THE PUBLISHER EXCEPT FOR THE QUOTATION OF BRIEF PASSAGES IN REVIEWS OR EDUCATIONAL ASSIGNMNETS OR THESIS.

Ten Ballads: The Songs

This book has been produced with the assistance of the Elphinstone Institute at the University of Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire Council through a Capacity Grant and The Barn in Banchory. The ballads in this buikie were scrievit bi Sheena Blackhall as pairt o the Elphinstone Institute's project Celebratin Sheena. Sheena is the vyce o North-East Scotland. Een o Scotland's maist rare an - ingyne scriever, she is a makar fa wyves intriguin tales, poems, an sangs aboot the deepest walls of oor experience. Born in 1947, bit, as she says hersel, brocht up in the nineteenth century, Sheena wis immersed in the expressive Doric tongue an culture o her faimily's native Deeside, wi a wee puckle Latin lernt fae her granmither, Amo amas I luved a lass an she wis tall an slender Amas amat she caad me flat an dang me ower the fender Sheena's tireless insicht, swak wi linguistic ken, and depth, his vrocht-forrit mair nor 100 poetry chapbuiks, 5 novels, mony short story collections, twa televised plays, in Doric alang wi a pucklie in English tee, an winnerfu excursions intae ither cultures throw her owresettins o warld poetry intae the Doric. The day, Sheena hauds an honours degree in Psychology, an a Maister's in the Socio-linguistics o Deeside Doric. We wis fair trickit tae hae Sheena wirkin wi us at the Elphinstone Institute for five year, side bi side wi the late Stanley Robertson. Weel, we aught tae hae hid the room buggit bi MI5 for there wis aa or North-East culture - the tongue, sang, story, an music - in ae office. The air wis fu wi anecdote, folktale, aul an new tradeetions, siccan a proof o the warth an relevance o deep tradition an present- day creativity tae this nation. Inspired bi a lang-term relationship with Buddhist teachins, Sheena's wark is deeply human an represents a by-ordinar range o achievement. She can scrieve a bonnie love poem, spik o the heartache o parentin, sing a centuries-aul ballat, or or mak an inspirin sang for bairns aboot the technical side o Doric in saiven wee verses. Sheena can reach onyb'dy, wi a pitch-pairfect sense o fit wey tae mak sense tae sma bairnies or tae aul fowk, incomer or local, aa wi muckle ease. North-East an Scots-tongue writers are aye pigeonholed, bit Sheena, as makar Joy Hendry scrievit, "knows unerringly how to send that couthy, earthy tongue to the furthest of stars." Fyles influenced bi great figures the like o Dickens an Saki, Calvino, Hughes an Heaney, Sheena his vrocht her ain vyce, mixin classic influences wi Scots balladry an a tradition that she cries "that fey an ither-worldly zone o the weird an the supernaitural". Sheena has raxxed the boundaries o Doric, expandin its literary range fae poetry an sang intae novels an short stories, an brocht it, alangside Les Wheeler, intae the digital age wi the Elphinstone Kist, a wab-based resource for dominies an pupils. For mony, Doric is a tongue o hame an hearth, or o humour, an it's affa gweed at that, bit Sheena shows us that it can dae onything, an she's taen it tae skweels, varsities, theatres, television studios, an even untae the hert o Washinton, D.C. wi clean and thrawn assurance. Sheena his a cultural confidence an self-esteem that gies vyce tae thoosans o North-East fowk fa lang tae hear their ain vyces refleckit back in aa wakks o life. Fit Sheena dis, fyles it's gey important tae literature, are thus o far wider significance nor at. She represents the best o North- East identity an dis it wi style, confidence, perception, an grace. Dr Thomas A. McKean,Director o the Elphinstone Institute, Varsity o Aiberdeen, March 2019 ,

The Poems: Forehooied

Title: Forehooied. Poems & Tales in Scots & English by Sheena Blackhall. Published by Malfranteaux Concepts Aberdeen. Printed by Thistle Reprographics, 55 Holburn Street Aberdeen. The cover image is ‘Guided, Guarded by the spirits of Dead Suns’ by William T. Horton (1864-1919)Cost: £3.00. Copyright: S. Blackhall March 2019 Horton’s illustration appeared in H. Rider Haggard’s book ‘The Mahatma & the Hare, a Dream Story (1911). ‘The Puggie’s Hairt’ was published online , at Eiks an Eyns.Thanks are due to the encouragement of Malfranteaux Concepts, in agreeing to publish this collection. Copyright Sheena Blackhall March 2019

