“Most people aren’t comfortable telling that…story of trauma. They want to tell the side of what happened to them and how it hurt—not how they are dysregulated around their own children, or how they shut other people’s emotions down because they can’t cope.”

Darren McGarvey

In this episode, Scott Cassidy sits down with Darren McGarvey —the Orwell Prize-winning author, broadcaster, and hip-hop artist known as Loki. From his creative roots in Glasgow to becoming one of Britain’s most vital cultural commentators, Darren discusses the intersection of creativity, class, and the modern “trauma industry.”

The conversation dives deep into the “proximity gap” in British media, the necessity of personal agency in the face of systemic failure, and the risks of commodifying personal pain in a digital world.

Key Takeaways

* Creativity as an Escape: Darren shares how hip-hop provided an accessible “flow state” during his youth, offering a refuge from anxiety and a tool for direct expression without the barriers to entry found in traditional theatre or arts.

* The “Stamp of Legitimacy”: A candid look at how winning the Orwell Prize changed how Darren was perceived in middle-class media spheres and the “emotional labour” required to navigate different social tiers.

* Agency vs. Systemic Change: Darren addresses the controversy surrounding his stance on personal responsibility. He argues that while systems are often rigged, individuals cannot wait for a revolution to “fix it in post”—they must operate the machinery of their own lives today.

* The Trauma Industrial Complex: A critique of how social media encourages the premature disclosure of trauma. Darren discusses the dangers of “visibility before healing” and why surviving an event is not the same as recovering from it.

* The Power of Peer Support: Drawing from his 10+ years in the recovery community, Darren highlights how 12-step programs and mutual aid provide a radical, localised alternative to overstretched state services.

About the Guest

Darren McGarvey is a Scottish author, broadcaster and cultural commentator. His work explores class, poverty, trauma and political culture in modern Britain. He is the author of Poverty Safari, which won the Orwell Prize, and The Social Distance Between Us, shortlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize. His latest book, Trauma Industrial Complex: How Oversharing Became a Product in a Digital World, examines the risks and contradictions of public storytelling in the social media age. He is also an award-winning hip hop artist, performing as Loki.

Resources & Links Mentioned

* Follow Darren: @darren_mcgarvey on Instagram.

* Books: Poverty Safari, The Social Distance Between Us, and Trauma Industrial Complex.

* Upcoming Tour Dates: Check out the Trauma Industrial Complex live show and grab tickets here

* Creative Mentions: Victoria McNulty, Alan Bissett, and Kevin P. Gilday.

The union is more than a pay negotiation—it’s a bulwark against extremism and a lifeline for the working class.

Gus Sproul, Scottish Chair, FBU

In this episode, we sit down with Gus Sproul, a firefighter of over 20 years and currently the Scottish Regional Chair of the FBU. Gus takes us beyond the sirens to explore the union’s role as a ‘bulwark against extremism’ and a hub for international solidarity. From the front lines of fire safety in Scotland to sending fire engines to Palestine, Gus explains why organised labour is the ultimate tool for challenging systemic injustice.

The conversation takes a poignant turn as Scott and Gus discuss the "hidden killer" facing the fire service. Scott was an operational fire fighter for 10 years and was recently diagnosed with an incurable form of leukaemia. Ground-breaking research funded by the FBU has revealed a terrifying reality: firefighters’ mortality rate from all cancers is 1.6 times higher than the general population. For those in the 35–39 age bracket, the cancer rate is up to 323% higher than their peers in other professions. Most strikingly for Scott’s own journey, the study found that firefighters are over 3 times more likely to die from Leukaemia. These aren't just numbers; they represent a systemic failure to protect those who run into burning buildings, with many being diagnosed with rare or terminal cancers far too late because current NHS screening doesn't account for these heightened occupational risks. Positive cultural changes have been made and improvement continues thanks to the FBU.

Guest: Gus Sproul

* Role: Scottish Regional Chair of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU).

* Background: A 25-year veteran of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. He moved into full-time union leadership in 2022.

* Perspective: Gus is a vocal proponent of working-class political education, viewing the union as a vital source of social awareness and a primary defense against legislative attacks on workers.

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU)

The FBU is the democratic voice for the UK’s firefighters and control staff. Beyond negotiating pay and conditions, the union is a leader in:

* Safety & Standards: Driving the research and legislation required to protect crews from operational hazards.

