News and Announcements

Season's Greetings from Pushing Out the Boat

Posted on 23 November 2024
 

POTB Christmas 2024 Newsletter

From a snowy Aberdeen (yes, November is too early for winter and icy pavements) welcome to Pushing Out the Boat’s seasonal newsletter keeping all our friends and followers in touch with what we’ve been up to this year and looking forward to next year.

Let’s start on a practical note. It’s that time of year when many people’s minds turn to gifts for their loved ones. A thoughtful gift needn’t break the bank, and as always we’d urge you to consider our latest issue as your gift of choice, a snip at £9 per copy. We always describe it as a stocking filler but it will of course bring hours of pleasurable reading and viewing. You can buy copies online or at any of our vendors spread across the country from Dundee to Shetland  (courtesy of Northlink Ferries – ‘Buy a Boat on a boat’) and in between.

Limited numbers of back issues at only £5 each are also available through the online link above if you’d like to share a lovingly remembered piece – maybe even your own work – with family or friends.

So, to our last year.

As you probably know, we work on a two-yearly cycle and 2024 has been an ‘in between’ year, with Issue 17 published in 2023 and Issue 18 due next year – more on this below. That doesn’t mean we haven’t been busy. In March we ventured South (well, South for us) for an evening of readings by Central Belt based contributors to Issue 17, hosted by the Forth Friday poetry group at Stirling’s Book Nook..Our thanks to Stirling makar Laura Fyfe for arranging the event, which you can read about here. In July we were lucky enough to make two contributions to Aberdeen’s Festival of the Sea, a Power of the Sea reading showcase at Footdee’s community hall, and a writing workshop, marine-themed of course, facilitated by Aberdeen Uni lecturer in creative writing Shane Strachan.

With planning now underway for our next issue, we were pleased to welcome our new editor, publisher Peter Burnett of Leamington Books. Submissions were open over the summer and yielded a record number of entries for consideration by our selection panels. We posted a blog giving a behind-the-scenes insight into how our panellists work in assessing the hundreds of poems, prose pieces and works of art received.  Selection of work for the next issue is almost complete and,  If you’re one of those writers or artists, our thanks to you, and you will receive notice of whether you’ve been successful by the New Year.

Looking forward to 2025, we intend to launch our new issue in Aberdeen on Sunday 27 April, a diary date for contributors and friends to note. We’ll be in touch about that, as well as about the chance to pre-order a copy of Issue 18 online. Until then, Season’s Greetings to everyone, in the traditional words, a very Merry Christmas, and a prosperous New Year.


Submissions to Issue 18 are now closed

Posted on 1 October 2024
 

The call for submissions to Issue 18 of Pushing Out the Boat closed on 30th September 2024. We received a wealth of submissions to this issue – thanks to all who submitted.

Now the selection process begins, during which the Selection Panels will review all the entries received and make their choice of items to go forward to the publication. Once the selection process is complete, successful contributors will be notified by email. We aim to launch Issue 18 in Spring 2025.

For those who made a submission, further information is available here, including how to withdraw a submission, should you need to do so,


Call for Submissions to Issue 18

Posted on 1 July 2024
 

Submissions of writing and artwork are invited to Issue 18 of Pushing Out the Boat, North-East Scotland’s acclaimed magazine of prose, poetry and visual arts. The window for submissions is 1 July – 30 September 2024. Issue 18 will be published in Spring 2025.

Follow this link for further details on how to make a submission.


POTB events in Festival of the Sea

Posted on 18 June 2024
 

Pushing Out the Boat invites you to their exciting Power of the Sea reading and writing events running as part of this year’s jam-packed Aberdeen Festival of the Sea programme.

Immerse yourself in an ocean of talent at our live reading showcase on Saturday 20th July, featuring sea-themed readings from past contributors and music performed by Alastair Eddie. Tickets and more information here.

Dive deeper into your own creativity at our creative writing workshop on Thursday 25th July, hosted by Aberdeen writer Shane Strachan for new and established writers. Tickets and more information here.

Attendees of the workshop may wish to gain inspiration from the Saturday reading showcase – but all and any are welcome to both.

We look forward to seeing you there!


Read Issue 16 Online

Posted on 10 June 2024
 

Read Issue 16 Online


Issue 16 of Pushing Out the Boat is now available to read in full online.
Click on the image to take a look.

Issues 9 -15 can also be read in full, here on our website.
Follow the link to Our Magazines to read your chosen issue.
 

Join us at the Book Nook

Posted on 3 March 2024
 

Join us at the Book Nook in Stirling
on Friday 22 March at 7pm

In a first for Pushing Out the Boat, we are excited to be holding a reading event in Scotland’s central belt, featuring contributors from our latest issue. Presenting an evening of poetry and prose at The Book Nook’s monthly Forth Friday event, POTB and Stirling Makar Laura Fyfe look forward to welcoming you on March 22nd at 7pm.

“Stirling’s only indie bookshop cafe”, it is the perfect location for reading, relaxing, studying and socialising with a hand-made fine piece and a second-hand book. One of the cafe’s regular evening events, Forth Friday is a fantastic opportunity for our followers from further afield to get involved, and get a real flavour of some of the talent that comes our way – and of some delicious cakes and drinks, too! For tickets and more information, follow this link.


Season's Greetings from Pushing Out the Boat

Posted on 4 December 2023
 

Welcome to Pushing Out The Boat‘s seasonal newsletter, reflecting on the busy year we’ve had and looking forward to the next.

Most of our attention this year has been focused on the publication and launch of our 17th issue. Thanks to the help of our whole team of volunteers, the magazine was completed in time for its launch at Newton Dee’s Phoenix Hall in May. We welcomed many contributors to the event, who read their poetry or prose to guests, or showcased their art – all in all, a successful afternoon. You can find photos on our blog.

Following the launch, we began to publicise each of our 14 magazine vendors through social media as part of our #VendorOfTheWeek series, highlighting the diverse range of locations available to purchase a copy. The continuation of our social media presence is now overseen by PR manager Naomi Greenwood, who we welcomed in March – keep an eye out on our Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) for more updates on our activities.

Throughout the beginning of the year, local community radio station shmu fm’s Loraine Mudie continued to conduct her Words Up interviews with Pushing Out The Boat contributors. These proved an intriguing insight into the backgrounds of the many writers we’ve published, some returning to the magazine several years in a row. We would like to thank Loraine for her support and wish her the best in her next adventures as she departs from the show. Check out our interview with her, where she describes her experience on the programme.

Books and Beans, the popular coffee and book shop on Aberdeen’s Belmont Street, kindly hosted a selection of Issue 17 contributors at their monthly poetry event back in June, accompanied by plenty of coffee and cake.

Looking forward into the new year, we hope to host a reading event in Scotland’s central belt. Keep an eye out on our social media during the springtime for updates. All going well, submissions for our next issue will open at the beginning of July 2024.

The POTB Blog is continuously updated throughout the year, so make sure to check it out in case you’ve missed any posts.

Before we conclude, a reminder that a copy of a Pushing Out the Boat magazine makes a great Christmas present for family and friends. While the festive season is just around the corner, there is still time to order copies of issue 17 before Christmas, as well as previous releases.

Finally, we would like to thank you for your continued support. Your engagement, donations and copies purchased enable us to continue the publication of our beloved magazine, and celebrate talented writers and artists from the North East and further afield.

From all at Pushing Out The Boat, we wish you a very Merry Christmas, and may the New Year bring you an abundance of joy, laughter and good fortune.


Launch of Issue 17

Posted on 8 June 2023
 

Pushing Out the Boat Issue 17 was launched on 21 May 2023 at an event in the Phoenix Hall, Newton Dee, Aberdeen.

A selection of contributors and team members read poems and stories from the new issue and artists displayed the originals of their artwork in the foyer area.

Visit our blog for photos, reflections and details of the programme.


Tickets now available for the launch of Issue 17

Posted on 20 April 2023
 

Once again we are opening up the Launch of the latest issue of Pushing Out the Boat magazine to members of the public.  Why not join us on the afternoon of Sunday 21 May and be amongst the first to see the new magazine?  This joyful event will include writers reading their poems and stories from Issue 17, and there will be a display of original artwork as featured in the new edition.  Plus you can meet the contributors and the Team!  The launch is in the wonderful Phoenix Community Hall at Newton Dee Village in Aberdeen.  Doors open at 1.30pm for a 2.30pm programme start, aiming to finish by 5pm.

Tickets cost a mere £12, or £15 for two people, which also includes a copy of the magazine and refreshments. Young people are welcome but please note that the event is open only to those aged 12 and over.

[Click here to book your tickets.]

If you can’t manage to the launch, copies of Issue 17 can be pre-ordered now, for delivery after the launch.


Public Relations Role in POTB

Posted on 2 February 2023
 

PUBLIC RELATIONS ROLE

Update 23 March: This position has now been filled. We are delighted to welcome Naomi Greenwood to the team.

