|
Laura Turnbull FyfePoet, Novelist, Makar, Publisher & Writing TutorLapsed parachutist Laura Fyfe suffers from a chronic low boredom threshold which she mitigates by supporting other writers and experimenting with words. As a Buddhist writer, she loves exploring big ideas in small, simple ways. Laura teaches out of compulsion, writes stories for fun and poets because she can’t not. She supports other writers by mentoring, editing and by facilitating writing workshops and communities across Scotland and online. Her work has been published in Butcher’s Dog, Postbox and Northwords Now and was shortlisted for the 2022 Bridport Prize. Her pamphlet The Truth Lies is available from Red Squirrel Press. Laura’s non-fiction books Wellspring and Magpie Mind help writers and artists defeat procrastination and live more creative lives. She lives in river deep, mountain high Stirlingshire, and is the Stirling Makar. Laura has dedicated the last twenty years of her life to supporting the development of writers. Firstly as a teacher in Secondary schools, then, since 2011, as a writing tutor, facilitating workshops across Scotland an online on a plethora of topics. Since that time, she has supported and established a number of writing groups, organisations and events around Stirling. She collaborates with organisations across Stirling on workshops provision and poetry commissions. From 2013 to 2015, she studied her MLitt in Creative Writing, completing her dissertation while balancing the care of her newborn son. During her time as Director of the Scottish Writers’ Centre, Laura designed, edited and published the SWC Scotland chapbook series, celebrating five aspects of Scotland. During the pandemic, she filmed 100 live workshops online to support writers around the world: https://figmentcreativity.com/writingchallenges.html In 2021, Laura became the fourth Stirling Makar and went to work, revitalising the poetry community of Stirling, initially online during lockdown, then live and in person, establishing Forth Fridays, visiting schools and groups and working collaboratively with creative organisations. One such collaboration, the Stirling Bid for City of Culture, resulted in Kin Kennings (the collective poem she stitched together from the things Stirling’s people love about their home area), excerpts from which were projected up onto the Wallace Monument. |
Selected Bibliography
|
Stirling Makar Poetry
Culture and Community: Displacement and Absence – 4 poem series 4 poem series in collaboration with photographer Rab Fyfe and Picture the Possible, supported by Stirling Council, presented in gallery, the Tolbooth Stirling Kin Kennings 2025 City of Culture bid poem Collective poem comprised of submissions from Stirling’s people, 25 words each on the things they love about Stirling https://youtu.be/dHWaziFPHeI Hidden Nooks – 10 poem series Poems celebrating the 20 year anniversary of Stirling having achieved city status. Inspired by suggestions of people’s favourite hidden or less-known places around the city. Placed in Stirling’s new augmented reality app, Stirling XP Balloongubble Pollem Produced as a result of contributions of Stirling (and surrounds) parents. Formed of malapropisms of Stirling’s children. Alive Produced in response to “Alive with…” a consideration of some of the things and memories that make us feel alive, despite the confines of lockdown. Dream Seeds Film poem in collaboration with Go Forth Stirling and Focas media, produced to promote Stirling’s Independent Businesses - https://youtu.be/z6W2iOD_u7A Individual publications The Truth Lies (Red Squirrel Press, Feb 2022) Wellspring (Figment Books, 2017) Magpie Mind (Figment Books, 2019) Motherhood – Of Love and Loss, (Figment Books, 2nd ed 2023) Anthologies Termite Quine (How Do We Talk About Knives, Autumn 2023) Building Bridges (Bridge Anthology, Into Books, Summer 2023) Like they do in the movies (Short and Sweet, Soor Ploom Press, Summer 2022) Remembrance Bridge (Bridges and Walls, Dovetales, Summer 2019) Work to Live (Landfall, 2017) Literary Magazines Scream if ye Wantae Go Faster (Pushing Out the Boat, May 2023) The Relativity of Learning (Public Sector Journal, March 2023) A Strange Woman (Postbox, Spring 2023) Cat Call (Butcher’s Dog 13 Summer 2020) Authorised Access Only (Here Comes Everyone, December 2019) Mirrorball (Black Bough Poetry II ‘lux aeterna’, July 2019) Bell-Ringing (Postbox, Spring 2019) Awards Bridport Prize – shortlisted – 2022: In Concert SMHAFF – winner – 2017 – Waiting for Spring |
|
Get in touch & follow
if you'd like to contact Laura for interviews, publishing opportunities, workshop or tutoring provision
|
laura.t.fyfe@gmail.com
|
https://www.facebook.com/figment.laura
|
@FigmentLaura
|