* Equality: Hosting dedicated sections for B&EMM, LGBT+, and Women members to ensure a protected, diverse workforce.

* Internationalism: Providing life-saving equipment and training to firefighters in conflict zones, including Palestine, through global solidarity initiatives.

The Fight for Firefighter Health

A deeply personal segment of this episode focuses on the link between firefighting and occupational cancer—a subject of particular resonance for host Scott, a ten-year veteran of the service and a sufferer of CML (Chronic Myeloid Leukemia).

* Contaminants & Carcinogens: Discussion on the FBU’s “DECON” campaign, which aims to change fire service culture regarding toxic fire effluents and skin absorption.

* The Legislative Battle: Why the union is fighting for “presumptive legislation,” ensuring that firefighters who develop certain cancers are automatically recognized as having an occupational disease rather than being left to fight for recognition alone.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

* The shift from 1980s community-rooted unionism to today’s legislative challenges.

* The reality of occupational cancer and the urgent need for better health protections for crews.

* Why international solidarity is a core pillar of the FBU’s mission.

* How collective action serves as the ultimate tool for challenging systemic injustice.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

The Creative Origin Story: How 60s records, Britpop, and The Streets shaped her poetic voice.

The "Irish-Not-Irish" Experience: Exploring the immigrant identity through the lens of The Pogues and folk music.

Art as Social Archive: Why Victoria believes working-class art should be told by the community, not just "preserved" by outsiders.

The Ghost of Robert Burns: A candid look at the censorship and backlash Victoria faced for challenging the "Weinsteinian" aspects of Scotland’s national bard.

Urban Decay & Policy: The reality of Glasgow’s changing landscape, from the loss of historic buildings to the rise of "student flat" capitalism.

Key Quotes:

"I always thought... it’s about writing stories that people can relate to. There’s not much in the way of working-class art going on in Scotland, and if there is, you’ve got to fit into a certain bracket."

"I’ve never been censored more in Scotland than I have for criticising Robert Burns."

Bio:

Victoria McNulty is an award winning poet, writer and performer from the East End of Glasgow. Her poetry collection Confessionals and Exiles have been published by Speculative Books. Confessionals was developed into a spoken word theatre show by Sonnet Youth and toured nationally to critical acclaim, while Exiles was developed into a feature theatre film directed by David Hayman JR and Kevin P Gilday. Work from the latter won the 2022 Annual John Byrne award. Victoria is the former Paisley Book Festival Writer in Residence, a former Artist in Residence with Gal Gael as part of the Dandelion Festival 2022 and participant in Edinburgh Book Festival's Outriders Project 2023. Her work has been featured in publications and events by the BBC 6 Music Festival, the Glasgow Story Telling Festival, Nutmeg, Feile and Phobail (Belfast), Edinburgh Festival, the James Connolly Festival (Dublin) and Neu Reekie! She was named Writer o the Year at the 2021 Scots Language Awards and shortlisted with commendations at the prestigious Anne Brown Award at Wigtown Book Festival 2023. She currently works in community outreach for the Scottish Poetry Library. 

Resources & People Mentioned:

Poetry Collections: Confessionals and Exiles (Speculative Books).

Influences: Seamus Heaney, Shane McGowan (The Pogues), Mike Skinner (The Streets), and Joe Strummer.

Community Projects: Cranhill Arts, GalGael, and the Scottish Poetry Library.

Writers/Artists: Alan Bissett, Liz Lochhead, Graham Armstrong, and Katherine Joseph.

Connect with Victoria:

Instagram: @victoriamcnultypoet

Substack: victoriamcnulty.substack.com 

Support The Creative Resistance:

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review. Your support helps us amplify voices that challenge the status quo.

...the poem is an empathy machine. And I think that is what the poetry can do, that rhetoric can't do.

Malika Booker

In this collaborative episode, Scott Cassidy (The Creative Resistance Podcast) joins forces with pal Claire Thom (The Wee Sparrow Poetry Podcast) to welcome the mighty poet, educator, and community-builder Malika Booker.

A pioneering force in contemporary poetry, Malika is a lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University, co-founder of the legendary Malika’s Poetry Kitchen, and the first woman to win the Forward Prize for Best Single Poem twice. Her work spans continents, histories, and poetic traditions — and her influence on literary communities is immeasurable.

