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Cox's Stack, Dundee, Frankenstein, John Quinn, Joseph Lee, Mary Brooksbank, Mary Shelley, poetry, Seagate 111, William McGonagall, Writers, writing
Mr Shey.
It’s an anthology of poetry from in and around the City of Dundee in the early 21st Century –‘a cast of voices who speak for and about Dundee in poetic terms’.
This is no longer the Dundee of the Jute Mills – it is the Dundee of the V&A on the Waterfront (without forgetting the struggles of the past and the poverty which still stalks) The anthology expands on earlier anthologies Seagate and Seagate II and Whaleback City which was inspired by the city its history its architecture and its landscape and its people.
Times being hard and poetry sometimes being a difficult sell it has taken poet Andy Jackson the Editor a couple of years to get off the ground. In the 20th Century Dundee’s poetic and literary reputation was overshadowed somewhat by the ghost of McGonagall.
But scratch below the surface and we can boast Mary Shelley having lived worked and conceived Frankenstein here,
War Poet and Fighter Writer Joseph Lee judged on a par with Owen and Sassoon, The Republic of Letters in the 19th Century the poetry and songs of Socialist icon Mary Brooksbank and more recently the work in word and song of Michael Marra two distinguished Professors of Poetry in WN Herbert and Don Paterson. AL Kennedy anyone? Then there’s prize winning poet John Glenday, Ellie McDonald Street Poets Gary Robertson and Mark Thomson. There’s the comic genius of DC Thomson’s Dudley Watkins creator of Oor Wullie Desperate Dan etc and contributors to human happiness thereby. And you’re still at the tip of the iceberg! Hence I’m honoured to be in this company. The Official launch where I’ve been asked to read along with other poets takes place at the burgeoning Dundee literary festival in October. The festival this year has drawn Hollywood actor Alan Cumming Poet and former Makar (Scots Poet laureate) Liz Lochead, prize winning author James Kelman and more.
MARY BROOKSBANK– The Jute Mill Song
Michael Marra If Dundee was Africa.
Mr Shey.
The Seagate is today one of the main thoroughfares in the heart of the city – effectively its first street dating back over a thousand years. The name originally ‘Seagait’ means road to the sea.
Mr Shey.
A good question. I suspect there is one but that it may be buried away beneath the streets of the City with other hidden history such as that of our hamster forebears! Put it this way – if there isn’t one there should be!
Mr Shey
Cox’s Stack is an iconic city landmark today an Italianate campanile chimney towering around three hundred feet above the skyline. It’s in Lochee aka Dundee’s little Ireland and at one time it stood above the largest jute mill in the world when the industry employed near fifty thousand people mostly women and children on what were known as the killing floors. Cox’s is the one chimney left out of over a hundred.
I wanted to write it because it speaks to the history of the City of Dundee and the spirit of innovation and survival which has characterised its people my forebears among them down the centuries.
Mr Shey
Urbi et Orbi – the city and the world. At least that’s what I aim for. One of my fellow poets in it Beth McDonough said she thought of me as an ‘urban poet’ which I took as a huge compliment. Edinburgh Glasgow London Rome and York have also inspired me. As does History particularly as a Scot of Irish descent the history of both countries. The first ever poem I wrote was about the battlefield at Prestonpans. I’d gone to the nearby sports centre to watch my daughter in a badminton tournament and at the break I went for a walk and was struck by the juxtaposition of past and present.
The Battle of Prestonpans was the first significant conflict in the Jacobite Rising of 1745. which ended at Culloden in 1746
Mr Shey.
A man more sinned against than sinning. Scratch beneath the cliché about ‘best writer of bad poetry’ and you might be surprised. He was probably autistic and he may have been playing the ‘daft laddie’. In addition he has stood the ultimate test – that of time. WN Herbert Dundee’s makar(official poet) a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and Professor of Poetry and Creative Writing at Newcastle University described him as a ‘journalist’ with an amazing ‘ability to be inspired by absolutely everything’. That said some of his rhyme and meter would give you a migraine!
Mr Shey.
Not one – unsurprisingly I’m particularly fond of some of the greats in the canon – Yeats, T.S.Eliot, Dylan Thomas and John Donne. And Bob Dylan. I’m also partial to Seamus Heaney and Gerard Manley Hopkins.
