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Jackie Kay

Frae Wikipedia, the free beuk o knawledge
Jacqueline Margaret Kay
Jackie Kay, 2013
Born (1961-11-09) 9 November 1961 (age 63)
Edinburgh, Scotland
Alma materVarsity o Stirlin
ThriftProfessor o creautive writin at Newcastle Varsity, Scots Makar
Kent forMakar an novelist

Jacqueline Margaret Kay MBE FRSE (born 9 November 1961) is a Scots makar, playwricht an novelist, kent fur her wirks Other Lovers (1993), Trumpet (1996) an Red Dust Road (2011). Kay haes won mony awairds, sic as the Guardian Fiction Prize in 1998 an the Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust Book Awards in 2011.[1][2]

She wis the third modren makar till 2021, appyntit in 2016.[3][4] She wis appyntit as chancellor o the Varsity o Salford in 2015.[5]

Biographie

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Kay wis born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1961, tae a Scots mither an a Nigerian faither. She wis taen in 1961 bi a white couple, Helen an John Kay, wha haed foregaun adoptit her brither Maxwell twa year aerlier.[6] She wis upbrocht in The Briggs, Glesga.[7] She an Maxwell hae mair sibs upbrocht bi thair birth parents.[6]

Her adoptive faither wis a memmer o the Communist Party fu-time an stuid as a Memmer o Pairlament,[7] an her adoptive mither wis Scots secretar o Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.[6] Durin her bairnheid she suffert racism frae bairns an teachers.[8] In 2019, John Kay deet at the age o 94.[9]

As a teen she haed thrift as a cleaner, wirkin fur David Cornwall, that scrieves unner the name John le Carré, fur fower month. She fand it tae be uissfu fur writers, as she cud listen in on fowk athoot suspeicion. Kay an Cornwall met again in 2019; he mindit her an haed been follaein her.[8] In August 2007, she kythed in the fowert episode o the BBC Radio 4 series The House I Grew Up In, whaur she tawked aboot her bairnheid.[2]

Oreeginally, she wantit tae be an actor, but decidit tae focus on scrievin efter taukin wi Alasdair Gray, a Scots poet an scriever, that haed read her poetry an telt her that scrievin wis whit she shid be duin.[10] She studied Ingels at the Varsity o Stirlin an her first beuk o poetry, the pairt autobiographical The Adoption Papers, wis furthset in 1991 an won the Saltire Society Scottish First Book Award an a Scottish Arts Council Book Award in 1992.[11]

Kay has wrate fur stage (in 1998 her play Twice Over wis the furst tae be produced bi the Gay Sweatshop Theatre Group[12]), screen an fur bairns. Her drama The Lightlamper, an explorin o the Atlantic slave trade, wis braidcast on BBC Radio 3 in Mairch 2007[13] an pit intae poyum form in 2008.[14]

In 2010, she furthset Red Dust Road, an accoont o her sairch fur her birth parents, that haed met whan her faither wis a student at the Varsity o Aiberdeen an her mither wis a nuirice. The beuk wis adaptit fur the stage bi Tanika Gupta an wis furst shawn in August 2019 at the Edinburgh International Festival in a production bi National Theatre of Scotland an HOME, at the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh.[15] She wis a participant in the Bush Theatre's 2011 projeck Sixty-Six Books, basin her piece on the Book of Esther frae the King James Bible.[16]

She is the noo a professor o creative writin at the Varsity o Newcastle,[17] an a Cultural Fellae o the Glesga Caledonian Varsity.[18] In October 2014, it wis annoonced that she haed been appyntit as Chancellor o the Varsity o Salford, an that she wid be the varsity's writer in residence frae 1 Januar 2015.[19] In Mairch 2016, she wis annoonced as the Scots Makar, succeedin Liz Lochhead whase tenure haed endit in Januar 2016.[20][21]

She wis appyntit as a Memmer o the Order o the British Empire (MBE) in 2006 fur services tae leiterature, an Commander o the Order o the British Empire (CBE) in the 2020 New Years Honours, again fur services tae leiterature.[22][23] On 23 October 2020, Kay wis annoonced as ane o the BBC's 100 Women.[24]

Personal life

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Kay is a lesbian[25][26] an bides in Manchester. She haes a son, Matthew (whase faither is the writer Fred D'Aguiar) an later she haed a 15-year relationship wi poet Carol Ann Duffy.[27][28] Durin this relationship, Duffy gied birth tae a dochter, Ella, whase biological faither is poet Peter Benson.[28][29]

