River Tay celebrated in fiction

Published On Wed 14 May 2014 by Grant Hill

Photo opportunity: 6.45pm on Thursday, 15th May at Dalhousie Building, Old Hawkhill. Writers will be available prior to the launch.

The story of those whose lives have been touched by the River Tay is told in ‘Watermarks’, the eighth anthology by a University of Dundee creative writing group.

Nethergate Writers, the publishing name of the two ‘Continuing as a Writer’ classes offered by the University’s Continuing Education programme, will launch the anthology at the Dalhousie Building at 7pm on Thursday, 15th May.

Esther Read, who tutors the two classes and who edited the anthology, said, “Nethergate Writers are a very mixed bunch in terms of age, background and interests so it’s perhaps not surprising that the variety of the writers is reflected in the material they produce.

“From its origins on the slopes of Ben Lui to its wide estuary at Dundee, the Tay is rich with history, folklore, drama and poetry. This is an anthology which will, in turn, amuse, inform, move and entertain anyone who loves fiction and who loves the Tay.”

Bringing history vividly to life, the stories range from the time of the crannogs in Loch Tay 2500 years ago to 1633 when those escaping foreign wars returned to Dundee with unpredictable consequences.

Wade’s Bridge at Aberfeldy, built in 1733, features before the collection jumps forward to the mid-1800s, a time when the river was a hub of activity and Dundee was buzzing with the excitement of the newly-opened railway to Perth. A poet by the name of McGonagall makes a predictable appearance as do the boys of the Mars training ship. The wonder of the new railway bridge, begun in 1871 , and the First World War also feature.

There are also a host of stories revealing the ways in which people’s personal dramas and the landscape of the river intertwine in the present day as well. For some it offers recreational possibilities, for some a way out of a particular dilemma and for others still a source of strength.

‘Watermarks – An Anthology’ will be launched by Nethergate Writers on Thursday, May 15th at 7pm in the Dalhousie Building, Old Hawkhill. The writers who feature in the anthology will also be signing copies of the book at Waterstone’s in Commercial Street, Dundee, between 10am-4pm on Saturday, 24th May.

For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
MOBILE: 07854 953277