Together, we explore:

The origins and ethos of Malika’s Poetry Kitchen — how a kitchen table became a radical space for craft, equity, and collective learning.

Poetry as resistance: its power to bear witness, disrupt oppressive narratives, and cultivate empathy in a frightening and unstable world.

Community as intervention — the importance of DIY spaces, peer mentorship, and cultural lineage.

How poetry can help decolonise history, reclaim erased narratives, and challenge literary gatekeeping.

The tensions around trigger warnings, audience fragility, and the politics of “identity.”

Malika’s poetic elders, influences, and how they shaped her voice and responsibility as a writer.

Readings from Pepper Seed and her forthcoming collection, including new work rooted in the language of the King James Bible, Caribbean rituals, and women’s stories.

This episode is a rich and deeply resonant conversation about art, ancestry, resistance, and the communities that help us create.

Connect

Malika Booker: Instagram - @malika.booker

The Creative Resistance Podcast:

Instagram - @thecreativeresistancepodcast

Substack - substack.com/@thecreativeresistancepodcast

The Wee Sparrow Poetry Podcast:

Instagram - @theweesparrowpoetrypodcast

Substack - substack.com/@theweesparrowpoetrypress

www.theweesparrowpoetrypress.com/

“Music is one of the most present mysteries that we have — in how it connects us and transforms us.”

“Living within two worlds showed me that if there are two possibilities, there are infinite ones.”

— Dani Larkin

In this episode, Scott Cassidy is joined by Irish folk artist Dani Larkin — a Belfast‑based singer‑songwriter and multi‑instrumentalist whose work bridges contemporary folk and ancient storytelling traditions. Her internationally acclaimed debut Notes For A Maiden Warrior brought her to stages at SXSW, WOMEX, and tours with Snow Patrol, Lisa O’Neill and Glen Hansard. She is a PRS Foundation Creator of the Year (2025) and RTÉ Folk Awards nominee whose collaborations include performances with both the Ulster Orchestra and RTÉ Concert Orchestra.

Dani’s new album Next of Kin (2026) has been praised as “a transformational experience” (MOJO) expanding her sound into a more cinematic, immersive world that sees her own songs hold space – and hold their own - alongside some traditional and well-loved tracks.

What We Discuss

* Growing up on the Irish borderlands and how liminal spaces shaped her creativity

* Music as connection: Dani’s experience using songwriting in peace‑building work in places like Palestine

* Intuition in artistry: why she trusts instinct over theory

* The making of Next of Kin — its cinematic scope, traditional influences, and emotional architecture

* Recent orchestral performances, including her appearance with the Ulster Orchestra and a 200‑piece choir

Connect with Dani

Website & tour dates: www.danilarkin.com Newsletter: Feather & Flint | Dani Larkin | Substack

Instagram: @dani_larkin_New album: Next of Kin — out now

"I think it’s a beautiful kind of alchemy to turn something so shitty into something so positive... my metric of creativity, the metaphors I use, everything that I'm interested in comes from that excavation of the grieving process."

Kirsty Strang-Roy

For the first “on the road” episode of The Creative Resistance Podcast, I was joined by writer, bookseller and facilitator Kirsty Strang-Roy. I’m lucky to call Kirsty a friend and we recorded this in her beautiful writing cabin on the south side of Glasgow, sitting among the piles of kit that I’m yet to fully figure out!

As well as shining a light on Kirsty’s phenomenal writing, this conversation is a deep dive into creative practice exploring how we navigate personal trauma and the weight of a collapsing world by rooting ourselves in play and community. Kirsty shares her journey from a childhood in rural Aberdeenshire to becoming a trauma-informed practitioner who advocates for “learning through play.” We talk about why gathering to write and “chat absolute nonsense” isn’t just a hobby—it’s a vital act of survival in an age of empathy paralysis.

I hope you enjoy the chat.

Scott Cassidy

Inside the Episode

* The Radical Nature of Play: Kirsty discusses her “Froebel-informed” approach to adult creativity. We explore how Friedrich Froebel’s original kindergarten principles serve as a rebellion against a culture that only values the end product.

* Grief as Geography: A moving exploration of how the loss of her brother shaped Kirsty’s writing and her ability to hold “brave spaces” for others.

* Gathering: The impact of Write Like a Grrrl and why showing up for each other acts as a physical salve for the nervous system.

