At the moment I'm working hard preparing for the annual ConFAB Inter City Schools Slam in the Aye Write Festival (9 March). I'm always amazed at what the pupils produce and their enthusiasm for the project. And the great news is that, as a spin-off, Harry Zevenbergen has invited me and Viv G to take part in the Haganum Young People's Art Festival in The Hague, Holland, in April. Hopefully some budding Scottish poets will make it there too.

Last November I hugely enjoyed my involvement with the Edinburgh City Libraries Green Pencil Award. I'm now looking forward to a creative writing workshop with the winners at the end of this month at Edinburgh Central Library Children's Department. The Green Pencil Award, a creative writing competition for primary school pupils, is moving into its fifth year. As the name suggests, the theme is always environmental. When I was the Green Pencil Award Poet the theme was trees – you can find my poem 'Trees' here.

I have been very busy traveling around Scotland to run workshops in schools and universities and in March I'll be returning to the Arts Across Learning Festival.

I was thrilled to receive a copy of Hopes and Dreams, the first 'collaborative publication' from the Life Group, Aberdeen and publishers Reading Bus. What a beautiful book, the visuals are stunning and it's a great feeling to have been one of the writers involved. The children did us all proud.

Stateside - my collaboration with New York based singer-songwriter Greg Stewart is about to bear fruit - or, as Rumi might have put it, sweet and juicy it's reached the moment to drop, fully ripened, from the tree. Greg used my poem 'Three Monkeys and Me' as lyrics for a track on his CD 'No Future in War'. He is now producing the final cut of his animated video of 'Three monkeys' – which you will soon be able to view here (as well as buy Greg's CD).

Stateside - my collaboration with New York based singer-songwriter Greg Stewart is about to bear fruit - or, as Rumi might have put it, sweet and juicy it's reached the moment to drop, fully ripened, from the tree. Greg used my poem 'Three Monkeys and Me' as lyrics for a track on his CD 'No Future in War'. He is now producing the final cut of his animated video of 'Three monkeys' – which you will soon be able to view here (as well as buy Greg's CD).

Keeping in international mode, there's an under-wraps plan afoot which may take me to Holland - but more of that when the wraps are off!

And back home in Scotland, on 25 November I'll be presenting the prizes for the Edinburgh City Libraries Green Pencil Award. This creative writing competition for primary school pupils is in its fourth year and as the name suggests, the theme is always environmental. This year the theme is trees – so it's lucky that I just happen to have one on that subject I prepared earlier (well, last week). I'll also be presenting a creative writing workshop at the winning school.

I was thrilled to receive a copy of Hopes and Dreams, the first 'collaborative publication' from the Life Group, Aberdeen and publishers Reading Bus. What a beautiful book, the visuals are stunning and it's a great feeling to have been one of the writers involved. The children did us all proud.

Bob Holman Photo © Jennie Renton 2011

News Archive

19/01/11

After a preparation-packed February, March is going to be full-on for me. I'm participating in the Arts Across Learning Festival in Aberdeen (2nd-3rd and 24th-25th). The final of ConFab's Inter City School Slam (a project I've been closely involved with for seven years now) takes place on the 4th at the Aye Write Festival, Glasgow – and the very same day I take part in the Aye Write Slam which I qualified for at Utter's Scots and Geordies Slam in the 2010 Edinburgh Festival. Also, I'll be in Fife for the Creative Mash Up (19th-20th).

And I'm really looking forward to the party after my OU graduation ceremony in Glasgow on 28th May – all that hard work finally paid off with a BA (hons) in Humanities/Lit.