The Ringwood Publishing Podcast

In the Season 5 finale, we chat with Isla and Cameron, co-hosts of Glasgow’s chapter of Shut Up & Write, a global initiative that brings writers together to do exactly that: shut up and write. But this writing group is about far more than just getting words on a page.

What was once a beneficial way to stay productive during lockdown has evolved into a vital social space for writers of all kinds; novelists, poets, students, academics, and everything in between. Isla and Cameron share how Shut Up & Write fosters not only creativity, but community, connection, and consistency in an increasingly busy world.

From the quiet motivation of shared writing sessions to post-meeting chats, friendships, and spontaneous adventures, this episode explores how groups like these can make a meaningful difference, not just to a writer’s output but to their well-being and sense of belonging.

A reflective and uplifting close to Season 5, celebrating the often-overlooked magic of writing together.

On this week's episode, we're joined by Stephanie McDonald, author of Inference and Embers, the story of a deeply intertwined couple, in the lead up to the first in person event for Embers, taking place on 9th June.

We chat about writing process, representing realistic human relationship and experience, inspirations, and what we can look forward to at this exciting event dedicated to Embers.

Both books are available on the Ringwood website, and further details of the event are available on Ringwood social media pages!

On this week's podcast, we welcome back the lovely Kirsten MacQuarrie to chat about her experiences of visiting some of the locations featured in her novel, Remember the Rowan. 

Kirsten tells us all about her experiences in some of these natural landscapes, how it felt to connect with the settings which Kathleen Raine herself stepped foot in, and the impact these travels have had on her as a writer. 

The healing power of nature is a thread carried through into Kirsten's newest novel, Ellen and Arbor, available to pre-order now from the Ringwood website!

In this episode, Emma Martin sits down with acclaimed author Maureen Cullen to explore the art of short fiction and discuss her upcoming release, Havoc Shore — a powerful new collection of short stories that delve into themes of community and resilience, with plenty of humour and wit. We discuss what draws Maureen Cullen to the short story form, the inspirations behind her latest work, and what readers can expect from the collection. Whether you're a longtime fan or discovering her voice for the first time, this conversation offers an intimate look at the writing process and the value of short fiction. Havoc Shore is available for pre-order now from the Ringwood Publishing website, and will be launching June 2025!

About The Book:

Spanning generations, Havoc Shore captures the voices of a shipbuilding town through its years of industry, struggle, and change. From 1954 to the present day, these 21 interwoven stories follow families bound by place, hardship, and resilience – navigating the tides of economic uncertainty, social upheaval, and personal triumph. 

The McLean siblings each carry their own version of a life-altering event, revealing the fractures and fierce loyalties within a working-class family. 

Isa McMenamin, mother of seven, stands her ground against bureaucracy, proving that sheer determination can shift the course of a community. 

Dolly Deighan, daughter of an Italian immigrant once branded an outsider, stakes her claim to a future she never thought possible. 

Throughout, neighbours, friends, and rivals cross paths in moments of humour, heartbreak, and quiet defiance. 

Told in the Scots dialect of its people, Havoc Shore is a richly textured portrait of a community shaped by poverty, emigration, and survival. Against the backdrop of shifting politics and changing times, these are stories of love and loss, resilience and resistance — from voices that demand to be heard. 

On this week’s podcast, we welcome back Tom Wood to talk all about his new book, The Bombing of Edinburgh & Leith.
A captivating account of the almost forgotten bombing raids on Edinburgh during World War 2, featuring high-quality recently discovered photographs and fascinating original reports, the book combines tragedy and farce to meticulously document the experiences of the ordinary population of Edinburgh and their extraordinary resilience, as we approach the eightieth anniversary of the war’s end.
Tom gives us some background on this fascinating new release and his motivations and writing processes, highlights the importance of commemorating those forgotten by history, and gives us insight into the lives of the incredible people of Edinburgh during these dark days.
Tom’s book is available to purchase now from the Ringwood website, and all net proceeds shall be donated to the Edinburgh, Lothian and Borders Police Historical Society!
 

On this weeks episode, we are joined by Ringwood author, Seán Damer, to discuss his new historical fiction novel, Wild Mountains, Wild People. 

Set in the rugged landscapes of Crete, this novel delves into the harsh realities of the Cretan Resistance that occurred in response to Nazi Occupation in WWII, and sheds light on the impact this Resistance still has on Crete in the present day. Have a listen now to hear Seán discuss his background as an academic sociologist, and how his experience and research informs his fiction writing.

On this week's podcast, we delve further into the world of publishing to look at the Stryvling Press, led by the Creative Writing and Publishing students at Stirling University, and find out all about their latest anthology of creative work. 

This year's anthology, titled Crossroads, is themed around mythology, magic, and memory. Characters stand in a place of contemplation, caught between the past and the future, between this world and the other, wondering where the roads before them will lead.