Mr Shey.
I’ve written a play about the jute story – ‘O Halflins an Hecklers an Weavers an Weemin’. We’re planning to stage it in the High Mill at Verdant Works Museum Dundee next year. There are some poems in the pipeline on different subjects – I’ve just had three accepted for the Hampden Park Football Museum Memories’ Project in conjunction with Alzheimer’s Scotland. And I’ve written a modern historical novel about a Dundonian in Edinburgh in the politically turbulent Scotland of the early 1970s (UCS work-in/Miners’ Strike/Bloody Sunday etc). He meets a beautiful English girl who reminds him of Maddy Prior lead singer of Steeleye Span. They make a date for during the blackout in a Catholic Teachers’ Training College/Convent but instead he meets an Irish girl. When he sees her in trouble at a protest march about Bloody Sunday he goes to help and it complicates from there…so I may have some edits to do soon. It’s called ‘The Eyes of Grace O’Malley’.
An EXTRACT from Cox’s Stack by John Quinn part of the Seagate 3 Anthology.
A Scottish ex-English Teacher of Irish extraction. Tour Guide at Scotland’s Jute Museum Verdant Works Dundee, John has had work published in ‘Poet and Geek’ ‘South Bank Magazine’ ‘Poetry Scotland’ ‘Dundee Writes’ and ‘Then Dawn Treader’, not to mention Seagate 3.
http://www.seagate3blog.wprdpress.com
https://en-gb.facebook.com/SeagateIII/
Mr Shey.
Definitely – even Shey couldn’t make that up!
Reblogged this on Kate McClelland.
Good luck to Mr Shey with the poetry books and hope that the play goes well. :0)
Kate, as always, you are such a kind lady. Mr Shey will be well astonished that you’ve reblogged this. He didn’t think anyone would read it! He’s been hard at work on the play and I ma hoping it will be a big success for him.
It sounds like a good play, I hope it goes well. xx
Me too Kate. He’s got Michael Marra’s daughter on board with some of local choirs she does work with and the offer of some of his music so that is quite a feather x
Wow, well it’s off to a great start!
Lol, well one way or another…right now it is with the students of the Space which does an hnd acting course. If that should fall through we will organise a reading. once we would have just stage d it ourselves but we have so much doing and also there’s rivers you don’t step in twice. Rivers that flow on
Lovely Written.
Aw, hugs Advo. Very kind x
Most Welcome Ma’am.,
xxxxxxxxx
To have such passion for, and knowledge of the place you plainly adore and are proud to live within the finest thing. Finer still perhaps that born of the same you conjure poetic art that this reader would observe are the words of a master craftsman at work. Best of good fortune Mr Q, and, of course your lovely missus, Ms S. .
Aw hugs Mike . You are some craftsman himself so I think Mr will be thrilled x
Then that is a good thing…did read a longish poem on FB a few weeks back that was also splendid…think I hit the ‘like’; if not I should have!
Oooh, a play, poems and a novel! I do admire your industry, Mr Shey – and I don’t mean the jute mills. I congratulate you and wish you great success with the anthology and the performances of your play. Wonderful to see your words come alive. I am imagining Dundee with over a hundred tall chimney stacks, belching smoke and ash. It must have been an amazing hellish sight. Good luck. Thanks, Shey. Really most. interesting.
Yep it must have been the mills of hell. And a lot of it springing up kind of overnight too in terms of how the town was swamped during the Irish famine. I found some of my mum’s ancestors there living like 10 to a shed at that point. Just awful. Lovely to see you and so glad you enjoyed. I knows you likes places xxx
I do indeed. And one day hope to make Dundee one of those places I get to see.
be still my beating heart. Come stay and we can have a an absolute blast xxxx
Great post Mr Shey ! You survived the hamster onslaught then ?
BTW I would love to be in a class taught by “A Scottish ex-English Teacher of Irish extraction”. 😉 Ralph 🙂
Ralpha, he did indeed suvrive them and outwitted them too. Of course there is a moss monster. Lovely to see you my friend. Hope your week is gonna be a good one. Mr will be along later to replay to all these nice comments or I will set the dudes on him. x
Congrats to Mr. Shey. Those hamstahs sure are cheeky, aren’t they?