Pushing Out the Boat has a new public relations role. This is a volunteer post, the main focus of which is to raise and maintain awareness of Pushing Out the Boat magazine throughout the year and to promote its sales. The following is a list of the public relations activity currently undertaken or planned. The successful candidate will be encouraged to review, refresh and add to these activities.

  1. Organise publicity for the calls for submissions to forthcoming issues of our magazine.
  2. Organise publicity for our events including the launch of new issues and the occasional reading events we hold ourselves or contribute to.
  3. Assist with the planning and running of our events.
  4. Run our social media accounts – Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
  5. Draft and issue media releases as required, seek opportunities for publicity in the media, and maintain our database of media contacts.
  6. Draft our twice-yearly newsletter to our database of supporters and friends.
  7. Draft and recommend an annual public relations plan for Pushing Out the Boat.
  8. Attend and contribute to monthly team meetings.

You’ll need some understanding and experience of public relations, and you’ll probably get more out of the role if you’re interested in the arts. We’re a small friendly group based in and around Aberdeen and will help you get up to speed with our current activities and the way we do things.

E-mail coordinator@pushingouttheboat.co.uk to discuss the role or express an interest in applying.


Season's Greetings from Pushing Out the Boat

Posted on 25 November 2022
 

Welcome to Pushing Out the Boat’s seasonal newsletter, our round-up of 2022 and a look forward to 2023.

First, our thanks to friends and followers who donated to our fundraiser last spring. Together with GiftAid, you raised nearly £2,100, ensuring we can produce Issue 17 (more on that below) and help secure our longer term future. We reported in detail on the fundraiser here. If you missed the fundraiser but would still like to help secure that longer term future you can visit our Crowdfunder page or follow the Donate button on our own website.

We also have to thank the writers and audience members who joined us at Aberdeen’s Blue Lamp in March for a great afternoon of short stories and poetry as well as songs from the Great American Songbook, thanks to the talented Alistair Eddie. The session was our first post-Covid venture into the world of face-to-face events, as well as a much-belated tribute to retired team members Freda Hasler and Martin Walsh. In his characteristically generous way, Martin also curated the event for us and contributed a tall story about a Walrus resident in Torry (where else) to our fundraiser. You can find all five chapters of Walrus on our website, as well as an account of our Blue Lamp event.

In a new venture, we also partnered with community radio station shmu.fm’s Words Up show to bring listeners in the Aberdeen area a series of programmes featuring authors who’ve appeared in the magazine. In the first show, host Loraine Mudie and editor Lily Greenall set the scene and Loraine reads a selection of work from past issues. You can listen to Words Up on shmu.fm on our website. Other programmes to follow.

Much of our effort this year has gone and will continue to go into the production of Issue 17 of Pushing Out the Boat. So a big thank you is due to the poets, authors and artists who submitted nearly 600 individual pieces of work for publication over the summer. Our panels are currently assessing them anonymously and everyone will find out over the next couple of months whether their submission has been successful. Look out for a (suitably discreet) blog post by an insider shortly about how our panels work.

We plan to launch Issue 17 in our now traditional way with the usual joyful afternoon of readings and display of art by contributors to the magazine. The tentative date is Sunday 21 May 2023 in Aberdeen, venue to be confirmed. Get it in your diaries and look out for our pre-ordering option for the magazine a month or so earlier.

Almost finally, don’t forget Pushing Out the Boat makes an ideal Christmas gift for your loved ones and friends. As well as Issue 16, we have small stocks of back issues available for purchase online and we can post to any address/recipient you specify. Order here or check our list of current vendors of Issue 16.

Finally, and most importantly, everyone at Pushing Out the Boat wishes you all the best for the Christmas season and the rapidly approaching new year. May both bring you what you most wish for yourself and keep at bay all the troubles of the world.


Submissions to Issue 17 are now closed

Posted on 1 October 2022
 

The call for submissions to Issue 17 of Pushing Out the Boat closed on 30th September 2022. We received a bumper crop of submissions to this issue – thanks to all who submitted.

Now the selection process begins, during which the Selection Panels will review all the entries received and make their choice of items to go forward to the publication. Once the selection process is complete, successful contributors will be notified by email. We aim to launch Issue 17 in Spring 2023.

For those who made a submission, further information is available here, including how to withdraw a submission, should you need to do so,


Pushing Out the Boat features in radio arts programme on shmu FM

Posted on 14 September 2022
 

Pushing Out the Boat is featuring in a series of arts programmes on Aberdeen community radio station shmu FM. The show, hosted by Loraine Mudie, features interviews with writers whose work is published in Pushing Out the Boat,  with readings from their work, as well as music carefully chosen to relate to the theme. The schedule is as follows:

18 August              Lily Greenall (POTB Editor) 1-2pm

15 September     John Bolland 1-2pm

20 October           Eleanor Fordyce 1-2pm

17 November      Douglas Bruton 1-2pm

15 December       Heather Reid   1-2pm

19 January      Vivien Jones   1-2pm

2 February     Martin Walsh   1-2pm

23 March     Alison Green  1-2pm

You can access shmu FM at 99.8 FM in the Aberdeen area or through the shmu website at www.shmu.org.uk (click on ‘Listen to 99.8fm’).

Follow the links below to listen to recordings of these programmes now published on our blog.


NEOS 2022 artists selling Pushing Out the Boat

Posted on 9 September 2022
 

Two friends of Pushing Out the Boat are also exhibiting in North East Open Studios week beginning 10 September. Visit, admire (and buy!) their work and pick up a copy of the magazine (only £5.99) if you don’t already have one.

Anke Addy is exhibiting her photographs of North east landscapes and wildlife at Coull Studio, Licht, Tarland. Joining her at the same venue is artist Ellie Riley. Full details here.

Artist Morag Stevenson is showing her paintings inspired by the Scottish Landscape at Findon Village by Portlethen.


McManus first Pushing Out the Boat vendor in Dundee

Posted on 24 August 2022
 

Pushing Out the Boat magazine is pleased to announce that we have our first vendor in the city of Dundee. The McManus Art Gallery and Museum in the city’s Albert Square is now selling copies of our latest issue in their shop. So if you’ve not got your copy yet and you’re are in Dundee, there’s another reason to drop by as well as taking in their wonderful permanent collection and changing exhibitions.

McManus Galleries, Dundee, 2017 [By Laerol on Wikimedia ]

Pushing Out the Boat features on radio arts programme

Posted on 17 August 2022
 

The first of a series of shows featuring Pushing Out the Boat on Aberdeen community radio station shmu FM’s arts programme is being broadcast on Thursday 18 August at 1 p.m. The first show features an interview with editor Lily Greenall and readings by host Loraine Mudie of work from the magazine, as well as music carefully chosen to relate to the theme (no sea shanties as far as we know). Further shows featuring individual authors will follow each month and we’ll post news about them here. You can access shmu FM at 99.8 FM in the Aberdeen area or through the shmu website at www.shmu.org.uk (click on ‘Listen to 99.8fm’).


Call for Submissions to Issue 17

Posted on 30 June 2022
 

Submissions of writing and artwork are invited to Issue 17 of Pushing Out the Boat, North-East Scotland’s acclaimed magazine of prose, poetry and visual arts. The window for submissions is 1 July – 30 September 2022. Issue 17 will be published in Spring 2023.

Follow this link for further details on how to make a submission.


Read Issue 15 Online

Posted on 26 June 2022
 

Issue 15 of Pushing Out the Boat can now be read in full online.
Click on the image to take a look.
Issues 9 -14 can also be read in full, here on our website.
Follow the link to Our Magazines to read your chosen issue.
 

Photos from the Blue Lamp

Posted on 25 April 2022
 

Some photos taken at our event at the Blue Lamp on Sunday 24th April 2022.

Click on a thumbnail to view a slideshow of the event.


Sunday afternoon at the Blue Lamp

Posted on 4 April 2022
 

Blue LampJoin us at the Blue Lamp
Sunday 24th April 2022, 14:00 – 16:30
for a
n afternoon of stories, poems, music
and a surprise or two.

An event highlighting great stories and poems from past issues as we look to a post-Covid future. Curated by long-standing former editor and Aberdeen author Martin Walsh, the afternoon is also a tribute to him and Freda Hasler, multi-talented organiser of the Boat’s crew over the years.

Be uplifted, moved and most of all entertained by this pick of the crop of work from Pushing Out the Boat. Martin will be joined by a team of weel-kent authors and poets who’ll read their own and other contributions to past magazines plus some new work. The event will also feature music  by talented young singer Alastair Eddie from the great American songbook. And a surprise or two (think on-stage shenanigans).

Entry by donation to help ensure the long-term sustainability of the Boat. Plus magazines on sale – of course. Doors open 14:00 for 14:30 start.

