Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Discover the literary talents of the north-east

Post Thumbnail

Martin Walsh, 73, is one of the volunteers involved in producing the north-east magazine Pushing Out The Boat, which launches its latest edition this month.

TELL US ABOUT PUSHING OUT THE BOAT (POTB), WHAT IS IT?

POTB is the north-east of Scotland’s magazine of new writing and visual art and is now a Scottish charity. The latest edition, number 14, launches later this April.

Martin in Africa
Martin (right, in white shorts) in Africa

WHAT IS YOUR INVOLVEMENT WITH THE MAGAZINE?

I’m one of more than 20 volunteers who produce the magazine, from seeking submissions, the blind selection process – to ensure total impartiality – then deciding the running order, through editing and design to launching and selling the edition. Plus a fair amount of business development.

WHY IS THE RUNNING ORDER AND DESIGN SO IMPORTANT?

It’s one of the wonderful things about POTB – the juxtaposition of poems, stories and art. Well-known writers and artists are featured alongside the first-published. The simple, sophisticated layout allows each work to breathe on the page.

AS A WRITER, HAVE YOU EVER BEEN PUBLISHED IN POTB?

Yes, I’ve had several stories and even a couple of poems featured. But the anonymous nature of the selection process means that I’ve also had work rejected.

Martin recording some of his work
Martin recording some of his work

WHEN AND HOW DID YOU FIRST HEAR ABOUT POTB?

I became aware of POTB in 2002 and was encouraged to submit work. My first story was published in issue four. It felt a little bit like first love.

WHY DID YOU WANT TO GET INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS?

Originally an Aberdeenshire Council initiative, supporting the north-east’s rich literary scene, the publication came under threat in 2006. We couldn’t let such a valuable resource lapse, so a group of volunteers stepped in. From then, our team has steadily grown, along with our website. Our aim is to become part of the local literary firmament. By including works in Doric, we also help keep the language alive.

CAN YOU SPEAK DORIC?

Aye – mibee, bit nae as muckle as sim o the ither contributers!

Martin

WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR INSPIRATION FOR YOUR STORIES?

As an ex-marine biologist, I’m lucky enough to have travelled and worked around the world, beginning as a volunteer in Sierra Leone. Being there in the 1960s – a unique time in the country’s history – I witnessed many incredible things. These kick-started my desire to both write and to reproduce some of the accents I encountered along the way.

WHY SHOULD READERS CONSIDER POTB?

We are unique. With such a wonderfully varied collection of short stories, poems and artwork, both local and global, we feel POTB is a tribute to north-east Scotland.

TELL US AN INTERESTING FACT ABOUT THE LATEST EDITION.

The artwork for this edition’s front cover was gifted to us by internationally acclaimed artist Tom Hammick. Having someone of such stature in the art world donate his print is an acknowledgment of the exceptional standard of work within POTB, and an honour to the team. And of course the wonderful foreword by much loved and admired author Wayne Price.

To order your copy, see: http://www.pushingouttheboat.co.uk/