All writing worth its salt is, at least in part, an exercise in exploring the unknown, and Pushing Out the Boat is an appropriate image for all creative endeavour anywhere, at any time. But it's a particularly apt one right now, as we set forth into the uncharted waters of a new century. And it seems particularly fitting for the North East of Scotland too. The past hundred years have probably seen more dramatic changes in the North East than any other similar period in its long history. Who knows what the next hundred will bring? My guess is: more change, more tides of folk washing in and out, more fluctuations in the fortunes of the industries and traditions and languages by which people live. The appearance of Pushing Out the Boat is very welcome: the fresh new writing it contains reflects and records the changing face of the world about us.

Duncan McLean

Cover:
Nine Circles, 1999
(acrylic and collage)
Colin Brown