Mallaig Book Festival has revealed new names for this year’s line-up – and the winner of their poetry competition.
In spirit of National Poetry Day, the Write Hihgland Hoolie has announced Jackie Kay, Emma Grae and Hugh McMillan among their author line-up.
This year, A Write Highland Hoolie celebrates its first ever poetry competition where entries were judged by award-winning poet, Marjorie Lofti.
The competition is held in memory of Deirdre Roberts, a key member of the organisation who sadly away passed in 2021.
Hoolie committee member, Ann Martin, says: “We decided the best way to commemorate her support was to inaugurate a poetry competition in her memory.”
Poetry competition winner Rafael Torrubia shares the story behind their winning entry.
Jackie Kay: ‘It’s a right laugh’
With each passing year, A Write Highland Hoolie has gone from strength to strength.
The book festival hosts an array of authors, musicians, speakers, poets and other creatives alike.
This year, the lineup features critically acclaimed talent such as Jackie Kay, Emma Grae, Hugh McMillan, Lin Anderson, Alan Windrum and more.
Award-winning author and poet, Jackie Kay, describes A Write Highland Hoolie as ‘a right laugh’.
“I had a fantastic and memorable time when I was there last, up into the wee small hours. The combination of music and poetry is second to none.”
Also ‘egregiously excited’ to attend the Mallaig Book Festival is poetry competition winner, Rafael Torrubia.
Rafael’s writing is ‘inflected’ with their Scottish upbringing
An award-winning writer of fiction, history and ‘all things in-between’, Rafael is no stranger to poetry.
They have published work with the National Gallery of Scotland, Jupiter Artland, Corvid Queen and more.
Rafael describes being the prize-winner as ‘wonderful’, as much of their writing “has been inflected” with their Scottish upbringing.
“It feels like coming home. This story meant a lot to me, so I’m glad it’s out there.”
Rafael came across the Hoolie’s competition on Twitter, a platform they say is a place where poets and poetry magazines work hard to ‘foster a sense of community’.
“It’s amazing to me that I can log on in the morning and read poems from Hawaii, and Nigeria, and Paris, while I’m having my wee morning coffee in Fife.”
However, it would be an Arvon workshop in Totleigh Barton that would inspire their winning poem, ‘lamb’.
Winning poem was inspired by “waiting, hope and love”
Rafael went to the workshop as a respite from supporting their father through cancer treatment.
“At the time I was thinking a lot about waiting, hope, and love, and where we put things like hope or love when we have to hold them for longer than we feel capable of.”
Rafael has been writing since they were a child. “My mum claims a poem called Panda Up In Space was my first. I might have peaked early.”
However, it was when they joined a writing group at the National Gallery of Scotland that they got ‘hooked’.
Part of Rafael’s prize includes £250 in book tokens for The Highland Bookshop, which will be presented by Hugh McMillan.
When asked if they had a particular book they were excited to buy, Rafael said: “if I claimed to have narrowed down my massive shortlist, I’d be lying through my teeth.”
However, they do have their eye on Manchán Magan’s Tree Dogs, Banshee Fingers and Other Irish Words for Nature, as well as Robin Robertson’s Grimoire.
Although, they claim “half the fun is having something you never heard of sneak up on you”.
How to attend the Mallaig Book Festival
A Write Highland Hoolie is being hosted at the West Highland Hotel, Mallaig, from November 11th – 13th.
Tickets are available here.
You can also follow the Hoolie on Facebook for regular updates.
To see more of Rafael Torrubia, you can follow their journey on Twitter or website.
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