Scots Whay Hae!

For the latest podcast Ali caught up with writer and academic Dr Rodge Glass to learn about his extraordinary new book, Joshua In The Sky: A Blood Memoir. It's a slightly different interview as Ali picks certain texts which are referenced throughout, allowing Rodge to talk about the book in a different way. Before that he explains who Joshua is and the reasons for writing Joshua In The Sky, an...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to writer Jenny Colgan to hear all about her latest novel Close Knit, published by Hodder & Stoughton. Jenny talks about the personal inspirations behind Close Knit, how and why knitting is integral to the plot, the reasons behind the setting of Carso, and the north of Scotland more generally, why she made the novel contemporary, her approach to...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! Podcast Ali spoke to crime writer Christopher Brookmyre to hear all about his intriguing new novel The Cracked Mirror, published on the Abacus imprint of Little, Brown Book Group. In an attempt to avoid all spoilers, Ali asks Chris to take the responsibility of describing the book, before talking about how he approached writing it, the specific inspirations behind it...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali catches up with previous guest, the writer and poet Andrés N. Ordorica to hear all about his debut novel How We Named The Stars, which is published with Saraband Books. Andrés talks about why this was a story he wanted to tell, creating the central characters of Daniel and Sam, writing in the second person, bringing the reader into the book, writing abo...

For the first of our Bloody Scotland podcasts - Scotland's International Crime Writing Festival - Ali spoke to the five shortlisted authors for this year's Scottish Crime Debut of the Year. They include Suzy Aspley (Crow Moon), Daniel Aubrey (Dark Island), Allan Gaw (The Silent House of Sleep), Doug Sinclair (Blood Runs Deep) and Martin Stewart (Double Proof). They each give a brief summar...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to writer and journalist Hugo Rifkind to talk about his cracking new novel Rabbits, which is published with Polygon Books. Hugo talks about the inspiration behind Rabbits, why this is the story he wanted to tell, and explains that while events and characters have some basis in real life, this is not an autobiographical tale. The two also discuss the...

For the second of our Edinburgh Fringe Compilation Podcasts for 2024, Ali spoke to another group of artists, writers, and performers who have shows at this year's festival. They include Lani Calvert - NewsRevue, Bryony Byrne - Fan/Girl, Sam Edmunds - The Chaos That Has Been and Will No Doubt Return, Edith Alibec - Glitch, Grace Gallagher - STUFFED and Isabel Renner - Wyld Woman: The Legend of...

For the first of our Edinburgh Fringe Compilation Podcasts for 2024, Ali spoke to a number of artists, writers, and performers who have shows at this year's festival. They include Luca Rutherford - You Heard Me, Guy Woods - Puddles and Amazons, Barton Williams & Andrew Eaton Lewis - Precious Cargo, Iain Mackechnie & Jose Rojas - The Other, and Sean Wai Keung - A History of Fortune Cook...

For the second of our Edinburgh Fringe 2024 podcasts Ali spoke to musician Jo Mango and theatre-maker Liam Hurley to talk all about A Giant On The Bridge, which is part of the prestigious Made in Scotland showcase, and will be at the Assembly Roxy Central between 2nd-18th August, 10.40am. Jo describes how A Giant On The Bridge came about, emerging from the work of Vox Liminis and their Distant Voi...

For the latest podcast Ali caught up with previous podcast guest Graeme Thomson to talk about Under The Ivy, his biography of Kate Bush which has been updated as part of Omnibus Press' Remastered Series. Graeme explains the challenges in writing about such a well-loved, and private, person, the reaction of those interviewed, the formative years of her seemingly idyllic childhood, the questiona...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to festival director Svend McEwan-Brown and composer, harpist, and singer Esther Swift to hear all about this year's East Neuk Festival - the 20th anniversary no less - which runs from 26th-30th June. Svend tells us about the history of the festival, it's aims and how it has developed and grown over the years, before giving details of this y...

The latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast is the first of this year's Edinburgh Fringe specials (yes, it is that time already!) and Ali spoke to actor Craig Barclay and writer Tony Voller to hear all about their show Addict, which is on at The Space on the Mile. Craig and Tony talk about how they came to work together, the history of Addict, a synopsis of the show, what it's like to work together...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali was joined by BAFTA-nominated filmmaker Doug Aubrey to talk about 'Legacy of an Invisible Bullet', which is described as "an immersive 10 ½ hour cinematic experience" compiled of 170 short films shot by Doug, which is going to be shown over six days at the Glasgow Film Theatre, culminating in a UK premiere of the feature-length cut, whic...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! Ali spoke to crime writer, and returning guest, Douglas Skelton to talk about the latest entry in the 'Rebecca Connolly' series of crime thrillers, 'The Hollow Mountain' which is out now, published on the Polygon imprint of Birlinn Ltd. Douglas talks about the origins of Rebecca Connolly and the inspiration behind them, the importance of place and ret...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali caught up with writer, and previous guest, Louise Welsh to talk about her latest novel To The Dogs, which is out now published by Canongate Books. The two talk about the complex issue of class, the hold of the past, the setting of Glasgow, the central character of Jim Brennan, the parallels between gangland life and academia, the changing politics of univ...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to Jane-Ann Purdy & Douglas Robertson to learn all about this year's Edinburgh Tradfest, which is on between the 3rd - 13th May. They take us through the amazing line-up for 2024, with some of the finest bands and musicians around, as well as giving some history to the festival, and a run down of the various strands this year, which include...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to CD Boyland to hear all about The Glasgow Review of Books, and particularly the Live Hip-Hop + Poetry night which will be at Stereo in Glasgow on 26th May. CD talks about the line-up, which includes Darren McGarvey, Iona Lee, Billy Letford, Imogen Stirling, Texture, and Johnny Cypher, all hosted by Loud Poets' Kevin Mclean. The two then talk a...

The latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast is all about the new experimental work 'Futuristic Folktales', and Ali caught up with Dance-theatre artist and director Charlotte Mclean, writer Nelly Kelly and composer Malin Lewis to learn all about it. They each break down their individual roles before talking about the collaborative process involved, and how working together was inspirational, and edu...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast - the second relating to this year's Paisley Book Festival - Ali spoke to writers Alan Bissett and Brian Conaghan, who will be at the festival alongside Graeme Armstrong as part of the Scottish Masculinities event - Sunday 28th April, 5-6pm. Alan and Brian talk in detail about their latest books; 'Lads' and 'Treacle Town' respectively, and...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to Jess Orr, the Associate Programmer for the Paisley Book Festival, to learn all about this year's programme - and what a programme it is. Jess explains this year's theme 'Imagine Something Different' as well as breaking down the various strands of the festival which include 'The Beautiful Game', 'Oot and Aboot', and...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to writer Martin Stewart about his new novel 'Double Proof', a Glasgow-set crime thriller that both embraces and subverts genre stereotypes and expectations. Martin talks about how he views the novel, the pressures he initially felt in setting it in Glasgow, and the joy of overcoming those, the importance of comedy in his writing, the health...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to Greg and Pat Kane, better known as Scottish musical legends Hue And Cry, to hear all about their 40th anniversary celebrations which will be happening throughout 2024. As part of those celebrations they are releasing demos and rarities every month, as well as producing a documentary and other archival material, before undertaking a full-band tour...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcat Ali spoke to writer Maud Wolf about her debut novel 'Thirteen Ways To Kill Lulabelle Rock', out now with Angry Robot Books. Maud gives a beautifully concise synopsis, before talking about that arresting title, why she wanted to write this story, the road to being published and her experiences along the way, how the novel works on a number of levels, an...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to writer Philip Miller to discuss his new novel 'The Hollow Tree', which will be published by Polygon Books on the 4th April. It's the second in the Shona Sandison series of novels, following on from the critically acclaimed 'The Goldenacre', and Phil talks about the challenges of writing a sequel, the balance between writing so...

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to writer Ajay Close to talk about her latest novel 'What Doesn't Kill Us' (published with Saraband Books). Set in Yorkshire as the 1970s became the 80s, and greatly influenced by the real-life Yorkshire Ripper investigations, Close evokes the sights, sounds, smells, and attitudes of Britain – and that part of Britain in particular – tou...