The University of Dundee has just appointed the poet Colette Bryce to the position of Fellow in Creative Writing.
The position is an important and well-known one in British poetry circles. It dates from the early 1970s and is funded equally by the University of Dundee and the Scottish Arts Council. It is normally held either by a poet or by a writer of prose fiction. Colette takes over the post from Dundee poet Tracey Herd, who, in becoming a past Dundee creative writing fellow, joins Anne Stevenson, Sam Selvon, Val Warner, James Rankin, Carl MacDougall, Douglas Dunn, Sean O'Brien, Kathleen Jamie, Don Patterson and John Burnside.
The duties of the post include being available to help any members of the university or local community with any aspect of their writing or publishing, and stimulating an interest in creative writing by means of public readings, writers' groups, book events and other activities. The post is also intended to provide the writer with a modest income, allowing a period of stability in which progress can be made with his or her own work.
David Robb, outgoing head of the Department of English, says, 'I am eager to have Colette in the Department and I am sure that she will prove an excellent holder of the post. She is an exciting young poet with a fine career opening up in front of her, exactly the sort of Fellow who has done such good work for us in the past. She is eager to come to Dundee and to take advantage of the opportunities the post offers her. I hope that this will be the beginning of a strong and lasting relationship between Colette Bryce and the City of Dundee."
"I'm very much looking forward to working at the University of Dundee. I'm very fortunate to be taking up this post that has been held in the past by some of the finest contemporary writers. The fellowship presents a great opportunity to get involved in the life of the university and to work closely with students and writers from the wider community in Dundee. I'm also looking forward to getting to know the city and its lively Arts scene. I'm sure the year ahead will be an interesting and creative one for me."