Dundee and Angus Scots Scriever announced

The Herald Scotland

30-04-2025

The post follows successful appointments in previous years with Alison Miller as Orcadian Scriever in 21/22, Shane Strachan as Doric Scriever in 22/23, and Susi Briggs as Dumfries and Galloway Scriever in 23/24. This year, the Library specifically sought applicants working in Dundee and Angus.
Dyson is a writer and performer from Dundee. She is passionate about the Scots language, and has hosted the Scots Language Awards for the last two years.
Winner of the Scottish Book Trust's 'New writers 2025' award for Spoken Word, Dyson recently adapted an NHS book for new parents into Dundonian Scots. She is passionate about women's stories, working-class stories and representation in the arts.
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She said: 'I am honoured and absolutely delighted to receive this prestigious residency, and follow in the footsteps of folk I greatly admire. Promoting and encouraging Scots means so much to me, so to have the opportunity to continue to do this in a supported environment is so exciting. When I was starting out as a playwright, connecting to the language I was brought up speaking helped me find my voice as an artist. And I would love to help others do the same. I cannot wait to get started on creating work across theatre, poetry and story and connecting with communities in my hometown over the importance of language and how it can empower us to find our voices.'
Dyson co-runs the award-winning theatre duo, Elfie Picket Theatre, alongside her partner, and they focus on new writing. Her recent work includes Goodbye Dreamland Bowlarama and Pushin' Thirty at A Play, A Pie and A Pint, Dolly Parton Saved My Life (a community tour), and the ART Award winning one-woman show, Ane City, which has performed in Prague, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Dundee Rep Theatre. She also runs the monthly poetry night, BLETHER, at Sweet Venues in Dundee.
Alan Bett, Head of Literature and Publishing at Creative Scotland, said: "As the new Scots Scriever for Dundee and Angus, Taylor Dyson will be stepping into the footsteps of writers who have previously championed Orkney, Aberdeenshire, and Dumfries and Galloway. As a playwright and poet, she will not only have the time and space to develop her own creative work in Dundonian Scots but will have a platform to promote the Scots language across the region and further afield.'
Taylor Dyson has been appointed as the Dundee and Angus Scots Scriever, where she will take up a year-long residency with the National Library of Scotland. (Image: National Library of Scotland)
As Dundee and Angus Scriever, Dyson will produce original written work in Scots. The residency allows time for the exploration of the rich and extensive Scots language collections held at the National Library. Dyson will contribute to raising the profile, understanding and appreciation of the Scots language in general.
Martha Burns Findlay, Head of Public Programmes at the National Library of Scotland, said: "This year we're celebrating 100 years of the National Library of Scotland. As the proud guardians of Scotland's cultural heritage, we not only preserve a historic record of the Scots language, but we also champion the vitality of Scots today. Taylor embodies the dynamism and vibrancy of Dundee and Angus' rich linguistic culture, and we're looking forward to working with her as our new Scots Scriever."
Dyson's latest work, Goodbye Dreamland Bowlarama, is showing at the Oran Mor, Glasgow, from Monday May 12 to Saturday May 17. The play is a fish-out-of-water comedy, with original songs, about a lonely young woman who moves to Dundee in search of community.
The 12-month post is funded by the National Lottery through Creative Scotland. Dyson will begin her residency in June 2025.