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Issue 8

Published by Pushing Out the Boat, 2009

Issue 8 of Pushing Out the Boat, North East Scotland’s own prestigious magazine of new writing and visual art was launched on 2 May 2009. The event at Duff House, Banff, as part of the Wordfringe 2009 North Coast Weekend, featured readings by many of the contributors along with displays of artwork.

Cover: Combination Blue
image by Steve McPherson

FOREWORD by John Aberdein

Now that a skillful and subtle writer has been installed in the White House, there is no excuse for the rest of us. Just as the ability to project a vision clearly is vital to a President at this crux in human history, so it is for each of us as we seek paths out of the morass.

Propaganda, greed and short-sightedness have had their riotous day. The only kind of globalisation that can work now is the recognition — through cherishing the diversity of our thoughts and experiences — that we are not senseless atoms, vapid victims, or the chucked fag-end of somebody’s imbalance sheet, but that we are one.

That is why Pushing Out the Boat is important. I congratulate the contributors on having the courage and tenacity to bring their imaginings to fruition. And I congratulate the team on their dedication in bringing such work to the light of day. For no-one can push a boat out on their own….

Read, consider; and enjoy!

John Aberdein’s Amande’s Bed, set in Aberdeen, won the Saltire First Book of the Year award in 2005. His second novel Strip the Willow, set in Aberdeen/Uberdeen, was published by Polygon in May 2009.

Contents:

– view list of contents

Sample Pieces:

Lean Wolf Winter
poem by Gerry Stewart

Nith, Thornhill
poem by Betty Tindal

Playtime
poem by Camille Conner

Socks
poem by Brian King

Sweet Sorrow
extract from story by Eleanor Fordyce

Going On
extract from story by John Bolland

The stories can be read in full in Issue 8

Contributors

Angela Arnold
Auld Yin
Roger Barnett
Norman Bissett
John Bolland
Gordon Campbell
Camille Conner
Malcolm Cowie
Mike Dodd
David Elder
Eleanor Fordyce
John Hargreaves
Jill Henderson
Haworth Hodgkinson
Maria Holohan
Mary Johnston
Vivien Jones
Brian King
Hannah Kunzlik
Christine Laennec
Janis Louden
Heather MacDonald
Ian McLachlan
Steve McPherson
Hiba Mohamed
Clémence O’Connor
Kate Percival
David Pettigrew
Jane Pettigrew
Elaine Reid
Heather Reid
Gerard Rochford
Neil Russell
Denise Setterington
Mary Simpson
Gerry Stewart
Judith Taylor
Sarah Ellen Taylor
Betty Tindal
Christie Van Laningham
Hilary de Vries
Martin Walsh
Jamie Williams
Tim Winters