* Deep Time and Landscape: Using folklore and mythology to unearth our place in the world today, from the stone circles of the North East to the witch trial maps of Scotland.

About Kirsty

Kirsty is a writer, bookseller, and creative facilitator living in Glasgow. Her work explores a sense of place through seasonal shifts and excavations of deep time; unearthing themes of grief, connection, and the body. She teaches the Write Like a Grrrl course and leads creative writing and participatory workshops in collaboration with organizations such as Arkbound, The Barn, SMHAF, and Glasgow Life.

Resources Mentioned

* The Library: Louise Glück, Max Porter (Lanny), Lewis Grassic Gibbon (Sunset Song), Margaret Atwood, Anne Carson, and Samuel Beckett.

* The Framework: Froebel’s play theory, Deep Ecology, and the National Library of Scotland’s map archives.

* The Practice: Write Like a Grrrl, trauma-informed facilitation, and the “shitty alchemy” of the creative process.

Contact

* Write Like a Grrrl - www.writelikeagrrrl.org

* Kirsty's Instagram - www.instagram.com/kirstystrangroycreates/

Bio

Alan Bissett is a playwright, novelist and performer who was born and raised in Falkirk.  He is the author of four novels: Boyracers (2001), The Incredible Adam Spark (2005), Death of a Ladies' Man (2009) and Pack Men (2011), the latter two of which were shortlisted for Scottish Arts Council Fiction of the Year prize. His most well-known work for the stage is the award-winning Moira Trilogy (2009-2022).  He has also presented the television documentary Inside the Mind of Robert Burns for BBC Scotland, and his most recent work of non-fiction, Lads (2023) was the winner of the School Librarians Association Information Book of the Year.  He is currently touring his new solo show, When Billy Met Alasdair (2025), in which he plays both Billy Connolly and Alasdair Gray.

Key Topics

The "Trainspotting" Moment: How Scottish literature, and specifically Trainspotting's punk ethos, cracked the world open for Alan and gave him permission to write in his own voice.

The Middle-Ground Muddle: That strange, often lonely space of navigating social mobility and identity.

Reimagining the "Bro Code": Alan opens up about his work with young men, discussing consent, respect, and why he still "loves being male" while advocating for a healthier, more empathetic version of masculinity.

When Billy met Alasdair: We talk about his current tour where he takes on the monumental task of playing both Billy Connolly and Alasdair Gray.

Stay Up to Date:

If you want to keep up with Alan’s plays, books, or his touring schedule, check out the links below:

Official Website: alanbissett.com

Instagram: @boyracerbissett

Catch Alan Live: "When Billy Met Alasdair"

Sunday, 15th March 2026 Lochwinnoch Arts Festival (McKillop Institute) Doors 7:00 PM | Start 7:30 PM Get Tickets via Eventbrite

Saturday, 28th March 2026 Glasgow International Comedy Festival (Citizens Theatre) Start 7:30 PM Get Tickets via Glasgow Comedy Festival

Poetry is not a luxury. It is a vital necessity of our existence. It forms the quality of the light within which we predicate our hopes and dreams toward survival and change, first made into language, then into idea, then into more tangible action.

Audre Lorde

This bonus episode was recorded live at MF Coffee in Summerhall, Edinburgh in a room full to the brim of beautiful souls gathered to raise funds and awareness for Thousand Madleens to Gaza. The Thousand Madleens are an organisation who sail in a show of civilian resistance and they will be joining forces with other flotillas this spring to carry aid and a message of solidarity and hope to the people of Palestine.

Scott Cassidy was in conversation with Palestinian poet Salsabil El-awaisi, traditional musician Jonathan Foster, and activist Ruaidhri (Ru) Mackay (Munros for Gaza / Thousand Madleens). Together, they explore how culture acts as a counter-narrative to dehumanisation, boots-on-the-ground activism, burnout and the direct action required to break a physical and psychological siege.

Art as Necessity

We begin with the creative process of “bearing witness.” Salsabil shares her experience of standing before an audience for the first time to share poems about her roots, explaining how heartbreak and frustration are transformed into a beauty that stands in stark contrast to the barbarity being live streamed from her homeland. We discuss the movement to put “names over numbers,” challenging a mainstream media narrative that often reduces human lives to mere statistics.

