11/03/2009
A new quotation is to be added to the Canongate Wall at Holyrood to mark a decade of devolution. Presiding Officer Alex Fergusson MSP today launched the hunt to find a new addition to the 24 quotes already in place on the Wall.
Announcing the start of the search, Mr Fergusson said: “The Canongate Wall was always supposed to be a living wall – one that we would add to when the time was right. We believe that as we approach our tenth anniversary, that time is now.
"We are asking people to nominate a well-loved or significant piece of writing that is relevant for Scotland, perhaps something that expresses how they feel about Scotland, what it means to be Scottish, or hopes for the future.”
Members of the public are asked to suggest a piece of writing by a living, deceased or even anonymous writer that highlights ideas or values relevant to Scotland. The winning quotation will be carved in the Wall alongside the existing 24 quotations, many of which commemorate the work of Scotland’s leading writers.
Submissions of no more than 50 words should be entered by 5pm on Monday 31 August. Suggestions for writing in English, Gaelic or Scots are welcomed.
Background
The selection panel comprises:
- Robin Harper MSP - Chair
- Ted Brocklebank MSP
- Patricia Ferguson MSP
- Ian McKee MSP
- Jeremy Purvis MSP
- Robyn Marsack – director of the Scottish Poetry Library
- Marion Bourbouze – Scottish Book Trust
- Professor Douglas Dunn, poet and academic