scholarships

Alice Piotrowska, PhD in Publishing Studies

November 14th, 2018 by Alice Piotrowska | Posted in Student Profiles | Comments Off on Alice Piotrowska, PhD in Publishing Studies
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Working Title: Publishing in Scotland 1968–2018: From Cultural Heritage to Digital Engagement

Topic: In collaboration with Publishing Scotland and HarperCollins, my project examines the recent history of the publishing industry in Scotland. With my methods involving archival and oral history research and participant observation, I consider how Scottish publishing has developed in the past five decades with the influence of internationalisation, conglomeration, and new digital technologies. My aim is to generate a history of Scottish publishing that incorporates a business-oriented perspective and adds to the understanding of how the ideas of nation and culture impact the industry.

Research interests: Scottish publishing, digital innovations, book history, book design, literary translation, marketing, nationhood, independent publishing

Supervisors:

Professor Claire Squires (Stirling Centre for International Publishing and Communication)

Dr Gill Tasker (Stirling Centre for International Publishing and Communication)

Marion Sinclair (Publishing Scotland)

Sheena Barclay (HarperCollins UK)

Studentship: University of Stirling Match Funded Studentship co-funded by Publishing Scotland and HarperCollins

Links:

Alice on Twitter: @AlicePiotrowska

Alice on LinkedIn

Email: alice.piotrowska@stir.ac.uk 

 

Gaelic Books Council Scholarship 2015-16

June 9th, 2015 by cs48@stir.ac.uk | Posted in Blog | Comments Off on Gaelic Books Council Scholarship 2015-16
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Screen Shot 2015-06-08 at 22.14.00The Stirling Centre for International Publishing and Communication is delighted to announce that the Gaelic Books Council will be offering a scholarship for a place on our MLitt in Publishing Studies programme for the academic year 2015-16.

The scholarship will cover fees (at Home/EU level) and offers up to £2000 in reasonable travel and subsistence relating to the work placement aspects of the module.

Full details of the scholarship are available here: GaelicBooksCouncil_Scholarship1516_fps (pdf). The deadline for submissions is 12pm on Friday 3 July 2015.

Enquiries should be directed to Professor Claire Squires, the Programme Director of the MLitt in Publishing Studies.

A previous recipient of the Gaelic Books Council scholarship, Liam Crouse, writes about his experience of the scholarship here.

Publishing Prizes 2013-14

April 12th, 2015 by cs48@stir.ac.uk | Posted in Blog | Comments Off on Publishing Prizes 2013-14
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The Stirling Centre for International Publishing and Communication at the University of Stirling is delighted to have made the following awards to students who graduated from the MLitt in Publishing Studies 2013-14.

  • The Freight Books Prize for Publishing Design – Laura Jones
  • The Faber & Faber Prize for Digital Innovation – Liam Crouse
  • The Publishing Scotland Prize for the Best Dissertation – Fanny Schmidt
  • The Routledge Prize for the most Distinguished Student on the MLitt in Publishing Studies – Laura Jones

All the prizes are sponsored by members of the Centre’s Industry Advisory Board.

Laura Jones's prize-winning Read. Write. Ink.

Laura Jones’s prize-winning Read. Write. Ink.

Laura Jones is the recipient of both the Freight Books Prize for Publishing Design. For this former, she produced the fascinating design project Read. Write. Ink., focusing on collectors of literary tattoos. It features writers close at home including Vicki Jarrett, but also examples she sourced via Twitter. For this, Laura wins £100 of cash and £100 of books of her choice from Glasgow-based publisher Freight Books. Fellow student Aija Oksman was Highly Commended in the Freight Books Prize for Publishing Design for her powerful project Pursuit: Empowering Post-Natal Depression.

Laura is also the winner of the Routledge Prize for the most Distinguished Student on the MLitt in Publishing Studies, thus winning £200 of books from Taylor & Francis. Laura’s overall grade profile on the course was consistently high, and alongside her Publishing Project she produced extremely strong work including the dissertation, ‘Amazon: Friend or Foe?’. Laura is now working at Glasgow publisher Saraband Books.

