Top Left Corner Heads to Auld Reekie

Mandy Haggith is excited to be taking part in an event celebrating the poetry of Norman MacCaig at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. She will be reading favourite MacCaig poems about Assynt, along with some of her own, with poet Douglas Dunn and Lilias Fraser from the Scottish Poetry Library.

Mandy says, 'I'm so delighted that the biggest and most prestigious of all the book festivals is joining in the celebration of the centenary of Norman MacCaig and I'm very proud to be taking part. I'll be heading south with a sprig of Assynt heather, and giving voice to poems inspired by this place, where MacCaig revelled for so many years at this time of year.'

The event will be in Charlotte Square at 3.30 on Tuesday 17 August 2010, and you can read more and buy tickets here.

Our Creative Retreats are a sell-out!

Two more of our creative writing retreats are fully booked, after a rush of bookings to snap up our July special offer prices. All the rooms at Glencanisp Lodge are now full for the creative retreat from 11-18 September, and for the Norman MacCaig centenary week, 6-13 November.

There are still some rooms available for 30 October - 6 November 2010, and for 8-15 January and 26 March-2 April 2011.

Non-residential participation in all our retreat weeks is welcome and we can help you to find alternative accommodation in Assynt.

For more information contact Mandy Haggith, hag@topleftcorner.org, 01571 844020

Norman MacCaig Poetry Competition

We are delighted to have had 279 entries into the Norman MacCaig Poetry Competition, with lots of local people submitting poems and submissions from locations as distant as Canada and Italy as well as from all over the UK.

Judging is underway by Alan Riach, Professor of Scottish Literature at the University of Glasgow and Alexander Moffat, former head of the Glasgow School of Art. The overall winner, who will get a free week at a creative retreat at Glencanisp Lodge, will be notified by the end of September.

The results will be made public at the grand ceilidh rounding off the week-long celebration of Norman MacCaig's centenary in Assynt. For more details see here.

MacCaig Centenary

We are delighted that the Highland Cultural Programme is backing Top Left Corner's plans for the Norman MacCaig Centenary Celebration in Assynt in November 2010. We are hosting a week of activities from 6-13 November, with a creative retreat in Glencanisp Lodge, the announcement of the winner of the Norman MacCaig poetry competition, an art exhibition jointly with An Talla Solais in Ullapool, a schools event with Kenneth Steven, guided walks and talks and more. The week will culminate in a grand ceilidh in Lochinver on 12 November.

Glencanisp Lodge is filling up fast but if you would like to come and take part in the celebration please contact us and we will help you to find accomodation.

Email: tlc@topleftcorner.org or phone 01571 844020 for more information.

First Retreat Fully Booked

We are delighted that our first creative retreat week at Glencanisp Lodge, from 26 June to 3 July 2010 has sold out. We look forward to welcoming our guests to Assynt for an inspirational week.

The Seven Basketeers?

Top Left Corner ran its first craft weekend on 12-13 June 2010 in Lochinver Village Hall. Seven happy people left with big smiles and beautiful baskets to show for their efforts. Thanks to Tim Palmer for his expert tutoring.