Beyond Burns

Alistair Heather takes listeners on a tour of Scotland's modern poetry of place revealing the Scots language is alive and thriving all the way from Dundee to the Orkney islands.

As a lover and champion of the Scots language Alistair has explored the length and breadth of Scotland all from his sofa by immersing himself in the poetry that comes from there. George Mackay Brown wrote of Orkney 'for the islands I sing'. That tradition of celebrating your place applies across the country from post-industrial Dundee though the work of Taylor Dyson up the east coast to Aberdeen with Shane Strachan and all the way back to the Orkney islands in the mesmerising work of sci-fi poet Josie Giles.

Alistair's tour concludes by taking a national perspective speaking to Scotland's outgoing national poet or 'Makar' Kathleen Jamie.

Written and presented by Alistair Heather

Produced by Peter McManus

A BBC Audio Scotland production for Radio 4

Alistair Heather explores the richness of modern Scots language poetry.

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