If you wish, you can confirm you’re joining us by clicking RSVP on our Blue Lamp web page, which will bring you a handy e-mail reminder. Or log your interest on our Facebook page.


Pushing Out the Boat Crowdfunder

Posted on 28 February 2022
 

POTB CrowdfunderOn the 1st of March we are launching a Crowdfunder in a bid to secure the future of our magazine, Pushing Out the Boat.

Like many charities and arts organisations, we have been hit hard by the impact of Covid. It was a major achievement that we were able to produce a new issue of the magazine during a lockdown. But we were unable to launch it with our usual face-to-face event of readings and exhibition of art work. Our vendors were either closed or operating under severe restrictions for much of the last two years. And we were unable to hold or contribute to any other physical events. The result is that both our sales and income have fallen significantly.

Unlike many arts organisations we receive no state funding and are run entirely by volunteers.

Contributions to our fundraiser will not only help us produce our next magazine, Issue 17, in spring next year, but more importantly provide us with the resource to ensure that we are sustainable in the longer-term.

You will find all the details on our Crowdfunder page where, as a token of our thanks, we are offering a series of modest rewards for different levels of donation. Additionally, one lucky donor will receive a signed manuscript copy of  ‘Walrus’, a delightful new story contributed to our fundraiser by long-serving former editor Martin Walsh. The first chapter of this story is already posted on our blog where further chapters will follow weekly, throughout the fundraising campaign.

Don’t forget that if you are a UK standard rate taxpayer we can claim Gift Aid on your donation from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, increasing the value of your contribution to us by 25%.

During the  campaign, which will run till the 1st April, we will post regular updates here and on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts. Feel free to like or share any of the posts there as well as passing on this news to any of your contacts who might be happy to donate.

Thank you for your help.


Still seeking a new Treasurer for POTB

Posted on 25 January 2022
 

NEW YEAR, NEW CHALLENGE? PUSHING OUT THE BOAT MAGAZINE IS LOOKING FOR A VOLUNTEER TREASURER

Pushing Out the Boat magazine (North-east Scotland’s Biennial Magazine of New Writing and the Visual Arts) is looking for a new treasurer to join our team of unpaid volunteers.

We are a small registered charity (SCIO No SC044919). We get our main income from selling our magazine and holding events. Our main costs are printing the magazine and    administration.

Your duties would include:

  1. Management of our receipts and payments through our bank and PayPal accounts and in cash
  2. Using Excel spreadsheets to keep our financial records and prepare our annual accounts.

The Treasurer is also a member of our management committee. Whilst the basic skills required to perform the duties described above are essential, we will provide help and support on other aspects of the role. A general interest in the arts would be an asset but is not essential.

We are a friendly group of volunteers whose meetings and occasional events are held in or near Aberdeen. Please browse our website to get a feel for what we do.

Contact us at info@pushingouttheboat.co.uk to discuss this opportunity. If you’re interested and qualified, we’ll invite you to meet a small group of trustees to confirm that we’re suited for each other.

This is a re-advertisement as our chosen candidate was unable to join us due to family commitments.


Seasons Greetings from Pushing Out the Boat

By POTB Webmaster
posted on 24 November 2021

 

Welcome to Pushing Out the Boat‘s seasonal newsletter, our round-up of 2021 and a look forward to 2022.

Let’s start with our most important news.

In still-challenging circumstances, we managed to publish Issue 16 of Pushing Out the Boat in May this year. You may already have purchased a copy. If you haven’t or if you’re looking for that ideal Christmas present for friends and family, pop into one of our Scottish vendors to pick up copies or go to our online shop to order any of the wonderful issues we have in stock.

As Sheila Templeton writes in the foreword to Issue 16, ‘there’s heartbreak … acute observation of love and loss … necessary solace …  balm during tough times  … dark themes of death …moving, engaging, riveting stories.’ What better endorsement could we want? You can read more about it and take a peek inside on the Issue 16 web page.

We make no apology for starting our newsletter promoting the merits of Pushing Out the Boat as a gift. Like every arts-based organisation we struggled with the impact of Covid lockdowns. It’s a tribute to the many team members involved that we both produced and launched Issue 16 without once being able to meet face-to-face. You can find video clips of work read at the launch on our website.

Covid and its impact meant that we have also felt unable to stage any other live events during the year, although perceptive fans will have spotted the sneak preview of Issue 16 on offer at an online Books and Beans poetry event in March and further goodies in our joint session with Leopard Arts at the Aberdeen University WayWORD festival in September.Watch out for news of what we hope will be our first post-covid live event in Aberdeen next Spring.

Looking forward, we have also formalised the commitment we’ve met in practice for many years – to confirm that our magazine is a biennial publication, with the next issue coming out in spring 2023 and submissions sought in summer/early autumn 2022. Something to look out for if you’re a potential contributor.

Your Pushing Out the Boat crew is hale and hearty and looking forward to its next voyage. But lockdowns and their consequences have had an inevitable financial impact on a small charity such as ours, that receives no public funding. Which is all the more reason for us to urge your continued support by buying the magazine or even, if you’re so minded, making a donation to help keep us afloat.

Finally, whether you’re a reader, a writer, an artist, or just a friend of Pushing Out the Boat, we wish you all that’s best for the Christmas season and a better New Year.


Celebrating St Andrew's Day in the USA

By Roger White
posted on 16 November 2021

 
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Are you one of the many American citizens with Scottish heritage? Why not celebrate St Andrew’s Day this year on November 30 by ordering a copy of the latest Pushing Out the Boat? One of Scotland’s leading magazines of new writing and visual art, Pushing Out the Boat includes poetry, prose and art from all over Scotland and from further afield. Get copies from our new US-based distributor. Orders are despatched by USPS and billed in US dollars. Makes a great seasonal gift too.


POTB Event at WayWORD Festival

Posted on 15 September 2021
 

Writers Showcase with Pushing Out the Boat & Leopard Arts
Thursday 23rd September @ 7.30pm

Join us at the Wayword Festival for an evening of online performances by writers
from Pushing Out the Boat and Leopard Arts.

Pushing Out the Boat is pleased to confirm that for the second year running we are sharing an evening of readings at the University of Aberdeen student-run WayWORD Festival with the emerging writers of Leopard Arts.

Pushing Out the Boat’s contributions will feature Editor Lily Greenall and a selection of authors showcased in the latest issue of the magazine, including Gabrielle Barnby, EE Chandler, Max Scratchmann, Nicola Furrie, and Mark Cassidy. Each of these readers has work featured in our recent Issue 16.

The Pushing Out the Boat/Leopard Arts event will be held online from 7.30 p.m. – 9 p.m. on Thursday 23 September. Tickets are free and can be booked through the WayWORD website.

The latest edition of the magazine, Issue 16, is available from the Festival’s official bookseller, Blackwell’s in Old Aberdeen, or can be purchased on this website.

 


North East Open Studios 11-19 September 2021 – see original art work and buy Pushing Out the Boat

Posted on 7 September 2021
 

Twelve artists exhibiting to the public for North East Open Studios (NEOS) and eight venues are selling this year’s Pushing Out the Boat magazine. Why not drop by to see their inspiring work and pick up a copy for just £5.99?

Here they are in alphabetical order with a link to their NEOS website page:

Susan Bedford, Mixed Media – Whinnyfold Reference 226

Bob Black, Painting – Crathes Reference 21

McAbery Photography, Photography – Aberdeen Reference 151

Violetta Pretorius, Jewellery – Aberdeen Reference 191

Elaine Reid, Painting – Aberdeen Reference 195

Morag Stevenson, Painting – Findon Reference 224

Gerrard Stott, The Artist at Garage 10 – Aberdeen Reference 75

Bruce Swanson, Jewellery – Crathes Reference 228

Lorraine Taylor, Painting – Aberdeen Reference 133

Val Thomson, Painting – Aberdeen Reference 235

John Threlfall, Painting – Crathes Reference 236

Jenny Watt-Colbeck, Painting – Auchenblae Reference 244

Pushing Out the Boat is pleased to continue its partnership with North East Open Studios and wishes all participating artists a successful NEOS 2021.


PUSHING OUT THE BOAT GOES BIENNIAL

Posted on 17 August 2021
 

Sharp-eyed readers will see that the tag line at the top of the Pushing Out the Boat web pages now reads ‘North-east Scotland’s Biennial Magazine of New Writing and the Visual Arts’.

For some time the Pushing Out the Boat team has only committed itself to produce another issue once it was sure it had all the resources in place to ensure successful publication. But despite the challenges of being an all-volunteer group it has managed to produce a new issue on a regular basis every other year since 2013.

Team chair Aenea Reid said, ‘We published our latest issue, No. 16, in the midst of a pandemic with new team members and old hands taking on new roles. This, and the experience of the last eight years, has given us the confidence to formalise the commitment to producing a new magazine every two years, something we’ve been achieving in practice anyhow’.