They sure are needing a boot up their proverbials…. Thank you Susana. he’s fair tickled with all these comments.
Thanks everyone for the kind comments and the re-blogging!
Great post, Mr Shey. The extract from your poem is so evocative and atmospheric. You certainly have a way with language. The hammies (almost) behaved themselves – although I;m still concerned about Hamstah Dickens’ eating habits. I mean Cox’s Stack is bound to give him severe indigestion. has he got enough Gaviscon?
Cat yah musta peed off the dudes. I had to approve this. HUH!! I am rather worried re Hamstah Dickens too. I think he is getting above himself. He would break his teeth for starters. Lovely to see you. Mr will be thrilled by your commnetx
amazing post……..
AW thank you Sudhir, of course I did have an amazing subject here !!!!!! And that was just Dundee (Lol) xxxxxxx
So I got a number of contorted looks as I laughed in the coffee shop over the question as to whether or not “Seagate III” referred to a sex position. 🙂
That said, this was a joy to read and learn. Once again, I admire how history influences both you and your husband. That Cox’s stack fascinates me; I wish Milwaukee took similar care of its own. The Pabst Brewery is partially in shambles, partially torn down for stupid luxury apartments. A magnificent bit of history, left to rot or bury. Damn.
(There are no moss monsters in Wisconsin, little dudes! 🙂
Er sorry about the sex position. Bobby Bub couldn’t resist that. Dundee has also been guilty of letting things go Jean. Often places just don’t recognise things in their midst, or there’s other reasons. However the city now seems to be taking better care of its heritage. Lovely to see you xxxx
Shey
ps Does that mean we can come live with you Jean? All of us?
The dudes……
Well, um, little guys, we could maybe do an exchange program. two of you for Biff and Bash? I know Blondie wouldn’t mind THAT at all. 😉
I’m glad to hear Dundee is coming to respect its past. I thought Milwaukee was too, at first, when the historic Third Ward began to attract attention for building restoration and the like. But then they made it all high-end nonsense so only affluent hipsters can survive there. A mixed blessing, I guess.
Love to you and Mr. Shey–A toast to the coming Seagate III!
A toast to you. I’m sure the dudes will now talk of that exchange program non stop. They would sort your developers. I guess it is the same all over the place. This city sits in the most beatiful location and what in on that prime land. A Tescos. supermarket. however they are sorting the waterfront and it is amazing. So lessons from the past are being learned. Nothing worse than affluent hipsters. x
How fortunate for me to fall upon this wonderful post on my day back to blogging. Wow, Mr. Shey, you have a pretty impressive literary agenda. I enjoyed reading about Dundee and the photos were (are) fantastic!
The hammies are entertaining and rascalistic as usual.
Shey, I see that you seem to have published new works. It’s been awhile since I’ve read one of your books. What’s your latest one?
Mr. Shey, good luck with Seagate III and your play – (I’m sure the hammies will have their say in it somehow)!
Lovely Carol, I have missed your blogs but I know how disciplined you are re your time that way. Looking forward to more blogs and dare I say more books. You’re usually absent for that very good reason. I am glad you liked reading about Dundee. When the dudes were making up the questions they were struck by the sheer volume of literary associations. Mr is stunned by the response. He is indeed a busy guy. I was saying to Kate Mc C that he’s got musician Michael Marra’s daughter on board with various choirs for his play . She’s a great musician in her own right. So he’s been pretty busy.
You’re way too kind asking re new things. I am waiting for edits for Splendor which is a Jewel Thieves book. I was told September for a release but I am reckoning that is not going to happen now as we’re half way through. The prequel–I like doing things back to front — to the Viking and The Courtesan IS coming out on December 7th. I do know that much for sure. And the reason it’s a prequel was I really never banked on this being a series and before I go further with that I thought I better sort and explain how the time travelling all comes about.
Hope you are good Carol and have things to share with us. xxxxxxx
I think you will recognize my new tag line on my header xx
Wow! Shehanne, your new tag line and header is very, very appealing! Great job! So, I’m looking forward to reading your new book Splendor. And you have another coming in December! Congratulations!