* Culture as Survival: Salsabil reflects on how storytelling—through music, poetry, or food—is how a history lives on when a system attempts to erase it.

* Music as Solidarity: Jonathan explores the resonance between Scottish traditional music - and music as a whole - and the current struggle for Palestinian liberation. He talks of music as a tool for telling stories and shares the incredible tale of Callum’s Road, captured in song and showing what can be achieved when the power-that-be won’t listen.

* Tangible Action: Ru discusses the “Munros for Gaza” campaign—raising the Palestinian flag across Scotland’s 282 highest peaks—and the “Thousand Madleens” flotilla mission to physically break the siege of gaza in a show of legal and essential civilian resistance.

Key Questions Answered

* How does poetry act as a counter-narrative to mainstream media dehumanisation? Salsabil discusses the vital importance of capturing individual stories to resist the reduction of people to statistics.

* What is the link between Scottish traditional music and political resistance? Jonathan explains how the ceilidh (gathering) and traditional tunes are rooted in a history of displacement and community-led action.

* Is non-violent direct action effective for breaking a blockade? Ru explains the necessity of moving beyond placards toward high-stakes, peaceful intervention like the Freedom Flotilla.

Get involved/Contact:

Instagram -

The Thouseand Madleens to Gaza: @thousandmadleen.uk

Ruaidhri MacKay: @amsg2urudy

Salsabil El-awaisa: @seinterior

MF Coffee Shop (in Summerhall): @mfcoffeeshop

The Creative Resistance Podcast: @thecreativeresistancepodcast

Scott Cassidy: @scottcassidywrites

“Writing the last word of a poem, knowing it has a message that might reach someone one day... that is a bigger buzz than gambling.”

In the first episode of 2026, I sit down with poet and advocate Cat Cochrane to discuss a journey that began in the smoke-filled bookies of Glasgow and led to a profound creative awakening in rehab. Cat opens up about the invisible line of addiction, the predatory targeting of the gambling industry, and how she used performance poetry to “rewire” her brain and reclaim her soul. This is a conversation about finding your tribe, speaking truth to power, and the radical independence of being a lone ninja in the creative arts.

Cat’s story is a vivid map of the modern landscape of addiction—moving from the social atmosphere of physical betting shops to the 24/7 isolation of online slots. We dive into the perfect storm of the lockdown years and the pivotal moment Cat realized that her creativity had been the first casualty of her gambling. It was only through an intense recovery process in Birmingham that she found a future “not where it used to be” and committed to writing and publishing her first book within a single year.

About Cat: Cat is a writer, journalist and performance poet from Glasgow. Dipping in and out of the west of Scotland patois, her storytelling delves into working class dreams and sensibilities.

She has two published books of short stories and poems titled Sugartown and Sweet Tease.

Cat is currently working on a new book and photography project titled Glasgow Hairdresser’s and Barber’s Tales and is producer and host of No Dice, an audio podcast series covering stories of female gambling addiction and journeys of recovery across Scotland, now currently available on Spotify.

The Core Conversations

* The Invisible Line: How a “restless” return to Glasgow turned into a decade-long battle with online gambling, and the specific moment in a Riverside casino where Cat decided to seek help.

* The “Pink Pound” and Predatory Marketing: An eye-opening look at how the gambling industry targets women, the LGBT community, and even children through the “gamification” of video games and “loot boxes.”

* Rewiring through Poetry: Cat explains how personifying gambling as a toxic relationship allowed her to set boundaries and why the adrenaline of a Tuesday night open-mic beats any high a roulette wheel could offer.

* Radical Independence: Why Cat chooses to remain a “sole trader” and “lone wolf,” keeping her voice independent of institutional lines so she can speak the unvarnished truth about the industry.

The Resistance Resource List

If Cat’s story resonated with you, here is the index of resources and creative touchstones mentioned in the episode:

* The Advocacy: Aila (the Gaelic-inspired support hub for women) and Gamblers Anonymous (GA).

* The Listen: The No Dice Podcast—Cat’s 12-episode journey arc exploring the female experience of gambling harm.

* The Verse: The work of Graham Fulton (the Paisley-based “optimist”) and the vibrant Glasgow performance poetry scene.

The Future: Look out for Cat’s upcoming social documentation project, Glasgow Hairdressers and Barbers Tales, launching Summer 2026.