Pushing Out the Boat trustee and former serials librarian Judy Taylor added, ‘The uncertainty of occasional publication is the bane of librarians’ and booksellers’ lives. Pushing Out the Boat‘s commitment to biennial publication will make it straightforward to subscribe to the magazine now they know the next issue will appear on a regular basis’.

The next Pushing Out the Boat magazine will be published in 2023.


USA Sales of Issue 16

Posted on 9 May 2021
 

We are delighted to welcome Heather Long to the POTB Team. Heather lives in St Louis, USA  and has been recruited to act as our US distributor for Issue 16. We shipped a box of magazines to Heather so she can despatch copies as soon as we receive an order for delivery within the USA. Two postage options are being offered – Media Mail or the faster, but more expensive, Priority Mail. See our USA Sales page for further details.


Issue 16 Now available

Posted on 1 May 2021
 

Issue 16 has landed. Order you copy here.

 


Invitation to the launch of Issue 16

By Webmaster
posted on 18 April 2021

 

Join us for the online launch of the latest issue of Pushing Out the Boat magazine on Sunday the 16th May between 3 p.m. and 4.30 p.m. UK time.

Covid restrictions make our usual face-to-face launch in Aberdeen impossible this year, so we have decided to showcase some of the great poetry, prose and art in our latest issue online, complete with live readings from more than a dozen of our contributors. What we lose from the sociability of a physical event, we gain from the ability of all our friends throughout the world to join us.

To avoid the risk of irksome ‘Zoom bombers’, joining instructions will be made available only to those who register in advance. So, if you would like to attend the launch, please register your interest by clicking on the button below. We will then send you details of how to join the launch on the day.

If you don’t have it already, you’ll need to download Zoom to join us at the launch: it’s easily done and further details on using Zoom are available from the registration page..

Unlike our normal launches, this one is free. But whether or not you’re able to join us,  you can pre-order the magazine or make a donation online at any time.

We look forward to you joining us on Sunday the 16th May.


Pre-order a copy of Issue 16

Posted on 24 March 2021
 

Issue 16 is due back from the printer at the end of April. Copies can be pre-ordered now for delivery, hot off the press, in early May. Visit our Order Online page to secure your copy. While there, why not take advantage of our Lockdown Special Offer of free P&P for UK delivery of previous issues?


Pushing Out the Boat poet in #LibrariesAreEssential campaign

Posted on 13 March 2021
 

Pushing Out the Boat is delighted to see that Maxine Rose Munro’s poem ‘Please’, first published in Pushing Out the Boat Issue 15, has a new lease of life. Maxine submitted it as a creative response to #LibrariesAreEssential, a campaign run by the Chartered Institute of Librarians and Information Professionals (CILIPS).

The campaign aims to remind politicians in the run-up to the Holyrood election in May of the importance of libraries, ‘essential to Scotland’s brighter future’, a sentiment Pushing Out the Boat  endorses.

Maxine says of libraries, ‘You taste potential/and it is sweet and heady and endless’. What better summary of a good library could there be?

You can find Maxine’s poem on the CILIPS website. And you can still buy Pushing Out the Boat Issue 15 in our online shop for only £5 with free postage and packing within the UK.

Coincidentally, Maxine also has a poem in our new magazine, Issue 16, due out in April. Keep an eye out for news of our online launch.


Selection of contributions for publication in Issue 16 is now complete

Posted on 17 January 2021
 

Selections for Issue 16 of Pushing Out the Boat are now complete and successful contributors have been notified by email. Once again, the standard of submissions was very high, giving the selection panels a difficult (but enjoyable) task. So, congratulations to all successful contributors and commiserations to those who were unsuccessful – we had many fine entries but not enough space to include them all.

If you made a submission to Issue 16 you can check the details, including confirmation of whether or not it has been chosen for publication, by logging in and visiting the My POTB page.

The hard work of editing and design is currently underway, with publication due in April.

POTB would like to say a huge thank you to all who submitted, both those who were successful and those who were not. We hope you will enjoy Issue 16 when it is published and be inspired to submit again to future issues.

Further details on submission and publication process.


Seasons Greetings from Pushing Out the Boat

Posted on 16 December 2020
 

Welcome to Pushing Out the Boat’s newsletter, our round-up of 2020 and a hopeful look forward to 2021.

This has to be the strangest year yet for us. As November came and went, we were reminded of Thomas Hood’s poem – ‘No sun – no moon!/No morn – no noon/ … November!’ Or in our case – no meetings, no events, no retail outlets open …

Our Covid challenges were minimal compared to those who have suffered isolation or worse. But like everyone we too had to adapt.

In March we bid farewell to Freda Hasler and Martin Walsh, who were our driving force for many issues. Our intention to hold an evening of readings to celebrate their contribution has been thwarted by Covid, although we will return to it when we can. By way of compensation, we were pleased to publish a brief tribute to Martin and Freda on our website.

Following Martin and Freda’s departure we welcomed two new colleagues on board, editor Lily Greenall (an introduction to Lily appeared on our website) and magazine designer Claire Martin. Both bring youth and important new skills to our team.

Claire’s arrival was a first for us. Rather than our usual chat over coffee and a fine piece with new volunteers to see if we were suited for each other, we met via Zoom. Which leads us neatly to another impact of the virus – all our team meetings since March have been online. We miss the friendliness of getting together but our virtual meetings have been surprisingly effective and efficient.

Of course, our meetings are mainly there to help plan and launch our next magazine. There’s always a decision needed as to whether we have the resources to publish another issue and Covid added another uncertainty this year. But we were pleased in June to make the decision to go ahead with Issue 16. Our call for submissions has had a record number of contributions, all now being evaluated.

Pushing Out the Boat 16 will be launched in Spring 2021, if not at our traditional afternoon of readings, then virtually.

Our usual live events and a more active approach to sales have been necessarily limited this year. We did take part in one evening of readings at Aberdeen University’s online WayWORD festival. Many of the retail outlets who stock our magazine have been closed or operating under restrictive conditions. But if you need any last minute Christmas gifts or stocking fillers, you can purchase Issue 15 in our online shop at the special price of £5 including free postage and packing to the UK, plus a free gift message.

As always, we wish you all a Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year, certainly a more positive one than we’ve all just experienced.


Pushing Out the Boat Christmas offer

Posted on 6 November 2020
 

The ideal gift for friends and relatives near and far.

To celebrate Christmas and the approach of 2021, we’re pleased to make this special offer of our latest issue, with nearly a hundred pages of great prose, poetry and art:

  • Only £5 per copy
  • FREE post and packing anywhere in the UK, saving you £1.83 per copy
  • FREE gift message in your own words.
To order, just go to our online shop. For international deliveries, use our online order form.

POTB Writers nominated for Scots Writer of the Year

Posted on 9 October 2020
 

Pushing Out the Boat Writers nominated for Scots Writer of the Year

Pushing Out the Boat, North-East Scotland’s magazine of new writing and the visual arts, is pleased to see that two of its contributors who write in both Scots and Doric have been short-listed for the prestigious Scots Writer of the Year Award 2020.

Poet Sheila Templeton was born in Aberdeenshire and is also the winner of this year’s McCash Prize for Poetry in Scots. Her poem The Iceberg that Sunk the Titanic features in the current issue of the magazine. Most recently, she joined other Pushing Out the Boat contributors for an evening of readings at Aberdeen University’s WayWORD festival, where she also read a moving tribute to her late sister.

Originally from Fraserburgh, author Shane Strachan’s short story Dia de los Muertos appeared in Issue 13 of the magazine. He is also shortlisted with writer and performer Frieda Strachan for Scots Project of the Year for their collaboration Doric Dwams. Shane recently re-joined Pushing Out the Boat as a trustee and has been a member of the magazine’s prose panel.

Pushing Out the Boat editor Lily Greenall said, ‘It’s a tribute to the high quality of writing in Pushing Out the Boat that two of the writer of the year finalists have entrusted their work to us. The fact that both come from the North-East is a bonus.’

A total of five authors are short-listed authors for the writer of the year award. The winner will be decided by public vote online at www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/scotslanguageawards.

The winner of the award will be announced at an online ceremony on Saturday 24th October.


Submissions to Issue 16 are now closed

Posted on 1 October 2020
 

The call for submissions to Issue 16 of Pushing Out the Boat closed on 30th September 2020. We received a record number of submissions to this issue – thanks to all who submitted.

Now the selection process begins, during which the Selection Panels will review all the entries received and make their choice of items to go forward to the publication. Once the selection process is complete, successful contributors will be notified by email. We aim to launch Issue 16 in April 2021.


POTB at the Wayword Festival

Posted on 27 August 2020
 

Pushing Out the Boat / Leopard Arts Showcase
Sunday 27th September @ 7pm

Join us at the Wayword Festival for an evening of online performances by writers
from Pushing Out the Boat and Leopard Arts.

