Brian Whittingham
Encyclopedia
Brian Whittingham is a Scottish writer, editor and lecturer on creative writing.
, Scotland in 1950. He lived in a council tenement in Drumchapel
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
, Dubai.
Editorial work
Plays
Performance
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.
Early life and career
Brian Whittingham was born in GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland in 1950. He lived in a council tenement in Drumchapel
Drumchapel
Drumchapel , known to locals and residents as 'The Drum', is part of the city of Glasgow, Scotland, having been annexed from Dunbartonshire in 1938. It borders Bearsden to the east and Clydebank to the west . The area is bordered by Knightswood and Yoker in Glasgow. The name derives from the...
until the early 1970s.
Before becoming a full time writer he worked as a steelworker/draftsman in Glasgow shipbuilding yards
John Brown & Company
John Brown and Company of Clydebank was a pre-eminent Scottish marine engineering and shipbuilding firm, responsible for building many notable and world-famous ships, such as the , the , the , the , the , and the...
close to the Titan Crane
Titan Clydebank
Titan Clydebank is a high cantilever crane that was built in 1907 in Clydebank, Scotland. It was designed to be used in the lifting of heavy equipment, such as engines and boilers, during the fitting-out of battleships and ocean liners at the John Brown & Company shipyard, then the biggest...
. 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
Palm Jumeirah
The Palm Jumeirah is an artificial archipelago created using land reclamation by Nakheel, a company owned by the Dubai government in United Arab Emirates. It is one of three islands called the Palm Islands which extend into the Persian Gulf, increasing Dubai’s shoreline by a total of...
, Dubai.
Personal life
He has two children. He enjoys the Scottish climate and travel.He is an art fan with a preference for Post impressionists work.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 MagazineWest Coast MagazineWest Coast Magazine . was a 3 times a year Scottish literary publication consisting of poetry, short fiction, articles, essays and reviews. Founding editors were Gordon Giles, Kenny MacKenzie and Joe Murray. The proof issue appeared in October 1987 and contained some articles and poems that did not...
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.