Thanks for reading The Creative Resistance! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

"Are we truly happy, or are we just running faster and faster for golden rings that don't exist?"

This was the question at the heart of my conversation this week with the brilliant Davina Quinlivan. We sat down to discuss her new memoir, Possessions, and it turned into an essential manifesto for anyone feeling "severed" from their body by the modern digital workplace. We explore how to reclaim agency in an era of precarity, from the "Academic Barbie" persona to why the radical act of loafing is a vital defence against the demand for constant productivity.

About the Book: 'Possessions'

Launching in late January 2026 via Little Toller, Possessions: A memoir of transformation in an era of precarity is a genre-defying exploration of heritage, education, and the environment. Following her acclaimed work Shalimar, Quinlivan uses magical realism and visceral prose to navigate the tensions of mixed-heritage identity and the "rigged game" of the modern professional world.

The Deep Dive and Core Conversations

The "Academic Barbie" Mask: Davina unpacks the performative "chameleon" nature required to navigate elite institutions as a working-class person of mixed heritage. At what point does the mask stop protecting you and start erasing you?

The Cartesian Split (Digital Burnout): A profound look at how the Zoom era attempts to sever the head from the body, treating humans as data streams rather than physical beings.

The Sonic the Hedgehog Metaphor: Why the gig economy feels like a simulation where we run faster and faster for "golden rings" (funding and approval), only to risk losing it all on a single "spike."

Reclaiming the 'Radical Loaf': Turning the negative label of "loafing" into a positive act of resistance. How observing the natural world and "ancestral time" disrupts the colonial-capitalist clock.

Shoutouts were given to the mighty Bookbag in Exeter, and Edinburgh’s Argonaut Books and The Portobello Bookshop

Connect with Davina - 

Instagram: @qdavina

Publisher: www.littletoller.co.uk

More about the book - https://womensprize.com/why-i-write-imaginative-memoir-by-davina-quinlivan/ 

Bio: Caro is an author living in Glasgow with her four daughters. She has also worked as an actor, a musician and a teacher. Caro is a full time carer to two of her daughters who are unable to access education at school. She writes about the challenges of trying to access support from underfunded and often hostile systems, and uses her work to highlight educational and care issues, describing her writing as a form of activism. Caro is the author of two memoirs - Twelve Moons (HarperNorth 2023) and Unschooled (Little Toller 2025). She writes about female identity and the value of creativity amongst the challenges of full time caring. She is a monthly columnist for Psychologies and has written for publications including The Sunday Times, The i and Grazia. She was names BBC Countryfile’s inaugural New Nature Writer of the year. Her words can also be found on Substack and Instagram @carogileswrites.

Instagram: @carogileswrites

Substack: carogiles.substack.com

Gemma Cairney is a British broadcaster and published author that has explored the intersections of creativity that is in her DNA since training in Theatre at the start of noughties at The BRIT School for Performing Arts...

Decades later, her CV is expansive, from honing her craft in live radio for years hosting daily shows at the BBC to using her voice for global campaigns, founding a boutique production company and writing published books on subjects that explore humanity, arts and culture. She is Chair of the Board for the Edinburgh Art Festival where she is currently based and her new book (which she's also cultivated into a live experimental ensemble-led experience) will be published by Canongate in 2026.

www.theimmortalsisterhood.live

www.gemmacairney.co.uk

Instagram: @gemagain 

Patreon: www.patreon.com/gemmacairney

Kirsty Mulcahy is a transformational coach, speaker, and founder of SkyRose Coaching and SoberBuzz Scotland. Sober since 2017, she believes choosing an alcohol-free life in a booze-soaked culture is a rebellious act of self-love and one of the most empowering decisions you can make. Her mission is to show others that life without alcohol isn’t about what you give up, but everything you gain.

https://skyrosecoaching.com/

https://www.soberbuzzscotland.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skyrosecoaching_ and https://www.instagram.com/soberbuzzscotlandcic

Support: https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/advice-and-support/alcohol-support-services/support-lines

Keiran is an internationally published novelist, poet and social theorist. His first collection was shortlisted for the William Blake prize, his debut novel HOURGLASS was listed for the Desmond Elliott prize and his latest novel I SEE BUILDINGS FALL LIKE LIGHTNING has been published to widespread acclaim, nominated for the Gordon Burn Prize, and is currently in production as a major feature film ( adapt - Enda Walsh, Dir- Clio Barnard, prod - BBC ). He also writes regularly as a critic for The Guardian and The Observer.

