New Scots Scriever Appointed from Shetland

Claire White has been appointed as the Shaetlan Scriever and takes up a year-long residency with the National Library of Scotland this month.

In partnership with Creative Scotland, the residency aims to support the creation of original writing in Scots as well as the promotion of the language with communities throughout Scotland. The post follows successful appointments in previous years with Taylor Dyson as Dundee and Angus Scriever, Susi Briggs as Dumfries and Galloway Scriever, Shane Strachan as Doric Scriever, and Alison Miller as Orcadian Scriever. This year, the Library specifically sought applicants from Shetland to be the Shaetlan Scriever.

The residency gives White the opportunity to explore the richness of the National Library’s Scots language collections, as well as the space and time to produce original work in Shaetlan.

Claire White is a songwriter and traditional fiddle player from Shetland. She has been writing awardwinning songs, mostly in the Shaetlan language, since 2010, and released the album Lasses Trust In Providence in December 2018. Since 2020 she has produced and presented BBC Radio Shetland 60-minute winter programmes including a series about local language entitled Midder Tongue.

“A’m so very blyde ta hiv bön appointed da Shaetlan Scriever d’year," she said. "Da National Library o Scotland’s resources’ll be a acht in researchin an writin sangs i’da newly offeeshil Shaetlan language. A’ll be sharin me creative practice an feenished wark as I geng alang an A'm luikin forwird ta spaekin wi aabody aboot da place o Shaetlan an Scots language i’wir lives. Wir midder tongue is dear ta mony fock an hit’s winderfil ta celebrate hit trowe dis residency.”

White has delivered song and storytelling workshops in almost all Shetland schools over the past four years. She has also been working with the Scots Language Centre on developing Scots song school learning resources for national use, as well as Scots song films to be accessed online.

“Scots is woven through our education, culture and community life," said Màiri McAllan, Cabinet Secretary for Education, Culture and Gaelic. “Scrievers have come from all over the country, demonstrating the richness and diversity of Scots in its regional forms."