Fanny Schmidt’s prize-winning dissertation, for which she will receive £100 of books of her choice from Publishing Scotland’s BooksFromScotland.com, is titled ‘Copyright, Books and Social Media’. The dissertation, as tis abstract explains, ‘examines the interrelation between copyright and authorship on social media platforms, arguing that that it should be awarded with both a fair dealing exemption for the use of copyrighted material in those spaces and also a better protection of the copyright of original material produced for social media. It further examines whether or not social media content should be awarded authorship status in order to support the claim for copyright. However, the findings suggest that due to the high level of prosumption on social media, authorship in the traditional sense cannot be granted; calling into question the copyright legislation these websites should receive.’ A pdf of Fanny’s dissertation is available via this link. Fanny is now working at Bloomsbury Academic.

Liam Crouse is the winner of the Faber & Faber Prize for Digital Innovation, for his work developing the concept of and designs for a geospacial app mapping out the life of the celebrated Gaelic poet Duncan Bàn MacIntyre along the West Highland Way. Liam was the recipient of the inaugural Gaelic Books Council Scholarship at the Stirling Centre for International Publishing & Communication. His aware consists of a two-day placement with Faber & Faber in London, during which he will have the opportunity to meet with the heads of Faber Digital, Faber Factory, and the marketing team. A previous recipient of the award, Claire Jeffery, writes about her experience here.

Liam Crouse's prize-winning app The Duncan Ban Trail

Liam Crouse’s prize-winning app The Duncan Ban Trail

Professor Claire Squires, Director of the Stirling Centre for International Publishing and Communication, commented that ‘It’s a great validation of our MLitt in Publishing Studies to have these industry-sponsored prizes, which showcase the work of the Centre and its students. We congratulate the individual students on their creativity, knowledge, skills and understanding of the publishing industry, and are particularly delighted to be able to have prize-winning work which celebrate digital savvy and entrepreneurialism – key attributes for the publishers of the future.’

Gaelic Books Council Scholarship report – Liam Crouse

February 9th, 2015 by cs48@stir.ac.uk | Posted in Blog | Comments Off on Gaelic Books Council Scholarship report – Liam Crouse
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Liam Crouse, the first recipient of the Gaelic Books Council Scholarship, reports on his award:

Profile-Publishing1My initial interest in Scottish Gaelic literature was fostered during my undergraduate degree in Celtic and Archaeology at the University of Edinburgh. Two forms of prose, the short story and the novel, were instrumental by both fostering my linguistic ability and cementing my interest in Gaelic-language literature. Following graduation, during my return home, my once fluent conversational skills began to ebb. However, by engaging with the modern literature, I was able to keep some semblance of fluency. It was during this period that I recognised the importance of literature to minority languages – not only in terms of cultural value, but also to foster usage and regeneration.

Unlike the English-language publishing industry, in the Gaelic world we need more – more books, more authors, more publishers, more support. That was one of the reasons for creating the Gaelic Books Council scholarship. Initiatives within the past decade have focused on populating the literary corpus with quality works of prose. All the while continuing with those initiatives, new efforts are being exerted towards developing publishing capacity.

Through the course at the University of Stirling, I have gained an industry-oriented knowledge-base of the publishing industry, both in Britain and abroad. Courses in marketing strategies, business acumen, digital skills and publishing dynamics complemented each other in insightful and appealing ways. These skills were brought together in my publishing project – a geospacial app mapping out the life of the celebrated Gaelic poet Duncan Bàn MacIntyre along the West Highland Way, for which I was awarded the Faber & Faber prize for digital innovation. Towards the conclusion of the course, my thesis concerning the market for Gaelic books allowed me to investigate the multifaceted industry in a way which combined my zeal for the language with my interest in business and marketing practice.

Throughout the course, I gained first-hand experience working with publishers both big and small. The Gaelic Books Council arranged two internships at Gaelic-language publishers, one in Stornoway (Acair)and the other in Highland Perthshire (Grace Note Publications). While working with Grace Note, I helped in the translating of a children’s book which just recently was published in late November. I also secured an internship at the multinational publisher, HarperCollins, working on bilingual dictionaries. The contrast between large and small, multinational and local, and English and Gaelic made for interesting comparison.