Lol…my new tag line was of course written by a multi talented lovely generous lady called….. ????? I HAD to use it. xxxxx
Love the Scottish music, got me longin’ for Scotland (even though it’s not my homeland, I get heartache for Scotland when I hear those tunes).
Mr. Shey? How did hubby like being called that by the dudes?! I mean he’s his own man, talented too, and he’s now a rose in your bonnet?! 😂 lol
Anyway, hampsets aside (hard to do, I know), i wish I could go to the play. Hold on, or is it a 📚 book? I can’t think with the dudes distracting me.
The videos, the hamster dudes acting up, it’s all too much to take in at once! (but blame the dudes for that!)
I will. They just can’t behave. The little horrors. Mr Shey has been called that by them for a while. He knows they are just shockingly cheeky– unlike me–although in this case I think they were being all nicey nicey in the hope he would say there was no moss monster. YAYA, you loved th4e Scottish music. Glad I put these links in now. Do you have Scottish roots that you get heartache? So many Scots are in Canada. Hee hee, the play is a play. He has been a very busy guy. xxxxx
Yeah, I think I may have Scottish roots in my genetics because I get oh so longing for the homeland.
My father’s French, so you know, it’s not that far from Scotland, and my grandfather studied at a university in England, where he lived with my mum and my grandmother, during that time, they must have had relatives in Scotland somewhere along the line somewhere because we all get a bit weepy over Scotland.
A lot of Scots were forcible removed from their lands and sent to Canada during the Highland Clearances. So I wondered about that for you. However there is a huge Scots French connection. It was called the Auld Alliance and frankly it was where Scotland wanted to be pals with France rather than England. I have names in my family tree — Scottish Highland names that were originally French. I also have names in that bit that I understand came from people who were sword for hire mercenaries. It is fascinating to look into your family because you often labour under this assumption that you are historically from where your family seems to have washed up or nearabouts cos folks didn’t travel much in ye days of yore. In fact families are like drops of water that run everywhere. . I don’t have a single ancestor in Dundee before 1849. If you avhe this weepy eyed feeling you must have Scots’ blood somewhere. I think these things whisper down the ages.
Wow, Mr. Shey is talented ~ poetry, play writing… and who knows what else? He even helps keep the hamstahs in line! Christoph’s dog was hard to swallow though, by the sounds of it… lol. Very cool to learn more about the stories behind the region, but the monster reference at the end made me shudder!
LOl that’s just some old tree trunk I saw on a walk I use to keep them in line…(Don’t let them know). Someone had to keep them in line after they were monsters to poor Noelle Clark a few posts back. That whole forest is riven with moss and dying on its feet. I couldn’t get what was so odd that day cos I had never done that walk on my own. Then it dawned. There was no birdsong whatsoever. There’s nothing for the birds to feed on. Glad you enjoyed my darling. Mr Shey is fair tickled with the response to his post. xxxxx
A big welcome to Mr.Sheh! My my! Writing runs in your family. You guys are talented and creative. Now i know Sheh where you get all the inspiration from. Rather you both inspire each other. Amazing poetry. All the best to Mr.Sheh’s future endeavours. God bless you both☺
Aw my darling…so very kind of you–also a most creative lady. He’s fair taken back by all the nice comments. I do love his poem and am thrilled for him that it is in the anthology. Bless you too xxx
Congrats to Mr. Sheh, and thanks for sharing! I wish I could be in the audience when the play opens, but I’m stuck here in the used-to-be-good-ole USA unless I win the lottery or something.
xx,
mgh
(Madelyn Griffith-Haynie – ADDandSoMuchMore dot com)
– ADD Coach Training Field founder; ADD Coaching co-founder –
“It takes a village to transform a world!”
Oh dear Madelyn, you folks sure have sorrows to seek right now by the bucketload. You better start buying cartload of lottery tickets. I always talk about winning the lottery and I never buy a ticket! xxx
Me either – tho’ I do spend some time dreaming about what I’d do if I won.
xx, mgh
Yeah,…… me too, the world ills I’d solve.. any ills I’d solve..
