We are thrilled to announce the publication of the new original poetry collection ‘O’er a’ my labours sey your skill’: Poetic Responses to Robert Fergusson, edited by Rhona Brown and Amy Wilcockson. The volume is published by the independent Edinburgh publisher Taproot Press and is available to purchase on their website now.
Wednesday 10th September 2025 saw our Glasgow celebration of the collection, held at the University’s Advanced Research Centre. We were honoured to host many of our wonderful poets who read their original contributions to the collection. Our wonderful contributors were Chris Tait, Ash Caton, Ann MacKinnon, Robert Duncan, Brittan Benson, Alan Millar, David McVey, Callum Irvine, Rebecca McCallum, Calum MacLean Esler, James McGonigal, Petra Johana Poncarová, Don J. Taylor, Rodge Glass and Elle Nash, Lesley Buchan Donald, Pippa Goldschmidt, Paul Malgrati, and Isaac Le Vin. Gillebride Macmillan, our Gaelic Editor gave an informative account of his practice in translating our Gaelic poems into English, and treated us to a reading of more of the collection’s Gaelic poetry. The final speaker was our wonderful cover designer and illustrator, Andrew Redmond Barr, discussing his inspiration behind the cover and the wider influences behind his creative practice. A drinks reception followed as we toasted the book and all the amazing contributors who have brought it to life!
Audience members also loved the event, with our feedback including comments such as ‘Thank you for a wonderful event. It has had an impact on my own practice and appreciation of language and poetry’; ‘A wonderful celebration – a braw clanjamfry o fowks an rhymes!’; and lots of appreciation of both Fergusson and our wonderful poets’ works!
Future events:
We look forward now to our online launch event of the collection, which is taking place on Thursday 25th September 2025, 6pm – 7.30pm, via Zoom. Tickets are available here for the online launch.
We are also excited for our Edinburgh launch event on Wednesday 15th October 2025, starting at 6.30pm, at Golden Hare Books, 68 St Stephen Street, EH3 5AQ. We’re thrilled to announce too that Pàdraig MacAoidh | Peter Mackay, Scotland’s Makar, will be joining us at the event and reading his poem written especially for the collection. Ticket details for this event will be announced shortly.
More information about the collection:
Dubbed his ‘elder brother in the muse’ by Robert Burns, the influence of Robert Fergusson upon eighteenth-century Scots poets cannot be overstated. A chronicler of Edinburgh and populariser of the ‘standard habbie’, he opened the door for generations of poets documenting urban life as it evolved throughout the Enlightenment and beyond. And yet, his popular legacy pales in comparison to his Ayrshire-born namesake.
In this collection, across Scots, English and Gaelic, a wealth of contemporary poets respond to his work. From tributes to biographies to departures, Scotland’s most celebrated writers and emerging poets alike evoke the enduring impact of Fergusson upon their work, proving that, two hundred and fifty years after his death, his song immortal lives.
To find out more about ‘O’er a’ my labours sey your skill’: Poetic Responses to Robert Fergusson, check out the Taproot Press website here.
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With thanks to the School of Critical Studies for their support of the Glasgow celebration and launch event.