The year was 1947. David Tasma was just 40 years old. A Polish migrant who had fled his homeland weeks before the Nazis invaded, he’d spent the war years living on the margins of London life, eventually finding employment in a Kosher restaurant in the West End. When peace came he hoped for better things.Continue reading “My play reaches the Edinburgh Fringe Festival”
Author Archives: David Graham Clark
The frugal academic
Gary lived alone. A social scientist, he was good at structures, patterns and policies, but less adept in the world of relationships. Gary’s minimal approach to intimacy was echoed in the frugal aspects of his living arrangements. His home was a bungalow, well below his pay grade. Among his few luxuries was a pair ofContinue reading “The frugal academic”
The host and the special Baden wine
The big moment was imminent. For weeks the host had been rehearsing in his head how the evening would end. I knew this because every morning when our paths crossed at the school drop-off he’d had something to say about the special wine that would conclude his next dinner party. It was to be aContinue reading “The host and the special Baden wine”
From scalpel to story: creative reactions after surgery
It’s curious how a moment of creativity can sneak up on you by surprise. After months, even years, of struggling with an idea that will simply not allow itself to be realised, something changes, and the floodgates of the imagination are opened. Here’s how it happened in my case, quite recently.
Alan McClure: creator of songs and wielder of words
I first met Alan McClure over 10 years ago when I read a review of a CD from an upcoming trio called The Geese. I quickly bought a copy and was rewarded with a selection of songs that combined wit, insight and enthusiasm with great tunes and memorable choruses. The acoustic band was quickly bookedContinue reading “Alan McClure: creator of songs and wielder of words”
Play-writing as a shared endeavour
When I first set out to write a play, I envisaged it as the lone writing task, par excellence. I thought of someone like Henrik Ibsen, exiled and working alone with only his dramatic imagination to guide him. The prospect was uncongenial. I called my friend Jo Hockley, who had once produced a play at the Edinburgh Fringe,Continue reading “Play-writing as a shared endeavour “
Hazel Campbell: at the stroke of a brush
The year was 2010. Heading to our favourite cafe/gallery in Castle Douglas one gloomy Saturday, we paused at the front window. A large watercolour painting was mounted on an easel and seemed to be lighting up the whole High Street. Electric blues and vibrant greens shone out around a quirky white cottage. In the foreground,Continue reading “Hazel Campbell: at the stroke of a brush”
Karen Campbell – a writer’s story
Photo credit Kim Ayres Back in the early months of the 2020 lockdown, like many others I was using enforced isolation to broaden and deepen my reading. I found myself reaching out to the works of authors I was aware of, but had not yet ventured towards. In this context, that spring I became immersedContinue reading “Karen Campbell – a writer’s story”
Art, memory and the lobster pot
It is a bright, dry day in October 2021, the full palette of autumn is fully established, and there is still plenty of warmth in the sun. With me are two friends from southern Norway, Lisbeth and Einar. We are spending the day together, drinking coffee in my Dumfriesshire home, exploring the Dalswinton estate, andContinue reading “Art, memory and the lobster pot”
Circles of trees: an ‘arboretum’ in the making
The idea of the arboretum came about in 2015, when I had the opportunity to take a long lease on the field adjacent to my home in Dumfriesshire. Having secured the arrangement, I began to ponder how to proceed. Almost two hectares in extent, the field had been set-aside for years as rough pasture. LongContinue reading “Circles of trees: an ‘arboretum’ in the making”
Quotidian 