AN announcement was due to have been made any day now about the appointment of a new Makar, Scotland’s national poet, to replace Jackie Kay, who is coming to the end of her five-year tenure of office.
The National can reveal, however, that a completely new selection process is being introduced for the post, Kay was announced as Makar on March 15, 2016, and it was anticipated in Scottish literary circles that the appointment of her successor would be confirmed shortly as she prepares to stand down, even though the usual speculation that surrounds any such announcement has been conspicuous by its absence.
The First Minister makes the formal appointment which the Scottish Government considers to be an “unregulated appointment” that does not need to go through the normal selection process.
The post carries a stipend of £10,000 per year, paid out by national arts quango Creative Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government.
The current edition of the satirical magazine Private Eye mischievously suggests there may be another reason for the delay. It reports that “when a new Makar is to be selected, literary experts prepare a shortlist that goes to a panel of all living first ministers – Sturgeon, Salmond, Lord [Jack] McConnell and Henry McLeish.
“What with the ongoing stramash between Sturgeon and Salmond, the chances of them sitting in the same room or taking part in a Zoom call seem unlikely.”
When Kay, awarded an MBE for her services to literature in 2006, succeeded Liz Lochhead, the official announcement said that she was “selected from a strong shortlist prepared by a panel of literary experts, convened by doctor Robyn Marsack, the director of the Scottish Poetry Library. The final selection was made by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and former first ministers Alex Salmond, Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale and Henry McLeish.”
The National can reveal that no such consultation of the Scottish Poetry Library or any other “literary experts” or the former first ministers has taken place so far.
The title of Makar is much sought-after by poets. The term is for five years and an annual stipend of £10,000 per year is paid to recompense the Makar for his or her time spent writing and attending events as part of their role.
An insider told The National: “Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop has been given the task of getting a new selection process in place but is it a co- incidence that it comes at a time when Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond are not talking?”
Asif Khan, director of the Scottish Poetry Library, said: “We are standing by to assist in the process of selecting a new Makar in any way we can.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Jackie Kay has been an excellent Makar for Scotland and we are considering ways to pay tribute to her and the valuable work she has undertaken during her tenure.
“The Culture Secretary has asked officials to devise a revised appointment process which draws on the expertise of the sector and is currently considering recommendations on the process. We do not anticipate any delay in the appointment of a new Makar.”
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