Inge is a composer-producer whose interdisciplinary work draws on the environment via sound manipulation and the use of traditional instruments to create advanced contemporary audio landscapes.

Long celebrated as a member of the Karine Polwart Trio, Inge is also a vibrant force within female and non-binary writing and production collective Hen Hoose. She has created acclaimed commissions for festivals such as Tectonics, HippFest and Counterflows, the latter awarding her a three block artist residency in Vietnam. Her ventures in screen sound include scores for the award winning CBC animation Grape Soda In The Parking Lot and the BBCs Bafta winning Fair Isle: Living on the Edge.

Inge and I delve deep into what creativity can look like when writing in response, we explore community, collaboration and the importance of artists lifting other artists. Inge’s work is every bit as beautiful as she is ace. I hope you enjoy the conversation.

Karim Ali is the co-founder and international coordinator of the Gaza Sunbirds, a para-cycling team established in 2020 in the Gaza Strip.1

He co-founded the team with cyclist Alaa al-Dali to provide competitive sporting opportunities for disabled athletes in Gaza, many of whom are amputees due to injuries sustained from Israeli forces.2 In addition to managing the team, he acts as a spokesperson, responsible for sharing the Gaza Sunbirds’ story internationally and as we discuss, the Sunbirds have developed into so much more than a para-sports team, now operating an expanded mission including rehabilitation and international aid. The team are thriving in the face of huge adversity and Karim paints a vital picture.

Ruaidhri MacKay is an activist and organiser involved in the international coordination of Thousand Madleens to Gaza, a civil resistance grassroots movement using non-violent direct action to confront injustice in Palestine and amplify unheard voices. He also works with Greenpeace’s Climb Team and Extinction Rebellion on action planning and design, focusing on creative, strategic, and safe approaches to protest. Campaigning for social and environmental justice, his activism explores how peaceful resistance, storytelling, and solidarity can be tools for liberation and repair in times of global crisis.

Find out More -

gazasunbirds.org

Instagram: @gazasunbirds

thousandmadleens.org

Instagram: @thousandmadleenstogaza

"One of the most extraordinary voices in British indie" The Guardian

"A glorious broken beauty" Louder Than War

"There’s a plethora of brilliance to found on Filthy Underneath"

4/5 The Skinny

"An unforgettable experience, and a career high" 9/10 Clash

Shah is a Mercury Prize- nominated songwriter and musician who released her fifth critically acclaimed album ‘Filthy Underneath’ in Spring 2024.

Alongside unilateral A-list support at BBC 6 music, this recent album campaign also provided for Nadine’s first tv show appearances with full band - with Jools Holland - and on RTE’S Other Voices - along with live performances on 6 Music’s Steve Lamacq’s show and BBC Radio 4’s Loose Ends show with Clive Anderson.

Much loved and respected by other artists for the intensity of her performance and soaring vocal skills, she has collaborated and shared a bill with Young Fathers, Massive Attack, Depeche Mode, Patti Smith, Annie Lennox, New Order and Elbow and recently appeared as a guest vocalist on The Pogues 40th Anniversary iteration of their ‘Red Roses for Me ‘ album tour alongside their 'Sodomy & The Lash’ tour across the UK and Europe.

This summer she played a full schedule of gigs and festivals in her own right - to include Glastonbury’s Other Stage - and this Autumn is supporting Self Esteem (with whom she also recently collaborated) on various dates across the UK.

Her albums touching on such subjects as mental health and addiction, Shah is no stranger to speaking out and has lent her voice to many other causes that she is passionate about.

She has also established herself as a presenter across a number of events such as The Q Awards and the AIM Awards; on programmes for 6 Music, BBC Sounds and Radio 4; and via her own Instagram Stories series PAYBACK, which saw her interview music journalists during lockdown.

She has appeared as Titania in Matthew Dunster’s rep production of a MIDSUMMER’S NIGHT DREAM for Northern Theatre in 2023 whilst also contributing to the music, and is in the upcoming film NIGHT AND DAY based on Virginia Wolf’s novel with Lily Allen. She regularly composes music for TV and film.

Currently working on a new album AND a new TV series set for release 2026.