Brian Whittingham (1950 – 19 January 2022) was a Scottish writer, editor and lecturer on creative writing.
Early life and career
Brian Whittingham was born in
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
, Scotland in 1950. He lived in a council tenement in
Drumchapel
Drumchapel ( gd, Druim a' Chapaill), known locally as 'The Drum', is a district in the north-west of the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It borders Bearsden (in East Dunbartonshire) to the north-east and Drumry (part of Clydebank, in West Dunbarton ...
until the early 1970s.
Before becoming a full-time writer he worked as a steelworker/draftsman in
Glasgow shipbuilding yards close to the
Titan Crane. He worked on the squad that built the
QE2, launched 1967 and attended a gala dinner on board in 2008 to mark the ship's retirement to become a floating hotel in
Palm Jumeirah
The Palm Jumeirah is an archipelago of artificial islands on the Persian Gulf in Jumeirah, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is part of a larger series of developments called the Palm Islands, including Palm Jebel Ali and Palm Deira, which, ...
, Dubai.
Personal life and death
He has two children. He enjoyed the Scottish climate and travel. He was an art fan with a preference for Post impressionists work.
Brian died on 19 January 2022.
Works
;Poetry
Bunnets 'N' Bowlers (A Clydeside Odyssey)(Luath Press)
* Drink The Green Fairy (Luath Press)
* Septimus Pitt & The Grumbleoids (Luath Press, illustrated by Mandy Sinclair)
* Old Man from Brooklyn and The Charing Cross Carpet (Maricat Press)
* Swiss Watches & The Ballroom Dancer (Taranis Books)
* Ergonomic Workstations & Spinning Tea Cans (Taranis Books)
* Industrial Deafness (Crazy Day Press)
;Editorial work
* Making Soup in a storm
* The Dynamics of Balsa
* Bucket of Frogs
*
West Coast Literary Magazine
;Plays
* Diamonds in Bedlam
* The Devil's dandruff
* Boo!
* Smugglers and Black Damp
;Performance
* Ballad of the Big Ships - he read his poetry and told stories of his life in the shipyards.
He recorded
Edwin Morgan's poem, "The Loch Ness Monster Song" as a tribute along with other invited poets, to celebrate Edwin's 80th Birthday.
His workshops have consisted of teenagers writing poems in the sand on the Normandy beaches, senior citizens writing their memories whilst sitting in tramcars in Glasgow's Transport Museum, youngsters writing plant poems in Glasgow's Winter Gardens and Hawaiian students writing dialect pieces in Seattle University.
He has worked as Writer in Residence for East Lothian Council. He has enjoyed long term fellowships at Yaddo in Seattle and Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowship at Chevillon Grez in Paris.
References
Sources
Books From ScotlandScottish Book Trust*
External links
Brian WhittinghamPaisley Daily Express articleScotland Heritage & CultureBBC Radio-Stark interviewGlasgow Evening Times article
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whittingham, Brian
1950 births
2022 deaths
Scottish writers
Scottish poets
Writers from Glasgow
Scottish dramatists and playwrights