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.