fay.young

Stars falling from the sky

When the cold wind blows in my face
And I see the orange and yellow autumn leaves fall
It is then that I am bewildered here
and I gather all my sighs,

but when the first snow flakes fell on my shoulder
it was like shining stars falling from the sky

This extract is from the poem Edinburgh by Shaista Asad who is one of the poets taking part in Mushaira, a celebration of Scottish Asian poetry, in McDonald Road Library on Saturday 18 October. Mushaira encourages participants to write and perform in their own language but Shaista has sent us this poem in English written while she was sitting in Princes Street Gardens. Click on more to read the full poem. Continue reading “Stars falling from the sky”

Buried treasure unearthed in the garden

Harvest time in Persevere Community Garden

The sun was shining through the window and there was a pot of tea on the go. To be honest, I could have been tempted to stay at home last Saturday but I am very glad I didn’t. The open day at Persevere Community Garden was a great way to spend a day off. There was hot soup, a blazing bonfire, great company and to our amazement, there was a good crop of potatoes growing beneath the weeds in our plot. Hard to believe that just six months ago this ground was so hard we had to use a pick axe to get into it. Continue reading “Buried treasure unearthed in the garden”

One potato, two potato…and maybe even more at Persevere open day

We are about to dig up the potatoes we planted on one of the coldest and wettest midsummer days on record. Come and join us for the Persevere Tattie Harvest from 12noon on Saturday 11 October. Continue reading “One potato, two potato…and maybe even more at Persevere open day”

Join the Poetry Army in St Andrew Square

Here’s an invitation you can’t refuse. Come to St Andrew Square and find a poem chosen specially for you. “It personal, it’s fast and it’s absolutely free,” says Lilias Fraser of the Scottish Poetry Library who will be one of the ‘poetry army’ celebrating National Poetry Day on Thursday 9 October in Edinburgh’s very own Poetry Garden by handing out poems and poetry postcards. Better still, why don’t you join the army for the day? Continue reading “Join the Poetry Army in St Andrew Square”

Red Eye Friday

Make a note. If it’s the first Friday of the month it’s Red Eye Friday. The new radical film club opened in September with Who Shot the Sheriff. This month’s screening in Pilmeny Youth Centre on Friday 3 October offers a UK Cold War thriller Defence of the Realm which teeters on the brink of nuclear disaster in the days of dear old Ronald Reagan. Continue reading “Red Eye Friday”

The world’s biggest coffee morning: in Leith

Don’t miss the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning. We are all invited to join Mark Lazarowicz and Malcolm Chisholm, our MP and MSP, at the mammoth annual fundraising event which raised more than £7 million last year. Thanks to Tony Crolla of Vittoria’s the proceeds from every cup of coffee sold at the Edinburgh North and Leith event will be donated to Macmillans who are aiming to raise £8.5 million this year! Continue reading “The world’s biggest coffee morning: in Leith”

Research into Islamophobia in Scotland

There are no right or wrong answers. But the questions speak volumes. For the first time the Scottish government is setting out to discover the diversity of Muslim communities in Scotland and how much they may be affected by Islamophobia. Questionnaires which will help to shape future policy on Islamophobia are now due in next Friday (19 September) so there is still time for you to take part. Continue reading “Research into Islamophobia in Scotland”

Autumn gold

Here’s a bumper edition for you. Look for the Red Eye film club on Friday, listen to the Wind and Bamboo podcasts about Chinese culture in Edinburgh, catch a glimpse of China (and a very tall cellist) in Ocean Terminal, find Poetry in St Andrew Square (on Friday lunchtime), discover why we need gardens and green space more than ever and catch up with Opening Doors as we enter the climate change debate…if summer was a wash out there’s lots to look forward to in the autumn!

Opening Doors: an autumn of hot debate

News just in from Francis Kahembwe, our Opening Doors participant, who is beginning a two month placement with Scottish Environment Link. That means (apart from climbing a lot of stairs to the office in the wonderful tower building on the Royal Mile) a fascinating glimpse of what it is like to be an environmental lobbyist. As Francis explains in his email, the first week started with the hottest issue of the moment, Climate Change… Continue reading “Opening Doors: an autumn of hot debate”

Wind and Bamboo podcasts: what is China now?

Traditional Chinese music in Edinburgh’s Botanics

We might just as well ask, where is China now? In this fascinating podcast series Kimho Ip explains why you are more likely to find traditional Chinese culture in Edinburgh than the fast developing cities of China. His conversations with Stephen Blackmore, Regius Keeper of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, find common interest in conserving the best of nature and human culture. You can download the podcasts free of charge.

To subscribe to all four podcasts, click here.

Continue reading “Wind and Bamboo podcasts: what is China now?”