post lovely written as always
thank you for sharing
kisses
You are so very kind Voulaah. You’ve quite made my evening. Thank you so much for reading and commenting, for coming by. Always nice to see you. x
oh very welcome dear
Kisses
Kisses to you too Voulaah x
Oh my goodness, I love the new look of your blog! And this excellent interview with Mr Shey and the extract of his poem, so fascinating and eloquent! It made me think about the tides of time that brought that monstrous jute industry to the beautiful piece of land, and then took it away, and how all that changed the place and the people. I wish all the authors of the Anthology best of luck at the Dundee Literary festival, and Break a Leg to the actors when “‘O Halflins an Hecklers…” will hit the stage next year. Thank you for the lovely read and the videos! I haven’t visited a while, and missed the fluffy folk. Glad to find them as sharp as always 😉
Wishing a marvelous week to all! xxxx
The fluffy folk are glad to see you Inese, especially knowing you have the brave face on cos you are not with your babbas. I thought it was time for a new look and I’m quite happy dancing here that you like it. I do love Mr’s poem. He captures that whole biz you speak so eloquently of too in the entire piece. Glad you enjoyed. You take care and have a marvellous week yourself, special lady x
Thank you! ❤
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hey, loving the new blog look, Shey! 😊
AW Kev xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
😀
Anna : ciao, have a beautiful new week.
Ah Rinaldo, you too xxxxxxxxxxxx from me and the dudes
Scotish humour….. you are funny plus sexy so if you want to get married I´ll be in the Irish chappel at 6 a.m on every Sunday, if you wanna have it to gotta love shit….shit, did i really said that out loud? Seems so, anyways are you gonna be able to publish some of my things, i got better writting than in the blog
Charly, there wis I just on yir blog clicking like aboot te ask whaur yir kilt was? Forget the marriage. Mah man wid kill me, never mind you– if I never killed him first. Noo. see yir bletherings? Pure deid brill as we say, so how do ye no just drap me a line on thon comments tab somewhere in mah heider and let’s get ye oot theer xxx
In English. contact me on that contact tab somewhere above, forgetting this marriage shit when it’s not as if we don’t know how your blog is. AND let’s go with getting your work to the dudes x
Ps , if you can’t find that tab just let me know here and I will …………..pit doon me email addy
Hold on, the first part I thought you had a stroke and you couldn´t talk right,, now I see that was Irish…who knows.
You that are a person that knows more about this writing thing plus you can handle me, could help me out to put the crazy things, that are not so crazy if you can believe it when I write not in the blog.
What you think about it, forgot is late here, I´m sober and I´ listening to these guys
Could you help me to at least know how in the world you can publish yourself? Do you have to spend a lot of money? (That´s a biggy)and also how in the world does it work, believe it or not, I do have no clue about how these things work.
Also if you have the time I can send you an email with some writings I have and see if you think are publishable.
Okay Charly, I don’t publish myself but I have been looking into moving that way for various reasons. Also that whole game has changed in the few years since I started out. Folks looked down their snitches at it then. Now more and more traditionally published authors are going down that road.
Cost wise.
The main prob is your editing and proofing. That can cost an arm and a leg from what I see. So you could firstly try getting a free beta reader or two who will at least flag up any glaring errors with plotting, pacing, whatever. Hell sometimes even beta readers can cost so you need to ask yourself how much editing your work needs. Again I talk big probs here re plotting, pacing …not a few spelling mistakes. Also whether you have that ability to be totally removed from your work and ready to red pen it . Books go through several edits and types of edits. After you’ve done the first few rounds, there is then copy edits, where you need to check for any overuse of words, anachronisms etc, than there’s proofing. So you can see where the dosh goes.
The good news …yes there is some…is that you can get a cover made quite reasonably. There’s a number of excellent companies and individuals out there. My advice on that one is shop around but pay the extra for the print and ebook cover cos then you can put your book out in print as well and really a cover is not too pricey and you are not looking at much more for the print cover ‘spread’. Now you also get free programs for uploading to amazon kindle direct…you go through createpace. … BUT if you are a bit wary of the formatting..cos all books need formatted for kindle and print… you can pay a formatter who will do it for you and upload the files etc. That is not too pricey either. Now I know all this seems daunting but you just take it a step at a time. I suggest your first step is to send me some of your writing and I will tell you how publishable I feel it is. While you are waiting, why not just google book cover designers. See what you think, check out prices etc. .
Pingback: Of hecklers and hamsters and golden spinning girls. A city and a world. – Kate McClelland
Congratulations on getting that beautiful poem into an anthology, Mr. Shey!