I further became involved in Gaelic publishing in a more entrepreneurial spirit in December 2013, when news broke about the termination of Gaeldom’s sole magazine. A small group of enthusiasts and I rose to the challenge and established the first e-zine in the language called Dàna. The past year has been immensely enjoyable and enlightening, allowing me to directly apply many points from the degree. The e-zine is a tangible project with which I feel like I am helping to progress the language’s literature and we intend to continue developing the site’s outreach and influence in the coming years. It will certainly keep me busy!

The scholarship and degree have been both interesting and engaging. To those prospective publishing students: not only will it provide the keen librophile with a good balance of business sense, it will also equip you with the knowledge and connections that will allow you to thrive within the industry.

Note: Liam will shortly be taking up a post as Gaelic Development Office at Ceòlas Uibhist Ltd.

Rutangye Crystal Butungi, MLitt Publishing Studies 2014-15

October 27th, 2014 by Crystal Butungi Rutangye | Posted in Student Profiles | Comments Off on Rutangye Crystal Butungi, MLitt Publishing Studies 2014-15
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crystal.photoOn my first day at the University of Stirling, Scotland decided not to be independent by voting “NO” in the referendum. On this profound day in history (of both of Scotland and of my life), I also got to meet my personal tutor, Frances Sessford, who inducted me into my new course; MLitt Publishing Studies. I have since interacted with the most amazing lecturers and classmates, and confirmed my earlier notion that Publishing Studies at the University of Stirling is one of the most exciting experiences a book-lover could have.

Yes, I am one of those cliché book-lovers. Well, I love words in general, but I love them most when they are well put together in a beautiful book. I suspect this is the reason I was driven to study how to publish books; it’s worth a shot trying to convince the rest of the world that they need to fall in love with reading. Especially when you come from a country whose systems put emphasis on getting good marks in exams, rather than on being transformed for the better by just reading things that change people’s lives, souls, mind-sets, attitudes, beliefs, – it’s astonishing what the power of words can do to the simple mind. Well, I still followed the government’s system;- joined the bandwagon and secured an A-level certificate in the sciences (Biology, Chemistry and Maths), in preparation for a ‘more professional’ degree, like medicine. This was despite the fact that my friends and I founded the school writers club and took up all the editorial positions in the school magazine. My talents and interests won over the nation’s expectations fortunately and I was instead sponsored to do a degree in Tourism.

It was on one of those typical days in the life of a Ugandan job-seeking graduate that a friend asked me to proof-read his dissertation because ‘I had relatively good English.’ Then all my friends were giving me work to proof-read, then I was being invited to attend writer and editor workshops with African Writers Trust and the British Council Uganda, then getting more training, and before I knew it, I was a recognised practising editor in my city – and loving it. I landed an administrative job with Moran Publishers  – Uganda (the former Macmillan-Uganda), where I learnt more by volunteering with the publishing department. Then I was asked to be chief editor at World of Inspiration Uganda, one of our first ever publishing companies to publish, and sell for profit, non-academic books on a large scale. By this time, I had started convincing the Commonwealth Scholarship Committee that it was I who needed to study more about this business if someone was going to help my country produce better books. They finally agreed. They awarded me the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship. Without batting an eyelid, I had selected the University of Stirling as my choice scholarly destination, and I now wake up everyday marvelling at the wisdom of this decision.

I suppose I will be a writer/grand editor/publisher some day, after all.

 

Carolyn Khamete Mango, MRes Publishing Studies 2014-2015

May 14th, 2014 by Carolyn Khamete Mango | Posted in Student Profiles | Comments Off on Carolyn Khamete Mango, MRes Publishing Studies 2014-2015
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247009_10151418690816662_1156767516_nMy name is Carolyn Khamete Mango from Nairobi, Kenya, famed for cross country athletics and one of   the wonders of the world, The Maasai Mara Game Reserve. Over the years I have helped people write by virtue of my vast experience as an editor. However, I did not think I would get a challenge in writing about myself! Nevertheless, here I am.

I am at the University of Stirling undertaking a MRes in Publishing Studies, having won the esteemed and competitive Commonwealth Scholarship. This is my second scholarship. My first was awarded to me by the Government of Kenya to study a Bachelors Degree in Educational Studies at this same university.

