Stirling Makar, Laura Fyfe

One Year Anniversary

It's been a year now since I was announced as Stirling Makar! And here's my first official Stirling Makar poem.  I wrote it last year from the depths of lockdown, when the last thing many of us felt we were doing was living our lives. Certainly not as we'd hoped to, a year into the pandemic.  

Now that I've performed it to the Provost Panel, here it is officially for you all.

I hope you're all feeling more lively and hopeful this Springtime.

Stirling: Alive with Words 

Dear Stirling, 

It’s with a sense of great pride and gratitude that I take on the honour and responsibility of the Stirling Makar. I wish to express my thanks to the team at Stirling’s Library Services, and look forward to working with them. With the appointment of Makar, Stirling Council demonstrates the recognition it gives to culture – which lies at the heart of every society. 

I’m grateful to be a part of a wonderful writing community here in Scotland, and huge thanks to friends who’ve already been the source of great encouragement. Thanks also to my colleagues in Falkirk High School for their ongoing support and I look forward to working with them to explore how poetry might enrich the excellent work that already goes on there to support the learning of young people.  

Stirling is my home. This is central to my passion for doing as good a job as possible in the role of Makar. I’m a proud Daughter of the Rock. Stirling’s paths are the paths I walk, the roads I drive, the mountains I climb.  What happens in Stirling matters more to me than what happens anywhere else. It’s where my energies are rooted and is where my energies as a writer and tutor have always returned. The Makarship now lends me a greater platform with which to support and amplify the work of Stirling’s writers. I intend to bring the poetry world to Stirling, and with my connections across Scotland, such as my roles on the boards of the Scottish Writers’ Centre and Scottish Poetry Library, I intend to bring Stirling’s poetry to the wider world.  

“Makar” is the Scots word that refers to a literary writer, in particular a poet. We have a strong legacy of Makars in Scotland – and here in Stirling. I’m honoured to join their ranks. I look forward to building on the foundations they’ve laid in order to lead Stirling’s poetry into the future.  

Five years ago today, Jackie Kay’s appointment as Makar was announced at the Scottish Poetry Library. At the event, Nicola Sturgeon said “Poetry is part of Scotland’s culture and history…The role of the Makar is to celebrate our poetic past, promote the poetry of today and produce new pieces of work that relate to significant events...”   

In her statement, Jackie Kay said that poetry holds up a “mirror to a nation’s heart, mind and soul.” Far be it from me to argue with Jackie. Instead, I’ll add my own symbol to the discussion of what poetry can be...  

A bridge. Between people, places and ideas. Between past, present and future. The Makar is a position that represents poetry in the public eye and as Makar, I too hope to act as a bridge.  

A bridge’s raison d’etre is to provide a pathway. I aim to advance the role of poetry in the lives of the people of Stirling and signpost aspiring writers towards ways that they can embark on their own poetic journeys. Having spent ten years supporting writers in Stirling and across Scotland, both on a voluntary and professional basis, I’ve met with and collaborated with many fantastic creative organisations. I look forward to strengthening these connections in order to provide more opportunities to nourish Stirling’s poetry scene. I aim to use the Stirling Makar role as a springboard with which to further the work I’ve loved so much over the last decade. 

Bridges of course encourage movement and connection. I hope to act as a spark of energy with which to ignite Stirling’s cultural vitality. I’ll guide Stirling’s poets towards opportunities, provide events with which to showcase their work, and shine a light on achievements around Stirling that they may find inspiration from. As well as celebrating the work of some well-known poets connected to Stirling, my foremost ambition is to encourage the emergence of new voices.     

A ‘Makar’ is an ambassador for poetry. The word ‘ambassador’ has its origins in the Latin: Ambaxus-Ambactus which means servant or minister. Stirling, where poetry is concerned, I’m here to serve. Tell me what you’d love more of in our poetry scene and I’ll endeavour to work with you to provide it. Bear in mind that to effect real, lasting, positive change, the more of us the better. So I invite you to become actively involved! I’ll reach out soon to open up a dialogue about the past, present and future of poetry in Stirling. In the meantime, I’m listening. My in-boxes are already filling  with great news and suggestions, as well as messages from organisations who’d like to collaborate. The next three years are going to be exciting! Join me on the adventure. 

Stirling’s Makar, Laura Fyfe has expressed her pride at the work she has been able to do across Stirling’s communities as her tenure in the role concludes at the end of the year.

Appointed as Stirling’s fourth modern Makar in February 2021, Laura has worked tirelessly with communities to promote Stirling’s literary credentials. She has also offered guidance and encouragement to aspiring local writers and helped inspire people of all ages through her work in libraries and at other cultural events.

In 2022, Laura worked alongside communities to create a collective poem that was projected onto the National Wallace Monument to mark Stirling’s bid submission for UK City of Culture 2025.

Another recent highlight was when Laura was part of the launch of Stirling’s 900^th anniversary celebrations, performing a poem penned especially for the occasion – ‘Her Slow Beating Heart’ – at a civic reception. She also recited part of the poem to the nation on BBC Radio Scotland.

'Bringing Stirling to the world.'

Reflecting on her time in the position, Laura said: “Working on the UK City of Culture bid and Stirling 900 has been wonderful. It’s been incredible to see so many people come together to celebrate Stirling’s past and look forward to the future.

“I set out to bring poetry to Stirling and in turn bring Stirling to the world. It’s been incredibly gratifying to work with new and aspiring writers in the area and the most rewarding part of my time as Makar has been to encourage new writers and build their confidence in writing and performing their work."

Written and performed in celebration of Stirling’s 900 year anniversary by Stirling Makar Laura Fyfe 

26^th April, 2024

A collective poem by the people of Stirling to mark Stirling’s bid to become UK City of Culture 2025.

We believe that all our citizens are a vital part of Stirling’s culture. Their thoughts, actions and voices are the beating heart of our bid. Working with Stirling’s Makar Laura Fyfe, we invited everyone across the area, from Cowie to Crianlarich, to unleash their creativity and share their twenty-five words for 2025.

The project was an opportunity for our diverse communities to create together and share what Stirling means to them. Their words were connected and woven together to create a collaborative, collective poem celebrating Stirling’s rich culture and creative spirit.