This project is something which some of our own Ringwood interns have been involved with, and our chat with José Maria Nava, this year's project manager, illuminates this fascinating opportunity, looking at the value it holds for young people hoping for future careers in the publishing industry, and those students who contribute their own works of creative writing. 

Join us to hear some new insights about the publishing world, hear inspirational advice, and to get excited for this upcoming release!

On this week's podcast, we welcome back T. Y. Garner to discuss his short story Scrap, the story of a tragic incident in the Highlands and the deep relationships this sparks, which won the 2024 Grant Muir Prize. 

We chat about finding inspiration in personal experience, portraying complex characters, and writing processes, before hearing about Tony's experience since becoming a Ringwood author with his debut novel Hotel Hokusai, published last year, and his future writing plans.

Make sure to head to the Ringwood website after listening, where you can read T. Y. Garner's prize winning story and purchase his highly acclaimed novel.

This week, we’re continuing the conversation from Ringwood’s Memoirs Event with another insightful episode. Join us as authors Kirsten MacQuarrie and Maureen Cullen reflect on their experience as panelists at the event and dive into their respective works Remember the Rowan and Kitten Heels. Building on last time’s discussion of memoir, Kirsten and Maureen explore how fiction, too, can illuminate personal truths and help us understand different ways of telling our stories.

Kitten Heels Blurb:

‘It was a man’s world, that was for sure. It certainly wasnae a thirteen-year-old girl's.’

Kathleen Gallagher is resourceful, brave and tireless — but fated to work in the bra factory like her mother. It’s 1962, and Kathleen resents her situation. She has to look after her three younger siblings whilst her mother works part-time; collect the wages from her absentee father; and sacrifice her social life for responsibilities she never asked for. When Kathleen’s grandmother dies, the entire family dynamic changes — leaving the relationship with her mother to suffer.

Kitten Heels is a moving coming-of-age story, set in 1960’s working class Clydeside and told from thirteen-year-old Kathleen’s perspective. Dealing with issues of poverty, mental health, and the role of women, Kitten Heels follows Kathleen as she finds comfort and support in the community of women around her — learning from the way in which these women find ways to grow, nourish and heal each other, despite hardships and institutional obstacles set in their way.

Remember the Rowan Blurb:

‘If hate were love, if love were hate, it could not make our tale untold.’

Divorced and living apart from her two children as she strives against the odds to carve out a career in 1940s London, poet Kathleen Raine is initially unimpressed when she meets Gavin Maxwell, a would-be portrait painter struggling to recover from a recent breakdown. Nevertheless, the pair soon bond over childhood memories and a profound love of nature, epitomised by a mysterious vision they share of a rowan tree.

When Gavin confides that he is ‘more of a man’s man’, Kathleen remains determined that their connection can survive. They share a cottage in the wildest reaches of the West Highlands, where they care for Gavin’s beloved pet otter Mij and for each other. But when tragedy strikes, love soon turns to hate, and Kathleen finds herself being written out of her own life.

Inspired by the true story of Kathleen Raine and Gavin Maxwell’s ‘some-requited’ love, Remember the Rowan illuminates their extraordinary relationship and shines a light on the woman behind Ring of Bright Water.

Despite the hardships Kathleen faced in her relationship with Gavin, she went on to become a well-respected and successful poet.

Didn't make it to Ringwood's Memoirs Event? No problem. This week, join us for a lively discussion exploring the power of memoirs. Authors of Memoirs of a Feminist Mother and Stirring the Dust respectively, Carol Fox and Mary McCabe discuss their writing journeys, the full lives they've led so far, and the importance of picking your battles!

Memoirs of a Feminist Mother Blurb:

As a committed feminist, Carol Fox has achieved success for many women, but her greatest battle was very personal. Following serious fertility problems, Carol made the positive decision to become a single parent by choice, to have a child while she still could. Refused access to fertility treatment in Scotland she had no choice but to move to London.

Through sheer determination and tenacity, Carol obtained treatment in England in the early 1990s and her daughter was born in 1992, following extensive fertility treatment and battles against judgmental attitudes which appear almost vindictive to us 30 years later. Her story has attracted media coverage, sparking debates on motherhood and the right to be a single parent in the UK.

Stirring the Dust Blurb:

Extraordinary things unfold in Stirring the Dust. A corpse left unburied for fear of infection; a paranormal great-great aunt; bigamous and incestuous marriages; a runaway wife and her gypsy lover. Dramatic episodes in the past are linked with the present. A sense of something missing in events now has its echo in the rich cast of characters standing behind down the generations. Mary McCabe should know the cast in this drama. They are the author’s own family. Her mother’s side (the Gardens) were artisans from Banffshire. Her father’s lineage (the Morrows) came to the Central Belt of Scotland from Argyll at the time of Highland Clearances and worked in ironstone mining for three generations until the early twentieth century.