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 900th 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."
'Fantastic opportunities'
The recruitment process for the new Makar begins in the coming weeks. To help inform the selection process, an online survey for residents has been developed and can be accessed via the Stirling Engage platform.
Laura added: "The Makarship is entirely what you make it. Being Stirling Makar offers fantastic opportunities to a poet with the energy and passion to dedicate to the role: collaboration, creativity and huge amounts of fun. I'm excited to find out what the next Makar will bring!"