Alistair Lawrie (Spoken Label, April 2026)

New from Spoken Label features making his debut is the amazing Alistair Lawrie.

Alistair Lawrie is from Peterhead and now lives in Stonehaven. His short story “Delivery” won the William Soutar Prize in 2016 and his poem “Twists And Turns” won the McLellan Scots Poetry Prize in 2023. His poetry and short stories have been published in “The Interpreter’s House”, “The Poets’ Republic”, “Northwords Now”, “Lallans”, “Poetry Scotland” and various anthologies; he coedited the Scottish sea anthology “A Glimmer Of Cold Brine”.

His poetry collection “Caal Cries” was published in 2023 by Drunk Muse Press. He runs weekly creative writing sessions for Mearns Writers. He writes in Doric and English, occasionally Scots “… but the words and the rhythms of those voices I heard as a boy breathe their lilt through all of it”This chat is about Alistair's new poetry book "Opent Petals" available from Drunk Muse Press which describes at the book as "following on from his acclaimed debut, Caal Cries – confirms his position as one of the most accomplished and entertaining poets writing in Scots today. Winner of the 2023 McLellan Scots Poetry Prize, he alternatives adeptly between Doric and English across a range of themes.

Whether he’s recalling a telling childhood incident or casting a rueful eye over politics and culture, there is wit and insight aplenty in these poems that will resonate widely."