Awairds an honours

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Selectit warks

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  • The Adoption Papers, Bloodaxe Books, 1991, ISBN 9781852241568 (poetry)
  • Other Lovers, Bloodaxe Books, 1993, ISBN 9781852242534 (poetry)
  • Off Colour, Bloodaxe Books, 1998, ISBN 9781852244200 (poetry)
  • Trumpet (fiction – 1998); Random House Digital, Inc., 2011, ISBN 9780307560810
  • The Frog who dreamed she was an Opera Singer, Bloomsbury Children's Books, 1998, ISBN 9780747538660
  • Two's Company, Puffin Books, 1994, ISBN 9780140369526
  • Why Don't You Stop Talking (fiction – 2002); Pan Macmillan, 2012, ISBN 9781447206729
  • Strawgirl, Macmillan Children's, 2002, ISBN 9780330480635
  • Life Mask, Bloodaxe Books, 2005, ISBN 9781852246914 (poetry)
  • Wish I Was Here (fiction – 2006); Pan Macmillan, 2012, ISBN 9781447206736
  • Darling: New & Selected Poems, Bloodaxe Books, 2007, ISBN 9781852247775 (poetry)
  • The Lamplighter, Bloodaxe Books, 2008, ISBN 9781852248048 (poetry/radio play)
  • Red Cherry Red, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2007, ISBN 9780747589792
  • Maw Broon Monologues (2009) (shortlisted for the Ted Hughes Award for New Work in Poetry)
  • Red Dust Road: An Autobiographical Journey. Atlas and Company. 2011. ISBN 9781935633358. Jackie Kay. (memoir)
  • Fiere, Pan Macmillan, 2011, ISBN 9781447206576 (poetry)
  • Reality, Reality, Pan Macmillan, 2012, ISBN 9781447204404
  • The Empathetic Store, Mariscat Press, 2015, ISBN 9780946588794 (poetry)

Ither poetry uised in GCSE Edexcel Syllabus

  • Brendon Gallacher
  • Lucozade
  • Yellow

References

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  1. ↑ "Profile: Jackie Kay". The List (in Inglis). 15 Mairch 2016. Retrieved 14 Februar 2020.
  2. ↑ a b "The House I Grew Up In, featuring Jackie Kay". The House I Grew Up In. 27 August 2007. BBC Radio 4.
  3. ↑ "Nicola Sturgeon praises Jackie Kay's 'outstanding contribution' as Scots Makar". HeraldScotland (in Inglis). Retrieved 20 Mairch 2021.
  4. ↑ "Our National Poet". Scottish Poetry Library. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  5. ↑ Dobson, Charlotte (9 Mey 2015). "University of Salford officially appoints renowned poet Professor Jackie Kay as their new chancellor". Manchester Evening News (in Inglis). Retrieved 14 Februar 2020.
  6. ↑ a b c "Jackie Kay (1961 – )". Scottish Women Poets (in Inglis). 1 Apryle 2013. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  7. ↑ a b Kay, Jackie (15 Juin 2008). "My old man: a voyage around our fathers". The Observer. Guardian News & Media Limited. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  8. ↑ a b Alison Flood (22 Mey 2020). "Scottish national poet Jackie Kay talks about racism she endured as a child". The Guardian.
  9. ↑ Ponsonby, Bernard (14 November 2019). "Obituary: John Kay, Communist stalwart". Herald Scotland. Herald and Times Group. Newsquest Media Group. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  10. ↑ "Jackie Kay". BBC. BBC. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  11. ↑ Tranter, Susan. "Jackie Kay - Literature". British Council (in Inglis). Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  12. ↑ Malone, Ray. "Gay Sweatshop Theatre Company". Unfinished Histories. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  13. ↑ "BBC Radio 3". Bbc.co.uk. 25 Mairch 2007. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
  14. ↑ Bloodaxe Books, 2008; ISBN 978-1-85224-804-8
  15. ↑ Ross, Peter (7 August 2019). "Jackie Kay on putting her adoption on stage – and getting a pay rise for her successor". The Guardian (in Inglis). ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 14 Februar 2020.
  16. ↑ "Jackie Kay – Hadassah in response to Esther" Archived 14 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Sixty-Six Books, Bush Theatre.
  17. ↑ "Prof. Jackie Kay: Professor of Creative Writing". Newcastle University. Archived frae the original on 27 Apryle 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  18. ↑ "Cultural Fellow Jackie Kay named Scots makar". Glasgow Caledonian University. Archived frae the original on 4 December 2020. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  19. ↑ "Appointment of new Chancellor", University of Salford, Greater Manchester, 17 October 2014.
  20. ↑ ScottishGovernment. "ScottishGovernment – News – Scotland's new Makar". news.scotland.gov.uk (in Inglis). Archived frae the original on 15 Mairch 2016. Retrieved 15 Mairch 2016.
  21. ↑ "Jackie Kay announced as new Scots Makar". BBC News. 15 Mairch 2016. Retrieved 15 Mairch 2016.
  22. ↑ "No. 58014". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 Juin 2006. p. 19.
  23. ↑ "No. 62866". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 December 2019. p. N9.
  24. ↑ "BBC 100 Women 2020: Who is on the list this year?". BBC News (in Inglis). 23 November 2020. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  25. ↑ Foundation, LGBT. "Jackie Kay MBE | LGBT Foundation". lgbt.foundation. Archived frae the original on 4 Mairch 2016. Retrieved 27 Februar 2016.
  26. ↑ Rustin, Susanna (27 Apryle 2012). "A life in writing: Jackie Kay". The Guardian (in Inglis). ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 Februar 2016.
  27. ↑ Brown, Helen (5 Juin 2010). "Jackie Kay: Interview". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 27 Februar 2016.
  28. ↑ a b "Interview: Carol-Ann Duffy". Stylist. Archived frae the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2011.
  29. ↑ Preston, John, "Carol Ann Duffy interview", The Telegraph, 11 May 2010.
  30. ↑ "The Royal Society of Edinburgh | 2016 Elected Fellows". Royalsoced.org.uk. Archived frae the original on 8 October 2016. Retrieved 8 Mairch 2016.
  31. ↑ "Jackie Kay". British Council Literature. Archived frae the original on 2 August 2013. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
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