POTB is pleased to announce that we will be teaming up with Leopard Arts on Sunday the 27th of September at 7 pm for the University of Aberdeen’s Wayword Festival. The event will be streamed virtually via the University’s IT platform and guests can register to attend through the  Festival Programme.

You can expect to enjoy some wonderful readings from contributors to our current Issue 15, as well as readings from writers who have contributed to previous issues, all of which are still available for sale online through the POTB website.

From poetry to spoken word to theatre, there is something truly for everyone!  We look forward to seeing you there!


Call for submissions to Issue 16

By POTB
posted on 30 June 2020

 

Submissions of writing and artwork are invited to Issue 16 of Pushing Out the Boat, North-East Scotland’s acclaimed magazine of prose, poetry and visual arts. The window for submissions is 1 July – 30 September 2020. Issue 16 will be published in Spring 2021.

Follow this link for further details on how to make a submission.


Online versions of Issues 9 - 14

Posted on 22 June 2020
 


Issues 9 -14 can now be read in full,  here on our website.
Follow the link to Our Magazines to read your chosen issue.


Seeking a new Magazine Designer for POTB

Posted on 8 June 2020
 

Update 6 July: This position has been filled. We are delighted to welcome Claire Martin to the team as our new Magazine Designer.

We are seeking a volunteer with desktop publishing experience and some free time, particularly  in the first quarter of 2021, to join the POTB team as Magazine Designer. The task – to help prepare the next issue of Pushing Out the Boat, North-East Scotland’s magazine of new writing and the visual arts, for printed publication.

Pushing Out the Boat is a literary and arts magazine, publishing high-quality prose, poetry and art selected from a unique blend of the global and the local. Contributions for publication are chosen following an open call for submissions through the POTB website, then the Editor and Magazine Designer work closely together to assemble the content, design the layout and prepare the magazine for printing.

The current issue of the magazine, Issue 15, was published in April 2019 and now we are making preparations for Issue 16 which, ideally and COVID-19 permitting, will be published in April or May 2021. We are seeking a new Magazine Designer to join the team to assist with the design and undertake the desktop publishing of the new issue.

Sample pages from Issue 15

Interested? Take a look at the Our Magazines section of the website where you will find a sample of the most recent issues of the magazine and the full content of some earlier issues. These will give you the idea of what we will be aiming to produce for Issue 16. Text for the content of the magazine will be provided to the Designer as Word files and the artwork as JPGs. We can provide the desktop publishing and graphics software if required.

POTB, a registered charity, is run by a team of enthusiastic and dedicated (unpaid) volunteers. Although most of us are based in the Aberdeen area, the Magazine Designer could work remotely. (We’ve recently been meeting via Zoom anyway.)

If you might be interested in this opportunity or would like to know more, please get in touch with us by email to info@pushingouttheboat.co.uk


NEOS wins Queen's Award for Voluntary Service

Posted on 2 June 2020
 
Award for Voluntary Service'>
NEOS North East Open Studios

Pushing Out the Boat are pleased to learn that our partners North East Open Studios (NEOS) have just been awarded a prestigious Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.

The Award is given to local volunteer groups across the UK to recognise outstanding voluntary work done in their own communities. It was created in 2002 to celebrate the anniversary of The Queen’s coronation.

NEOS artists and craftspeople have been opening their studios to the public every year in September since 2004. How they’ll do this in the year of corona is still to be decided but as they say ‘without doubt there will be something happening!’

While each attracting much wider interest, both NEOS and Pushing Out the Boat are dedicated to the cultural life of the North-east of Scotland. We offer each other mutual publicity in our magazine and their annual book, and a selection of NEOS members sell our magazine in their studios.

Pushing Out the Boat is yet to commit formally to producing the next issue of our magazine, but like NEOS ‘without doubt there will be something happening!’ Watch this space and once again, our congratulations to them on their Queen’s Award.


Issue 14 available to read online

Issue 14 of Pushing Out the Boat is now available to read in full online, here on the POTB website . This is the second edition of POTB to be converted into an e-magazine using the FlipBuilder software purchased using grant funding from Aberdeen City Council. We hope you enjoy reading it online and would welcome your comments and feedback. (Comments can be added at the foot of the Issue 14 Online page.)

Soon, we hope to publish online versions of Issues 9-12 here on the POTB website. In the meantime, those issues can be read over on the ISSUU website.


Seasons Greetings from Pushing Out the Boat

Posted on 6 December 2019
 

Welcome to Pushing Out the Boat’s seasonal newsletter, where we let you know what we’ve been up to this year and look forward to 2020.

The highlight of the year had to be the publication and launch of our 15th issue in April in the wonderful Phoenix Hall at Aberdeen’s Newton Dee. Over a hundred guests joined us to celebrate the success of the authors, poets and artists whose work appears in our latest edition. Our thanks to Anke Addy who took a great series of photos of guests, readers, and the artwork that was on display. You can find her photos on our website as well as the Press and Journal’s coverage of the event, complete with inevitable boat-related headline.

As always, we’ve put a selection of work from our latest issue online. You can read it here. If you don’t have a copy of Issue 15 or want more for those last minute Christmas gifts or stocking fillers, you can find Pushing Out the Boat at nearly twenty retail outlets across North-East Scotland. You can even buy Boat on a boat, which is our cheesy way of saying Northlink ferries stock it in their onboard shops on their routes to Orkney and Shetland. It’s only £5 (plus p&p if you can’t get to one of our retailers and want to order online – you can buy previous issues there too).

We also managed to fit in a couple of readings after the dust settled on the launch of Issue 15 – at Aberdeen University’s May Festival, and to an appreciative group of Over 50s in Cults.

You may know from our website and last newsletter that we have a new editor coming on board, to which we have now added a salesperson, leaving just one role to be filled when Freda and Martin retire next March – a new coordinator/project manager. Our own search is underway, but if you’re keen to help (or know someone who might be) do get in touch for a chat or with any ideas. You can check the details of what’s involved in our recent blog on the subject.

Almost finally, a reminder that we’re also on Facebook and Twitter. If social media’s your thing, do be sure to follow us there for updates and news straight to your device.

We end of course with our thanks to you – if you joined us at the launch for Issue 15, bought or read our magazine, attended a reading, dipped into our Facebook/Twitter account page or website, or even just watched us from afar!

From a chilly Aberdeen where winter has definitely arrived, the team at Pushing Out the Boat wish you a Happy Christmas and a great New Year.

 


POTB needs your help - Volunteers sought to keep us afloat

Posted on 19 September 2019
 

Update 13 Nov: Editor found but still seeking a new Coordinator/Project Manager.

See this blog post for details.


North East Open Studios 14-23 September 2019 – see original art work and buy Pushing Out the Boat

Posted on 13 September 2019
 
Seven artists opening their studios to the public for North East Open Studios (NEOS) are also selling this year’s Pushing Out the Boat magazine. Why not drop by their studios to see their work and pick up a copy of the magazine at the regular price of £5?

Here are the six artists in alphabetical order. The links are to their NEOS pages, which contain full addresses and opening details.

Anke Addy, Photography, Coull near Tarland NEOS Reference 4

Nicola Chambury, Printmaking, Crathes NEOS Reference 48

Steve Hay, Ceramics, Newton Dee NEOS Reference 124

Kevin Andrew Morris, Ceramics, Potarch NEOS Reference 191

Julie McLean, Painting, Kingsford near Alford NEOS Reference 145

Gerrard Stott, Painting, Aberdeen NEOS Reference 277

Jenny Watt-Colbeck, Painting, Auchenblae NEOS Reference 304

We wish them all a very successful NEOS 2019.


Join us at May Fest, Sun 26 May

Posted on 20 May 2019
 

Following the successful launch of our 15th issue last month, we’re pleased to invite you to an hour of readings from the latest edition of Pushing Out the Boat at Aberdeen University’s May Festival on Sunday the 26th May at 5 p.m. in the Multimedia Room at the King’s College Conference Centre. Full details are here. It’s free and no booking is necessary.

Even if you were at our launch, you’ll hear some great new pieces and some new readers. If you don’t yet have Issue 15 (or want more copies for friends and relatives) the magazine will also be on sale at the event.

Do join us if you can. We look forward to seeing you again.


Photos from the Launch of Issue 15

Posted on 9 May 2019
 

Here are some photos taken at the launch of Issue 15 of Pushing Out the Boat on Sunday 7 April 2019 at the Phoenix Hall, Newton Dee, Aberdeen. A selection of contributors read poems and extracts from their stories and several of the contributing artists displayed their work in a small exhibition.

Click on a thumbnail below to view a slideshow of the event.


