Scots Whay Hae!

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to singer-songwriter and author James Yorkston to talk about his latest novel, Tommy The Bruce - which is published by Oldcastle Books.

James gave a brief synopsis, before explaining why this was a story he wanted to tell, why the small-town setting is crucial, creating the central character of Tommy Bruce, the importance of understanding the motivations of all his characters, his hotel experiences, and why it is hard to escape your formative years.

The two also discuss James' writing processes, whether that be in fiction or his songs, the vital role stories play in all our lives, and why he likes to balance music and prose.

This is an insightful and in-depth conversation with a central figure in Scottish culture, and it was such a pleasure to talk about Tommy The Bruce and so much more.

Full details, including all the ways to listen, are over at scotswhayhae.com

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to musician Clare Stewart who is a founding member, and artistic director, of the vocal ensemble APOLLO5 to talk about their new album 'Anam'.

'Anam' means 'soul' in Gaelic, and Clare talks about the strong Celtic theme which underpins the album, which features new arrangements of folk songs, pagan texts, poetry, brand new commissions inspired by Scottish and Irish musical traditions, and traditional instruments which include the Uilleann pipes.

Clare also talks about the band more generally, collaborating with others, her own musical background and influences, and the healthy state of Scottish music today. It's an interesting and insightful conversation which should whet you're appetite for 'Anam' and all things APOLLO5.

Full details, including all the ways to listen, are over at scotswhayhae.com

For the first Scots Whay Hae! Podcast of 2025 Ali caught up with writer and journalist Peter Mohan to talk about his book 'Cheers, Govanhill', in the appropriate setting of Queen's Park Cafe (which features numerous times).

The two talk about the origins of the book and the blog which it's taken from, how it started, and how it developed, the history of the area, Peter's personal connections, and how chronicling the changes in Govanhill, and Glasgow more widely, helped Peter better understand the people as well as the place.

Peter also explains his style of writing, his influences - particularly James Kelman - the balance between fact and fiction, and the feedback he has had to the book, and to the blog.

'Cheers, Govanhill' is a great example of how by concentrating on the personal and the specific you can comment on universal themes, and it was such a pleasure to talk to Peter about this fascinating, and hugely entertaining, book. And thanks to Queen's Park Cafe for being such welcoming hosts.

You can find full details, including all the ways to listen, here - scotswhayhae.com

For the latest SWH! podcast, and the last of our Best of 2024 pods for this year, Ali is joined once more by our longest serving contributor, Chris Ward, to talk all things film, or at least to talk about their films of the year. (Unfortunately fellow film pod regular Wesley Shearer couldn't do this year, but he let us know his films of the year as well).

Chris and Ali each pick seven films to talk about. As usual, Ali's picks have a Scottish bent, including films from this year's Glasgow Film Festival, two literary adaptations, and some memorable music documentaries, as well as something of a curve ball, while Chris considers films from far and wide. At a time of year where the choice of what to watch can be overwhelming, hopefully you'll find inspiration from their chat.

Full details, including all the ways to listen, are over at scotswhayhae.com

For our latest roundup of 2024 we look at the year in music, with Ali joined once again by musician and righteous supporter of Scottish music, Gefahrgeist's Fiona Liddell. As is now customary, they each pick 10 tracks to discuss which have left their mark over the last 12 months.

As ever, they could easily have picked many, many, more examples from what was another incredible year for Scottish music, (and on another day possibly would), but we hope you enjoy their musical musings, meanderings, and memories.

There's a Spotify playlist where you can listen to all the songs Fiona and Ali talk about, and if you like what you hear then please explore further, follow, and support the bands, musicians, artists, and labels involved. What this podcast proves is how much we would all miss them if they were gone.

For full details, including all the ways to listen, are over at scotswhayhae.com

As is traditional, the first of our Best of 2024 podcasts is all about books, when once again Ali is joined by Publishing Scotland's Vikki Reilly to talk about the standouts of the year, and to give a heads up as to what's coming in 2025.