The hamstah dudes must have messed with the link here:
http://www.seagate3blog.wprdpress.com I entered it as http://www.seagate3blog.wordpress.com and it took me to the right site.
Aw Carolee, I will let him know of your kind words xxxxxx
Though honestly I read it twice but some of the things I get it but still working on rest of them. But today, I have learnt how to write so beautifully and indulge the interest of the readers in the topics they haven’t read before, I think that is what a good writer is!
Truly I love that short part which I understood.
Thank you
Ocht Darling, the hamsters here have an ongoing story line going back years and whatever line that is–and it is long — right now this moss monster is worrying them so they are NOT coming out with anything very helpful ( I used this to make them behave because they were being so mean to my guests) Don’t worry about them. Mr’s poem is all about the jute mills here in Dundee and I only shared an extract in case of that fatal word copywrite. So long as you understood that THAT is what matters.
Good luck
TO you too. Your latest piece is lovely. x
Good luck to Mr Shey. A talented husband and wife team, the hamstas must be beside themselves!
Marje xxxxxxx BTO nothing impresses them dudes, but we thank you for your comment. xxxx
Ha ha. Them dudes are difficult!!
Them?????? Never…. x
Hey, Shey, so nice to meet your husband and to read his beautiful poem of dedication. So much talent under one roof – how nice! I wish the both of you much continued success on your creative projects. Next time Mr. Shey is interviewed I expect the dudes to show more respect OR for true, the moss monster will cometh.
HEE HEE… I hear the ground thudding as the moss monster goes after them although I am pretty sure they could soon take care of the moss monster if they did but know it. Thank you for that lovely comment. You’re an angel. And lovely to see you xxx
hey sweety .I am so looking forward for ur Christmas posts.you havent posted anything in quiet a while .much love to you and a very merry Christmas .
Aw darling, that is so sweet. I put a post up last week and I promise I will post more on Friday. How’s that! Can’t let you down. Just been up to here with one thing and another xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
oh yes absolutely ..take ur time . enjoy this Christmas season. I know it brings lots of perks and joy with it. ☺😊 hugs and love to u n little hamsters.
It also bring a lot of work! But not to worry. Hugs for the dudes. They are planning their next post. x
I had to come back to see the beginnings. . .or at least something earlier about your husband’s play and you all have made more additions yo the new one, adding such emotion and pathos! Alas, I wish very much to be able someday to see the play and untill then, I wish ye well and good! 💐🌹
Aw, so kind of you Robin. Just heading off to rehearsals on this find Sat morning. Gonna try and run act 2, even though we have folks away today. I am revamping a lot of scenes cos I have more time to do that than last time. Also we have a few cast changes but also changes where someone maybe didn’t want to do a particular scene and a new person on it brings a diff perspective..
Oh, so wonderful you are flexible and helping to produce a wonderful play performance, Shehanne! ✨💐
Once upon a time, I was the Student Director chosen by the theater teacher in my high school. It was a comedy called, “Take Her, She’s Mine.” It was fun, especially since the actors had to play parents and others played their high school (teenager) children. I had a lot of fun all through high school being part of our three plays a year. 🤗 xoxo 🍾🥂💐
Lol…sometimes things just creep in by accident and we keep them. Last time the mr got muddled always cutting to a certain scene, we christened the F’ing highland scene cos the first night when we were getting ready to do and we were standing by the mail machine –no-one goes off you just sit between bits on the old machines– he asked me what scene it was now, so I whispered, ‘The Highland scene,’ He whispered three times and I answered, while my two daughters and our niece who were sitting right there on the machine, rolled their eyes. and then eventually I went– alas–, the fing Highland scene, thinking no-one would hear but they did, including a member of the audience who was ending himself laughing. .The next night and the one after he kept cutting to that scene in the middle of the one before and I kept having to haul it back. So now we have a board which I hold up when he ses, ‘ Where are we now.’ ‘Not the *’*** Highland scene. Someone is going to hold it through that whole scene then turn it over at the end to show the words, ‘ Dear Ken, this is the *’*** Highland scene. It is great fun really . Glad that you had such a good time at High School . doing all that .I see I preach to the converted here xxxxxx