Press and Journal covers our Issue 15 launch


Issue 15 Launch

Posted on 7 April 2019
 

Issue 15 was launched at the Phoenix Hall, Newton Dee Village on Sunday 7 April.  This joyous event was attended by over 85 people – contributors, friends, guests and supporters of POTB, including the provosts of both Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire, as well as members of the  POTB team.  All enjoyed hearing contributors read from their own poems and stories. A small exhibition of artworks from contributing artists was on display in the foyer where refreshments were served before the start of the event and during the interval, providing participants with the opportunity to socialise and chat with the contributors and team members.


Some of the Issue 15 contributors at the launch

A huge thank you to all who submitted to Issue 15 and to the team of volunteers who helped make the occasion and the magazine such a success.  The number and standard of entries was the highest ever, resulting in what we believe to be our best magazine to date.

As is our custom, we took lots of photos at the launch, a selection of which will be published here very soon.


Tickets now available for the Launch of Issue 15

Posted on 16 March 2019
 

Once again we are opening up the Launch of the latest issue of Pushing Out the Boat magazine to members of the public.  Why not join us on the afternoon of Sunday 7 April and be amongst the first to see the new magazine?  This joyful event will include writers reading their poems and stories from Issue 15, and there will be a display of original artwork as featured in the new edition.  Plus you can meet the contributors and the Team!  The launch is in the wonderful Phoenix Community Hall at Newton Dee Village in Aberdeen.  Doors open at 1.30pm for a 2.30pm programme start, aiming to finish by 5pm.

Tickets cost a mere £10, or £15 for two people, which also includes a copy of the magazine and refreshments. Young people are welcome but please note that the event is open only to those aged 12 and over.

[Click here to book your tickets.]

Tickets no longer available but copies of the new magazine can be ordered here.


Selection of contributions for publication in Issue 15 is now complete

Posted on 31 December 2018
 

Selections for Issue 15 of Pushing Out the Boat are now complete and successful contributors have been notified by email. Once again, the standard of submissions was very high, giving the selection panels a difficult (but enjoyable) task. So, congratulations to all successful contributors and commiserations to those who were unsuccessful – we had many fine entries but not enough space to include them all.

If you made a submission to Issue 15 you can check the details,  including confirmation of whether or not it has been chosen for publication, by logging in and visiting the My POTB page.

The hard work of editing and design is currently underway, with publication due in April.

POTB would like to say a huge thank you to all who submitted, both those who were successful and those who were not. We hope you will enjoy Issue 15 when it is published and be inspired to submit again to future issues.


Seasons Greetings from Pushing Out the Boat


 
Welcome to Pushing Out the Boat’s newsletter, where we let you know what we’ve been up to this year and take a look forward to 2019.

We didn’t publish a new magazine this year but managed to fit in an evening of readings at Aberdeen’s Books and Beans café, mainly work from our most recent issue. You can read about the evening in our blog.

Work is well in hand on Issue 15, due for publication in April. Our thanks to the record number of people who submitted poetry, prose and art for consideration. Our panels are hard at work making a final selection but if you want to know what it’s like editing Pushing Out the Boat, have a peek at our interview with Issue 15 Guest Editor, Martin Walsh.

Also due thanks are those who submitted work and answered our online survey to see how we’re doing. There was plenty of positive feedback: we were pleased to be told ‘It’s getting better every time!’ but did wonder whether ‘The title suggests there should be some boat related stories’ was said tongue-in-cheek (at least we hope so). Of course, there were also suggestions for improvement and we’ll let you know on the website what we’re doing about them.

Social media is another way of keeping in touch so, if you don’t already, please consider following our Facebook page and Twitter account. We welcome comments on both of them.

With autumn in Scotland already passed and winter here, you may enjoy reading our seasonal bouquet of extracts from past issues of the magazine. You can also find Issue 13 live on our website where you can buy a copy of Issue 14 as a gift for that literary friend at the festive offer price of £5 plus p&p – complete with free Pushing Out the Boat bookmark.

We end with our thanks to you – whether you bought or read our magazine, attended a reading, submitted work for publication, dipped into our Facebook page or website or just said nice things about us!

Finally, all at Pushing Out the Boat wish you a Happy Christmas and all the best for the New Year.


Submissions to POTB Issue 15 are now closed


Call for submissions to Issue 15


Submissions to POTB opening on 1 July

Posted on 2 June 2018
 

Some good news: the Call for Submissions to POTB Issue 15 will be opening on 1 July, looking to launch the edition in Spring 2019 under the guest editorship of Martin Walsh. More details here soon, and via our Newsletter, so be sure to follow us on social media and join our Mailing List to keep abreast of all the significant dates. Also do share the news with all your writing and artist friends, local and worldwide.


Poetry at Books and Beans



Issue 13 available to read online

Issue 13 of Pushing Out the Boat is now available to read in full online, here on the POTB website . This is the first edition of POTB to be converted into an e-magazine using the FlipBuilder software purchased using grant funding from Aberdeen City Council. We hope you enjoy reading it online and would welcome your comments and feedback. (Comments can be added at the foot of the Issue 13 Online page.)


Christmas Greetings from Pushing Out the Boat

Posted on 4 December 2017
 


 
It’s been a busy year at POTB so here’s a seasonal update for all our supporters and friends.

First, and most importantly, we published our latest magazine in April – POTB14. If you don’t have it yet, or even if you do, copies are still available. It’s an ideal gift for family and friends who enjoy good writing and art well presented. Just go to our online shop to order copies. If you really want to push out your own particular boat, you’ll also find a selection there of earlier editions and other goodies for sale. If you’d prefer to support a local vendor (and who doesn’t) you can also find a list of POTB stockists here.

Once again, the new edition was launched in the Phoenix Hall at Newton Dee in Aberdeen where a capacity audience, including our Patron Dame Anne Begg, enjoyed a small exhibition of POTB14 art and some of our writers reading from their work. Aberdeen’s Lord Provost was there – were you? If so you may have been immortalised (well, sort of) in our launch photo album. Check it out.

We followed up the launch with a first for us, an event at the wonderful Belmont Filmhouse. Around sixty people enjoyed the venue’s hospitality with a free evening of readings accompanied by refreshments from the Belmont bar. We’re planning more reading events around the North East in 2018 and will keep you posted on the details when they’re available.

In another new venture for 2017, we’ve added a regular blog to the POTB website. It seems like a long time ago now, but we kicked off with Poems for Valentine’s Day. Never tried ‘Curried Kisses’? You can on the POTB blog.

Putting a new edition to bed always raises the perennial question for POTB – our next edition. That’s a subject for 2018. But in the meantime the team at POTB wish you a very merry Christmas, a happy New Year when it comes, and thank you for your support and interest in the North-East Scotland’s magazine of new writing and the visual arts.


An Evening of Stories & Poetry with POTB on 29 October

Posted on 4 October 2017
 

An Evening of Stories & Poetry with Pushing Out the Boat

at the
Belmont Cafe Bar
49 Belmont Street, Aberdeen
on
Sunday 29 October 2017

from 7 to 9 pm

Come and be enthralled by an intoxicating mix of stories and poems from POTB Issue 14, along with other pieces by their writers.

The bar will be open, the event is free! So why not join us, bring your friends & enjoy great entertainment in this convivial venue.

Booking not necessary – just come along on the night.


ePOTB - publication opportunity for young writers and artists

Posted on 12 September 2017
 

Submissions of writing and artwork are invited for our first online edition of ePOTB. Pushing Out the Boat is looking for the best new work from young writers and artists aged 12 to 17. ePOTB will be published as an ezine on the Pushing Out the Boat website in Spring 2018 and a £50 prize will be awarded to the best contribution in each of the three categories: prose, poetry and art.

Submissions will be open from 23 September to 30 November 2017 and entries should be made online through the forms on our website. Follow this link for further details.

The Pushing Out the Boat team look forward to receiving entries and we wish you good luck!


POTB postcards and posters now for sale

Posted on 27 July 2017
 

Postcards and posters featuring the cover image from Issue 14 are now available for sale in our online shop.

Postcards can be purchased in packs of 6.


 
Posters are A3 in size. A limited number are available signed by the artist Tom Hammick.


Photos of the Launch of POTB Issue 14

Here are some photos taken at the launch of Issue 14 of Pushing Out the Boat on Sunday 30th April 2017 at the Phoenix Hall, Newton Dee, Aberdeen. A selection of contributors read poems and extracts from their stories and several of the contributing artists displayed their work in a small exhibition.

Click on a thumbnail below to view a slideshow of the event.


Boat launched in good company (P&J 13th May)

Posted on 16 May 2017
 

Press & Journal Photo Diary, Saturday 13th May

[Click on the image to view full screen.]


Pushing Out the Boat sets sail again

Posted on 1 May 2017
 

Article in the Press and Journal, Monday 1st May.

[Click on the image to view full screen.]


