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Makar (National Poet for Scotland)

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Makar
National Poet for Scotland
NominatorScottish Government
AppointerFirst Minister
Term length3 years
Formation2004
First holderEdwin Morgan
Salary£15,000

The Makar or National Poet for Scotland is the national poet laureate of Scotland. The current Makar is Kathleen Jamie, who was appointed in August 2021.[1] Holders of the post are appointed by the Scottish Government and supported by the Scottish Poetry Library.

Role

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The Makar's responsibilities include:

  • taking a leadership role in promoting poetry nationally
  • producing poems relating to significant national events
  • encouraging the reading and writing of poetry, particularly by young people
  • reading their poems publicly, at public events, and commenting publicly on poetry, the arts and any and all related matters in Scotland and internationally
  • preparing a report on their experience in the role each year

The stipend for the post is £15,000 per year for 3 years, to recompense the Makar for their time in writing or attending events in this role.[2] The post is appointed by the Scottish Government in an unregulated appointment.[3] The Scottish Poetry Library provides support to the post including media handling, festival booking and web presence.

Appointment process

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With the appointment of Kathleen Jamie in 2021, the Scottish Government convened an expert panel representing Scotland's literary sector to consider nominations for the next Makar and agree upon a recommendation to put to the First Minister.[4] The panel members were:

The term of the Makar is now 3 years, rather than the 5 years which it had previously been.[5]

Makars

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Kathleen Jamie announced as Scotland's new Makar". BBC News. 18 August 2021. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  2. ^ Hepburn, David (3 October 2023). "Scots Makar: Who appoints the National Poet for Scotland, duties, pay, length of service, previous appointees". The Scotsman. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  3. ^ "Celebrating Scotland's Makar". News:Scottish Government. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  4. ^ "New Scots Makar". News:Scottish Government. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  5. ^ "Kathleen Jamie announced as Scotland's new Makar". BBC News. 18 August 2021. Retrieved 19 August 2021.