The Poems: Death Matters

Title: Death Matters.Poems in Scots & English by Sheena Blackhall.Published by Malfranteaux Concepts Printed by Thistle Reprographics, 55 Holburn Street Aberdeen. The cover image is Nevermore, by Rosy Long. For more information on publications by Sheena Blackhall, visit http://sheenablackhall.blogspot.com or the on-line catalogue of the Nat. Library of Scotland www.nls.uk/catalogues/online/index/html. All of Blackhall’s poems in Scots and English, are now uploaded on www.poemhunter.com. Her website can be found on http://smiddleton4.wix.com/sheena-blackhall. Interviews with the poet appear on: http://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/connect/podcast/sheena-blackhall and on Scots Radio: https// www.scotsradio.com/sheena-blackhall/ https://soundcloud.com/scotsradio/sheena-blackhall Thanks are also due to Malfranteux Cconcepts for agreeing to publish this collection, and to the artist Rosy Long for agreeing to the use of her work as cover. The historical poems arose from research I was conducting for Hazlehead Primary School for workshopping in classes there, and for a project centred in Johnshaven, along with Ewan McVicar and Christine Kydd, where I also undertook research. Sheena Blackhall January 2019

The Poems: The Incubus

Title: The Incubus: Poems in Scots & English by Sheena Blackhall. Published by Malfranteaux Concepts Aberdeen printed by Thistle Reprographics, 55 Holburn Street Aberdeen.The cover image is Merlin, an Illustration from 'Le Morte D'Arthur' by Sir Thomas Malory, 1893-94 by Aubrey Beardsley Cost: £3.00. Copyright: S. Blackhall November 2018 Acknowledgements The Hare was published in the Anthology ‘Letters to Animals’ selected and published by Diane Foley, printed by Blurb, 580 California St Ste 300, San Francisco, CA 94104-1024, USA. Haunfast is published in ‘A Year of Scottish Poems, foreword by Jackie Kay, selected by Gaby Morgan, published by Macmillan Children’s books. Janet Paisley 1948-2018 featured as Poem of the Day in The Herald, selected by Lesley Duncan. John Young, Riot, and the Blaik Drummer are all based on true stories in The Black Kalendar of Aberdeen (1746-1978) For more information on publications by Sheena Blackhall, visit http://sheenablackhall.blogspot.com or the on-line catalogue of the Nat. Library of Scotland www.nls.uk/catalogues/online/index/html. All of Blackhall’s poems in Scots and English, are now uploaded on www.poemhunter.com. Her website can be found on http://smiddleton4.wix.com/sheena-blackhall. An interview in podcast form with the poet appears on: http://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/connect/podcast/sheena-blackhall Thanks are also due to the encouragement of Malfranteaux Concepts, in agreeing to publish this collection, and to the ongoing support of Philip & Vicki Watt, Fadlydyke New Deer. Copyright Sheena Blackhall December 2018 Dedicated to Philip & Vicki Watt “In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future.” – Alex Haley

The Owersetts: O Mice & Men

Owersett intae Nor-East Scots by Sheena Blackhall: O Mice & Men by John Steinbeck pub by Evertype 2018. Cover ‘Blue blue bunny’ c. Wendy D. Stolyarov 2009 ISBN-10 1-78201-229-X. With thanks to Michael Everson for bringing this project to fruition

The Poems: Number 6

Title: Number 6 IBSN 978-1-9164544-0-8 Poems in Scots & English Published by Malfranteaux Concepts Printed by Thistle Reprographics, 55 Holburn Street Aberdeen. The cover image is of the Temple of the Tooth, Kandy. Acknowledgments For more information on publications by Sheena Blackhall, visit http://sheenablackhall.blogspot.com or the on-line catalogue of the Nat. Library of Scotland www.nls.uk/catalogues/online/index/html. All of Blackhall’s poems in Scots and English, are now uploaded on www.poemhunter.com. Her website can be found on http://smiddleton4.wix.com/sheena-blackhall. An interview in podcast form with the poet appears on: http://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/connect/podcast/sheena-blackhall Winter in Buchan is published in Lallans 93. Thanks are also due to Malfranteux Cconcepts for agreeing to publish this collection, and to Gerard Rochford for his support and encouragement c. Sheena Blackhall November 2018