Issue 14 is launched

Posted on 30 April 2017
 

A wonderful afternoon at the Phoenix Hall in Newton Dee celebrating the launch of POTB 14. Thanks to all of our readers and contributors for their great readings and artwork! And also to the Lord Provost for making this his final public appearance in post, along with our patron Dame Anne Begg.


Tom Hammick Revealed as Artist behind the Front Cover of POTB 14

Internationally Acclaimed Artist Tom Hammick Revealed as the Artist behind the Front Cover of North-East Literary Magazine

[Excerpted from Press Release, 27th March 2017]

North-East Scotland’s literary magazine and Scottish charity, Pushing Out the Boat, has been gifted the use of a prize-winning image for the front cover of its 14th edition, which will be launched on 30th April.

Internationally acclaimed and 2016 V&A winner Tom Hammick has donated the use of his print, ‘Violetta and Alfredo’s Escape’, which was inspired by his time as artist in residence at English National Opera (ENO).

Front cover of Issue 14

Tom Hammick is a British artist based in East Sussex; in 2016, he completed an Artist Residency at Peacock Visual Arts, Aberdeen, where he is currently printing new editions. A senior lecturer in Fine Art, Painting and Printmaking at the University of Brighton, Visiting Lecturer Fine Art at University of Ulster, and at NSCAD University, his work can be found amongst many of the world’s major public and corporate collections.

Pushing Out the Boat is a journal of new writing and visual art, run by volunteers, and features work from both established and first-time published writers, local and international.  Recognising the importance of the many forms of Scots language to local culture and heritage, the magazine includes short stories and poems in Scots and, importantly, in Doric.

The Team at  Pushing Out the Boat is  excited about the upcoming edition, which is the fourteenth since 2000. They take pride in being a home for new writing and art and providing North-East Scotland with a literary and art journal to be proud of.  The voluntary team are honoured to have been gifted use of the image by Tom Hammick for this edition, not least as an acknowledgment of the quality  of the publication.

Of the print, Tom said: “Violetta and Alfredo’s Escape was inspired by a residency I had as artist in residence at ENO. This woodcut came from listening and watching their production of Traviata many times. I wanted to give Violetta a break, and somehow enable her and Alfredo to at least attempt to escape from the cruelty and stringent morals of the bourgeois society that separated them. Here they are in suburban bliss, somewhere I imagine upstream on the Thames!”

The team is extremely proud of the magazine and its place in local society. Its distinctive ‘blind selection’ process for choosing from submissions ensures a lack of favouritism – work is selected on merit alone.  The magazine’s supporters and contributors say that, from its earliest days, it has welcomed a unique blend of artistic approaches and inspirations. Pushing Out the Boat is a tribute to the North East.

 


Issue 14 of Pushing Out the Boat now available to pre-order


Tickets available for the Launch of Issue 14

Posted on 27 March 2017
 

Usually a private occasion, this year we are opening up the Launch to share with others.  So why not join us on the afternoon of Sunday 30 April and be amongst the first to see the new edition. This joyful event will include displays of original artwork as featured in the magazine, and writers reading their poems and stories from POTB14. Plus you can meet the contributors and the Team! Venue is the Phoenix Community Hall, Newton Dee Village, cost a mere £10, which also includes a copy of the £7 magazine [+ bookmark!] and refreshments.

Tickets must be purchased in advance and numbers are limited, so be quick!
Buy online at https://www.pushingouttheboat.co.uk/ticket-sales/


POTB now available at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary


Start of the POTB Blog

heartsThe POTB Blog has arrived. Here we plan to post extracts from our magazines, author profiles, commentaries and more. To celebrate Valentine’s Day, we are starting with some romantic poems from earlier editions …
 


Selection of contributions for publication in POTB 14 is now complete

Posted on 14 January 2017
 

Selections for POTB 14 are now complete and successful contributors have been notified. Once again, the standard of submissions was very high, giving the selection panels a difficult (but enjoyable) task. So, congratulations to all successful contributors and commiserations to those who were unsuccessful – we had many fine entries but not enough space to include them all.

If you made a submission to Issue 14 you can check the details,  including confirmation of whether or not it has been chosen for publication, by logging in and visiting the My POTB page.

The hard work of editing and design is currently underway, with publication due in late April.

POTB would like to say a huge thank you to all who submitted, both those who were successful and those who were not. We hope you will enjoy POTB 14 when it is published and be inspired to submit again to future issues.


Seasonal Greetings and News Update

Posted on 20 December 2016
 

new-year-champagne-flipped
SEASONAL GREETINGS FROM PUSHING OUT THE BOAT
… plus a brief update on all things POTB

First up: we’ve a special seasonal online offer on our website. Purchase copies of POTB magazines for the discount price of £4 (+ P&P). Place your order here at https://www.pushingouttheboat.co.uk/order-online/ but hurry, you’ll need to be QUICK.

Donations to local charities: the POTB Team unanimously agreed to share the festive spirit even further, by donating copies of POTB magazines to several good causes local to Aberdeen. These include the Hospice, Maggie’s Centre, CLAN, and various other places where folk may enjoy the magazine, especially during periods of enforced inactivity. Do let us know if YOU have a good cause close to your heart which might also benefit.

In the meantime, that same Team is beavering away to produce our next edition POTB14, due to launch in April 2017. The usual high quality submissions gave our selection panels the usual [welcome] problems; but the selections are now made and acceptance notifications in progress. Successful authors and poets should look out for some good news very soon, with the artists to hear around New Year time.

Our striking POTB covers have always been a big feature of the magazine; for POTB14 – as a new idea – we asked for cover designs. However, this time round our Art Selection Panel felt none of the submissions were quite appropriate, so they set about finding just the right image, hopefully to be donated by a high-profile artist. They succeeded! We can’t wait to tell you all about the artist who has made this generous offer – and to show off that new cover. Watch this space…

POTB 14 [with its striking new cover], is set to receive its first ever real promotion. With financial support from Aberdeen City Council [who, like us, felt the magazine should be much more widely recognised], we’ve embarked on a marketing project and are in the process of appointing a local PR company. More news shortly on our website and social media – plus you should be seeing press coverage in the run-up to the launch of the new edition. Support in this area is crucial so, as ever, we are seeking some experienced voluntary help. If you have these skills, do get in touch at our info email address.

Lots happening – and lots to come. Only time now for the POTB Team to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, hopefully full of literary and artistic creativity!

 


Seasonal Special Offer

Posted on 20 December 2016
 

special-offerTake advantage of this year’s special seasonal offer to purchase copies of POTB magazines for just £4 per copy (+ P&P). Offer available for online sales only.


Submissions to Issue 14 are now closed

Posted on 25 September 2016
 

Submissions to Issue 14 are now closed. A big thank-you to all those who submitted. It’s now over to the Selection Panels to study all the entries and choose which to publish in the magazine. Once the selection process is complete, successful submitters will be notified by email and asked to provide some brief biographical details for inclusion in the magazine.  We aim to launch Issue 14 in April 2017.


Pushing Out the Boat retrospective in the Blue Lamp - Sun 4 Sept

Posted on 24 September 2016
 

At a great evening’s entertainment in the atmospheric ambience of the Blue Lamp, an audience of over 80 were entertained by POTB writers reading stories and poems from the magazine’s 13 volumes. Two superb guests, poet Wayne Price and author Shane Strachan also read from their own works. Compere Ian Crockatt set a perfect tone for the event, while jazz musicians Rainer Goldbeck and Hamish Mackensie charmed the audience during the intervals. The event raised almost £600 to help fund future editions of the magazine and POTB are deeply indebted to Sandy Brown for donating the venue, and to his cheerful and helpful staff.

Click on a thumbnail below to view a slideshow of the event.

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Poetry and prose submissions closed but artwork still open

Posted on 10 September 2016
 

POTB closed to submissions of poetry and prose on 9th September but will remain open for artwork submissions until 24th September.


An Evening with POTB: Sun 4th Sept

Posted on 1 August 2016
 

Join us for an evening with POTB at the Blue Lamp, Sunday 4th September, 7-10pm.

A retrospective of stories & poetry selected from previous editions of POTB, read by their authors or members of the POTB team. With special guests, and featuring live music, you’ll want to be there – and support the publication of POTB14!

Tickets: £8 in advance or £10 on the night.

Order your tickets here.


Call for Submissions to Issue 14


Issue 12 now available on-line

Posted on 11 May 2016
 
 

Issue 12 is now available to read on-line, through the digital publishing site, Issuu. Click here to take a look (will open in a new tab or window).


Join us at the University May Festival

Posted on 24 April 2016
 

 
Join us at the Aberdeen University May Festival on Sunday May 29 from 11 to 12am. Featuring poetry and prose from all 13 editions, read by their authors: and marking the Call for Submission to POTB14 due first week of June. Now, how could any fan of POTB miss that! Tickets are available online at https://www.abdn.ac.uk/mayfestival/events/9789/ See you there we hope!