The two talk fantastic fiction, non-fiction, plenty of prose, and even a little poetry. There's food, drink, crime, comedy, coming-of-age, drama, history, sci-fi, and so much more, and we're certain you'll hear about something you'd like to investigate yourself.

Always a SWH! highlight of the year, the aim of this podcast is to reflect, and celebrate, another exceptional 12 months in Scottish writing.

Details, including all the ways to listen, are over at scotswhayhae.com

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to restauranteur and writer Carina Contini about her new book The Contini Cookbook, published by Birlinn Books.

Carina runs a number of well-regarded establishments in Edinburgh with husband Victor, including Contini George Street, and the cookbook captures the ethos not only of what they do, but who the Contini Family are.

Written over a period of 10 years, Carina shares 100 tried-and-tested dishes close to her heart. She talks about why she wanted to write it, why now was the right time, what working in the restaurant trade means to her, her family background, and her experience of being Italian Scots (or, possibly, Scots Italian).

The two also discuss how the food industry in Scotland has changed over recent years and decades, as well as the challenges faced in hospitality today. And there there's the food itself!

This is a warm and insightful conversation, not only about food and drink, but about the role it plays in our lives, and other people's. And if you know someone who loves cooking, then SWH! can highly recommend The Contini Cookbook as the perfect gift.

Full details. including all the ways to listen, are over at scotswhayhae.com

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali caught up with journalist, critic, and presenter Fergus Morgan to talk about the excellent podcast A History of Scottish Drama in Six Plays, which you can get in all the usual places. Scottish drama doesn't get the coverage it deserves, but Fergus's podcast goes some way to right that situation.

He talks about why he chose these six plays, gives a brief explanation of each, emphasises the importance of putting them in historical context, and offers an alternative timeline if events had been different.

The two also discuss those who didn't make the final six, the themes uncovered from Fergus's research, the seventh bonus live podcast, and the current state of drama in Scotland.

In an increasingly busy podcast world, A History of Scottish Drama in Six Plays is one of the year's best and I highly recommend it whether you know your history, or if you are a newcomer to the glorious world of Scottish drama. It was such a pleasure to talk to Fergus and get behind the stories he has to tell, and the plays which inspired them.

For full details, and all the ways to listen, head to scotswhayhae.com

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to writer and journalist Alan Taylor to talk about this latest book, Edinburgh: The Autobiography, which is published with Birlinn Books.

Following on from 2016's Glasgow: The Autobiography, Alan talks about why the time was right for Edinburgh to get similar treatment (its publication coincides with the city's 900th anniversary), the format of the book, the research required, trying to maintain balance in terms of themes and subjects, and goes into detail about just some of the people who, and the places and events which, would shape Scotland's capital, especially its literary legacy.

The two also discuss the impact of two periods in particular, namely The Enlightenment and all things Edinburgh Festival, looking at the incidents which fired both, and how they came to change perceptions of the city both at home and abroad.

A conversation with Alan Taylor is always entertaining and educational, and an absolute pleasure, and, as a proud Glaswegian with an undying fondness for Edinburgh, it was fascinating to not only read the book (a review of which will be in the next SNACK magazine) but to be able to discuss it with the Editor himself. If you thought you knew Auld Reekie, think again.

Full details, including all the ways to listen, are over at scotswhayhae.com

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! Podcast Ali spoke to Jenna Gordon, who is the editorial director for Verve Books, to talk about all things independent publishing, and much more.

Jenna talks all about Verve Books, how it started, and how it's going, including what we can look forward to in terms of publications coming in the new year. She also breaks down her role of editorial director, and explains that with a small publisher it entails the wearing of many different hats.

The two also discuss publishing in Scotland, the resurrection of indie bookshops and the importance of working with them, book events, and Jenna's surprising inspiration for getting into publishing. She also offers practical advice about how to get involved yourself, as well as tips for writers on how to get published.

It's an honest, open, and informative conversation about how the world in independent publishing works today, although it moves so quickly this might have been a very different conversation if it was 12 months from now. One for book lovers and writers alike.

Full details, including all the ways to listen, are over at scotswhayhae.com