creative forces

 Blog # 178...June 2026

There are many wonderful things to see and do in Glasgow. The presence of architect Charles Rennie MacIntosh is everywhere, and great pubsand  restaurants. It's a cool place now but remembers and retains with pride its working class past, The  People's Palace shows how ordinary people lived, worked and played in the city's evolution. There's also a plaque in City Hall marking a visit from Nelson Mandela in1993 to accept the Freedom of the City, awarded to him in 1981 while he was in prison. Then there's the Glasgow Women's Library, a beautiful building, dedicated to women writers and readers. As well as shelves of books and a welcoming atmosphere, they host  authors sharing their work as well as frequent open lectures and workshops on topics of particular interest to women. Every few months, I get their newsletter with the latest menu. A recent  appearance by Donna Moore previewed her new book Knit One, Heist Two. If you liked, as I did, The Thursday Murder Club, you might want to check this one out. 

Scotland seems to be on my mind right now, I've been using my great grandmother's tea set brought over on a ship in the late 1800's, and thinking of her and what that journeyand her arrival here must have been like. As well as being the land of my forebears,Scotland was the centre of psychiatric innovation in the 1970's with RD Laing and Maxwell Jones, among others. 

Still in that mood, last week saw the most moving film I've seen in a while. Called I Swear, it's set in Cailean Shields,a small town about a hundred miles north of Edinburgh. John Davidson is a  promising young football goalie, expecting a visit from a professional scout. Much to everyone's horror,  he develops physical tics and begins  shouting obscenities...yup, it's Tourette's Syndrome. It's not recognized or understood though and his life becomes a misery of ridicule and persecution. Playing John Davidson won the best actor BAFTA (the British OscarT) for Robert Aramayo who makes the role and the film unforgettable.

I'm often thinking of Iran these days too,y I just heard some bits from writers who appeared at Blue Metropolis, the great Montreal literary festival  Azar Nafisi was much in the news in 2003 when we were all  fascinated by Reading Lolita in Tehran where she revealed how  she  encouraged her students to remove their hijab and read forbidden literature as secret acts of rebellion against their restrictive regime.  A quarter of a century later, she's still at it, in the relative safety of the US, and has just published Reading Dangerously. She spoke of the tragedy in her country, but also of the insidious erosion of freedom where she lives now,  for women as well as other vulnerable groups.

Two other Iranian women living in the diaspora are in my thoughts. Christiane Amanpour has a public platform with her daily appearance, with her former husband, Jamie Rubin. called The EX Files. Available  daily,on YouTube, its subtle message is that two people who can't agree to stay married can still discuss topics in a reasonable and respectful way.  They take on the global news, frequently bringing Christiane's personal knowledge and experience of Iran into the conversation.

Some years ago, I met a recently arrived Iranian  woman in a conversation group, set up to give people learning English an opportunity to chat and discover the language casually. I was in touch with her recently and learned that, although her immediate family members are safe here, jerr husband's family are in Iran, with no possible point of contact. The courage of these three women, along with millions of others in many different situations is sobering and cause for gratitude for our basic freedoms here.

Designs coming from the Haida culture are unique and have become easily recgnized and two indigenous artists are bringing these designs into prominenc. Dorothy Grant, a fashion designer who has just been awarded the first prize for indigenous fashion designm usung the motifs on common objects like jewellery and clothing. Briain Jungen does the opposite,taking apart Air Jordan sneakers, arranging them to create Haida patterns. He sats cutting up the sneakers reminds him of gutting a salmon.. Brian's sense of whimsy extends to a life size dinosaur skeleton created with white plastic lawn chairs.

I'm determined to create this issue without mentioning the place where I live, which usually dominates and I'm going to try and be more outwardly directed in future. Any suggestions from your neck of the woods would be welcome,you know where to find me. Back inJuly.