Posted on 9 January 2016
 

Season's Greetings

Posted on 16 December 2015
 
 
reindeer-reading-a-book
Season’s Greetings from all of us at Pushing Out the Boat.
There’s still time to buy a copy of Issue 13 for Christmas or as a first-footing gift.
Click on the reindeer to order online or buy from one of  our local vendors – check out our Facebook page for the latest pop-up sales venues.
 

Festive Season Special Offer

Posted on 18 November 2015
 
 

PUSHING OUT THE BOAT Issue 13

a Great Christmas Gift for that literary friend 

Price £7 each or

take advantage of our special seasonal offer:

2 copies for £10

Order your copies here


Public launch of Issue 13 at May Festival

Posted on 31 May 2015
 
 

Issue thirteen of POTB was finally launched to the general public at the Aberdeen May Festival, at midday on Sunday May 31st 2015. A select group of contributors were on hand to read their submissions, in an hour-long programme introduced by editor Sheila Reid and compèred by Bernie Briggs (prose panel convenor).

The ‘Word Marquee’ on King’s Lawn, within the grounds of Aberdeen University, was the ideal venue to display the wealth of writing talent contained in the pages of our most recent and (dare we say it) best edition of POTB. Despite the rain, which thundered on the roof as proceedings got underway, a sizeable audience settled down to a varied selection of poetry and prose and at the end were invited to buy their own copies, which they did in good numbers.

Many thanks to the Festival for hosting us; to all the readers and the audience for turning out on such a wet day to support us.

Click on a thumbnail below to view a slideshow of the event.

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Don't miss Pushing Out the Boat at University May Festival, Sunday 31 May

Posted on 29 May 2015
 
 

Pushing Out the Boat will be at the University of Aberdeen May Festival on Sunday 31 May, at 12 noon in the Word Marquee on Kings Lawn. Several of our poets and authors will read from their work and there will be an opportunity to buy your own copy of the latest edition of our magazine.

Tickets, which are free, are available from the May Festival Box Office at Kings College Conference Centre.

 


Pushing Out the Boat Issue 13 is launched

Posted on 26 April 2015
 
 

Issue 13 of Pushing Out the Boat, North-East Scotland’s Magazine of New Writing, was launched on Sunday 26th April at the Phoenix Community Centre, Newton Dee, Aberdeen. A selection of contributors read poems and extracts from their stories and several of the contributing artists displayed their work on the walls of the Phoenix Centre.

Click on a thumbnail below to view a slideshow of the event.

https://www.facebook.com/pg/pushingouttheboat/photos/?tab=album&album_id=890113904361309

 


Pushing Out the Boat Issue 13 ready to launch

Posted on 24 April 2015
 

 
Our latest edition, Issue 13, has just arrived from the printer, ready for our contributor Launch on Sunday 26 April. We think it is indeed our best yet. 96 pages of selected stories, poems and art, 57 writers and artists, many from or with connections to the local area, are introduced in a Foreword by acclaimed writer Esther Woolfson. The first-time published are represented, as well as youngsters aged from 12 to 17, side-by-side their established peers.

The magazine will be available for purchase in the next week or two from our outlets – or why not order a copy online here now.

This new edition will also be featured at Aberdeen University’s May Festival: we’re on at noon on Sunday 31 May, when you’ll hear several of our poets and authors reading from their work. Why not make it a date, book a (free!) ticket and join us in Old Aberdeen?

After its launch, this new edition of Pushing Out the Boat can be read in public and school libraries of both City and Shire, and those of Aberdeen’s Universities and Colleges.

 


Pushing Out the Boat Issue 13 almost ready to launch!

Posted on 22 March 2015
 

 
The next edition of POTB is preparing to head off to the printer – and it looks like our best yet. The magazine will be available for purchase from Monday 27 April, though it may take a little longer to reach all our retail outlets.  For postal delivery,  you can  pre-order here now.

Also note that our public launch will take place at noon on Sunday 31 May at The University of Aberdeen’s May Festival, when you will be able to listen to several of our poets and authors reading from their work. Why not make it a date and join us in Old Aberdeen?


Selection of contributions for publication in Issue 13 now complete

Posted on 18 February 2015
 

 
Selections for POTB 13 are now complete and successful contributors have been notified. The standard of submissions was incredibly high, so congratulations to all successful contributors. Commiserations to everyone else – you really are in excellent company. The hard work of editing and design is currently underway, with publication due in late April.

If you made a submission to Issue 13 you can check the details,  including confirmation of whether or not it has been chosen for publication, by logging in and visiting the My Profile page.

POTB would like to say a huge thank you to all who submitted, both those who were successful and those who were not. We hope you will enjoy POTB 13 when it is published and be inspired to submit again to future issues.


Issue 11 now available to read online

Posted on 31 January 2015
 
 

Issue 11 of  Pushing Out the Boat is now available to read online, through the digital publishing site Issuu. Click here to take a look (will open in a new tab or window).


Season's Greetings

Posted on 16 December 2014
 

Season’s Greetings from all us at Pushing Out the Boat.
And remember, a copy of one of our magazines makes a great stocking filler or first-footing present – buy from our local vendors or click on the elf to order online.

Issue 10 Online Updated

Posted on 22 November 2014
 

Apologies to anyone who read the online version of Issue 10 before today (22 November). We had accidentally uploaded a draft version which was missing some items and had incorrect page numbering. Oops! The correct version has now been published online. Happy reading!

There are still some printed copies available for sale. They would make an excellent small Christmas gift and can be ordered here.


Submissions to Issue 13 now closed

Posted on 2 November 2014
 

 
Submissions  to Issue 13 are now closed, with increased numbers of submissions and submitters.  All at POTB are delighted that our new online system has been so warmly embraced – and we extend respect and heartfelt gratitude to our webmaster for designing such a slick new process.


Thanks to Huntly Writers

Posted on 16 October 2014
 

 
Many thanks to Huntly Writers for hosting the latest of our Pop-Up events on 15th October, feauturing work from our latest edition, Issue 12. Thanks especially to guest readers from the writing group: Linda Smith, reading a very moving extract from her own story, plus pieces by others; and Maureen Ross,  who read a poem by local writer Janice Keir (sadly unable to be with us on the night). Both were joined by POTB members Sheila McDerment, Martin Walsh and, last but not least, our regular Pop-Up host, Bernie Briggs. All read and performed a great mix of prose and poetry, much enjoyed by the audience – helped along by some welcome refreshments and an opportunity to socialise.


Next Pop-Up event to be in Huntly on Wednesday 15th October

Posted on 4 September 2014
 

Photo from Pop-Up event at Better Read Books

Posted on 4 September 2014
 
pop-up-aug2014
Readers Martin Walsh, Bernard Briggs, Alison Green and Georgia Brooker at Better Read Books

Many thanks to Bill and Euan Kelly of Better Read Books, Ellon for hosting the second of our Pop-Up events on 29th August.

A good mixture of poignant, funny and thought-provoking extracts of Poetry and Prose from Issue 12 of POTB was received enthusiastically by the audience. Thanks also to readers, Alison Green, Georgia Brooker, Martin Walsh and Bernard Briggs who read with flair and kept things moving along nicely. During the break, everyone enjoyed the hearty refreshments served up by Bill and Euan. Look out for news of our next Pop-Up in Huntly.

 


Pop-Up Event - Friday 29th August - Better Read Books, Ellon

Posted on 26 August 2014
 

The second in our series of Pop-Up events will be hosted by Better Read Books in Ellon! Come along and listen to selected Poetry and Prose from Issue 12, read by the Pushing Out the Boat team and specially invited contributors. Refreshments will be provided. During the intervals you will get the chance to chat to members of the team and ask questions about the magazine. You will also be able to browse the well stocked shelves of this fantastic book shop and chat to owners Bill and Euan Kelly; maybe do a little early Christmas Shopping! Copies of the magazine will also be for sale.

Friday 29th August, 7-9pm
Better Read Books
18 Ythan Terrace, Ellon, AB41 9LJ


Posted on 10 August 2014
 

Launch of Issue 12

Posted on 27 November 2013
 

Issue 12 of Pushing Out the Boat, North-East Scotland’s Magazine of New Writing, was launched on Sunday 1 September 2013 at the Phoenix Hall, Newton Dee, Aberdeen.

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Call for submissions for Issue 12

Posted on 27 November 2013
 

Submissions opened for Issue 12 in January 2013. Deadline for submissions was 1st March.


Launch of Issue 11

Posted on 27 November 2013
 

Issue 11 of Pushing Out the Boat, North-East Scotland’s Magazine of New Writing, was launched on Sunday 6 May 2012 at Peacock Visual Arts in Aberdeen, and was showcased at the SMART Gallery’s IMPRINT Weekend on Sunday 27th May 2012.


Launch of Issue 10

Posted on 4 August 2011
 

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