Hugh is Back on the Road

from Fresh Start

Hugh McMillan is looking forward to getting back on the road – particularly the narrow and often half-hidden byways that wind across the region. The poet and author has just been awarded the Fresh Start for the Arts and Wigtown Book Festival commission to produce new work inspired by tales of Dumfries and Galloway.

A former history teacher, who has lived in D&G for 35 years, Hugh is already deeply immersed in the stories which people tell about themselves and their land – past and present. In the coming months he will be travelling round and, as he puts it, “rooting out tales and characters of contemporary or near contemporary times”.

Hugh is keen to hear from people who have stories to offer and will be setting up shop in the different parts of the region and making contact with people in a variety of ways. You can email him at steamboatsmcmillan@hotmail.com or get in touch via the blog he has created to inform and entertain throughout the project. Hugh will also present at the Wigtown Book Festival which runs from September 27 to the October 6.

The commission was partly inspired by John Mactaggart’s 1876 Scottish Gallovidian Encyclopaedia – a colourful collection of folklore, local wisdom, terms and expressions. It’s readily available for free online if you want to have an enchanting trip into to the past.

The thought of creating a parallel to Mactaggart – something which brings stories to new audiences and in new ways – is a delight. It will be fascinating to see what Hugh comes up with. He has already given details of provisional categories that he is especially interested in investigating. These are:
•    Woodsmen
•    Nomads
•    Dykers
•    Weans
•    Drunkards
•    Naturals
•    Free Spirits
•    Strange encounters
Hugh explains that a Natural was the word given by Mactaggart to describe those “who move about purely by the dictates of nature ... and attract the attention of men by their wild and out-of-the-way eccentricities”. Clearly plenty to be going on with and we are really looking forward to the results.

The range of applications for the commission revealed just how many potential approaches could be taken – from graphic novels to narrated stories. Some also suggested using video, live shows and other techniques for attracting the widest possible audiences. Fresh Start and the festival would like to thank everyone who took time to apply for their thought, imagination and enthusiasm.

ALSO.....It would be much appreciated if anyone who has been involved in any way with Fresh Start for the Arts activities, events, projects and consultations of any kind could fill in a very short questionnaire for LEADER funding purposes. It’s on our website and just needs to be filled in and emailed back to us.