I joined publishing from teaching because I wanted to be more involved in curriculum interpretation and preparation of quality teaching materials.

Back in Kenya I work as a Chief Editor in charge of humanities. I am also a gender officer, a post I was appointed in line with global and local legal frameworks in empowering women and promoting gender equality in all sectors of the economy. Multitasking in two departments (editorial and human resources) required that I  enhance my management skills. Therefore,  I studied a Higher Diploma in Human Resources Management.

Choosing the University of Stirling to study publishing was exciting because it was like going back home having studying for my undergraduate here. I also wanted to experience the vibrant Scottish and to a large extent the British publishing scene. I hope to fortify my experience and knowledge in book publishing and in management issues of book publishing firms. I am interested in joining the few female decision-makers in the publishing industry.

I am an accomplished Gospel artist having collaborated with other musicians back in Kenya to record music. Prior to coming to Scotland I had released my debut album called, My Healer. Recently I have felt this nudge to be a writer so I hope that by the end of my programme, I will have a clear direction on where to start. I might just write about my journey with breast cancer and how I came out of it victoriously.

 

Monidipa Mondal, MLitt in Publishing Studies 2013-14

November 26th, 2013 by Monidipa | Posted in Student Profiles | Comments Off on Monidipa Mondal, MLitt in Publishing Studies 2013-14
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At my former desk at Penguin Books India, and those are the exact colours we are. (In other words, I strongly abide by the practice of believing a minimum of six impossible things before breakfast.)

​Hello, my name is Monidipa Mondal.​ ​The MLitt in Publishing Studies at the University of Stirling is going to be my second masters degree and I have been sponsored to study here by a Commonwealth Shared Scholarship. I also write a column called ‘Backlisting’ in the Kindle magazine from India (no affiliation with Amazon), in which I take an interesting non-canon book from South Asian writing in English each month, and do a story about it.

Before these things I worked as a copy editor at Penguin Books India in New Delhi and as a multitasking intern at Blaft Publications in Chennai, India. Earlier than that I studied BA and MA at the Department of EnglishJadavpur University in Calcutta, India, a place to which I keep returning, also because it’s home. Sometime in between I published a youth literary magazine called Ex Nihilo and another called Kinaara, archived a vintage Bengali sci-fi magazine called Bismoy, wrote some poetry and fiction, and translated a little from Bengali to English.

I like many things, so now I’ll try to make an alphabetical list: aliens, the Beatles, the blues, book history, comics, CSS, dragons, emoticons, Europe, fan fiction, fantasy, freedom of expression, geography, gods (but not Gods), grandmothers’ tales, Indian classical music, the Internet, limericks, magazines, monsters, mountains, mythology, pastiche, percussion, philosophy, Photoshop, poetry, postcolonialism, printing, puns, rhyming, science fiction, South Asian literature, steampunk, superheroes,  translation, travel, tricksters, typography, vampires (more old-school than teenage-romance, though), Victoriana (only the NSFW bits), Western classical music, witches, worldbuilding… and other things.

I occasionally blog at http://julychildren.com/ and very rarely tweet from @Julychildren.

Rosie Cunningham-Siggs MLitt Publishing Studies 2013-14

November 5th, 2013 by Rosie Cunningham- Siggs | Posted in Student Profiles | Comments Off on Rosie Cunningham-Siggs MLitt Publishing Studies 2013-14
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I discovered the MLitt in Publishing Studies offered at Stirling during the final year of my English Literature degree at the University of Dundee, driven by the fast approaching ‘real world’. I was drawn to the course’s balance of academic and practical training, along with the stunniing campus surroundings. Over the past year I have been able to explore publishing processes such as editing and design by helping out at Stewed Rhubarb – a small poetry press based in Edinburgh. The fun I had there helped to reaffirm that I was heading in the right direction!
Recently I have developed a keen interest in the production of children’s books and the importance of reading material that genuinely engages and attracts young readers. I am also keen to further explore the different attractions of the printed word and ebooks, stepping away from my knee-jerk preference for books as physical objects. Thanks to the practical components of the course I am already on my way to demystifying the black arts of InDesign and Photoshop!

I was prompted to apply for funding by the immensely approachable and friendly staff on the course, after which I was lucky enough to be awarded a scholarship by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. Along with the level of publishing know-how that has been fitted into the first two weeks of the course, I am re-assured that I have landed on my feet and ended up in the right place!

Liam Alastair Crouse, MLitt in Publishing Studies, 2013-14

September 15th, 2013 by Liam Alastair Crouse | Posted in Student Profiles | Comments Off on Liam Alastair Crouse, MLitt in Publishing Studies, 2013-14
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With a background in Celtic Studies, specifically in Gaelic language, culture, history, and literature, I came to the University of Stirling to study a MLitt in Publishing Studies. Originally from Rhode Island, USA, I travelled to Scotland in 2008 to follow an undergraduate in Celtic & Archaeology, which I obtained in June 2012.

Having a varied work experience background, including hospitality, tourism, museum, and governmental work, it was early in 2013 that I began work on a self-published book, as editor and typist. Through this first (read ‘rudimentary’) glance at publishing, coupled with my sincere interest in Gaelic language revitilisation, I was awarded the first Gaelic publishing scholarship from the Gaelic Books Council for this year. In this coming year, I look forward to working with the Council and the Centre to investigate and research various aspects of the publications’ industry, with the eventual goal of the improvement and development of the Gaelic publishing market.

Tha fiughar ghlan orm gus a bhith a’ faotainn an-sàs ann an saoghal an fhoillseachaidh Ghàidhlig le sealladh agus eòlas-beatha ùr a’ toirt buaidh shònraichte orm. Tha dhà no trì smuaintean ùr-ghnàthach agam gus foillseachadh agus litreachas na Gàidhlig a’ toirt a-steach don 21mh linn. Bidh mi ‘n dòchas gun cuidichinn gus pìseach agus soirbheachas ùr a thoirt air a’ chànain anns na bliadhnaichean tha romhainn.

Recipient of first Gaelic publishing scholarship announced

July 10th, 2013 by cs48@stir.ac.uk | Posted in Blog | Comments Off on Recipient of first Gaelic publishing scholarship announced
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The recipient of the first Gaelic publishing scholarship established by the Gaelic Books Council and the Stirling Centre for International Publishing and Communication at the University of Stirling has been announced.

Liam Crouse, a recent graduate of the University of Edinburgh, is the first recipient of the fully-funded scholarship for the MLitt in Publishing Studies for session 2013-14.

Rosemary Ward, Director of the Gaelic Books Council said: “The Gaelic Books Council is very pleased with the level of interest that has been shown in the Gaelic publishing scholarship and we are delighted to be offering the first scholarship to Liam Crouse. Liam has illustrated that he is an exemplary student having gained a First Class Master of Arts with Honours degree from the School of Scottish Studies at the University of Edinburgh. The Gaelic Books Council is satisfied that he will apply the same commitment, creativity and diligence to his MLitt studies and we anticipate that he will make a valuable contribution to Gaelic publishing in the future.”

She added: “This scholarship was established in the first instance to attract new talent into the sector and to begin the process of increasing capacity. Liam is certainly a talented young man with a strong commitment to the Gaelic language and a secure knowledge of Gaelic literature and publishing and we wish him every success with his studies.”

When the scholarship was offered to him, Liam said: “I am absolutely delighted to be offered this important Gaelic scholarship. It is a wonderful opportunity. In the last ten years, Gaelic literature and publishing has made remarkable progress through various initiatives to support new Gaelic writers. The focus must now be on strengthening the Gaelic publishing infrastructure. The revitalisation of the Gaelic language and the development of Gaelic publishing presents many challenges, and I am delighted to have been given the opportunity to become involved in this important work.”

Professor Claire Squires, Director of the Stirling Centre for International Publishing and Communication said: “We’re very pleased to be working with the Gaelic Books Council to provide this opportunity for a Gaelic-language student on the MLitt in Publishing Studies at Stirling. We are delighted to welcome an outstanding student who brings a passion for the Gaelic language and an international perspective both to the Publishing Studies course and to the Gaelic-speaking community.”

Liam will study at the University’s Stirling campus in session 2013-14 and the Gaelic Books Council will secure appropriate placements for him with Gaelic publisher(s).

More information about the Scholarship is available here.

 

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