CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Poet Gerry Loose - Cultivating Botanical Gardens (Residency) - July 2004

literature

Gerry Loose was resident at the Jardins des Plantes, Montpellier, for the month of July. Gerry’s special relationship with both the botanic gardens of Edinburgh and Glasgow meant that Entente Cordiale Scotland could look forward to developing connections between gardens here in Scotland and France’s most venerated and ancient botanic garden in Montpellier, affiliated with the medicine faculty of University 1.

The association between Scotland and Montpellier goes back a long way. The brother of Robert the Bruce was sent there to be cured by the doctors associated with the botanic gardens after he received injuries in battle in Ireland. More recently, Patrick Geddes founded the College Eccosaise there and in 2004 two residencies by Scottish writers and the re-opening of the renovated Geddes garden are paving the way for new developments.

John Hudson

Information on Gerry Loose

Poet and editor. Former SAC Writing Fellow, Castlemilk (1995-7). Currently Poet-in-Residence, Botanic Gardens, Glasgow and Managing Editor, Survivors' Poetry Scotland. Extensive experience with special needs groups, people in rehabilitation, mental health issues etc. as well as wide knowledge of gardening and environmental issues.

Publications
Knockariddera (Galdragon Press, UK, 1991)
The Elimentary Particles (Taranis Books, UK, 1993)
A Measure (Mythic Horse Press, UK, 1996)
Tongues of Stone (Mariscat Press, UK, 1998)
The Holistic Handbook (editor) (Green Crane Press, UK, 1992) 
 

The opportunity to take up an Entente Cordiale Writer’s Residency at Montpellier’s Jardin des Plantes was one I welcomed enthusiastically, since not only would I have time to write about one of my passions – gardens – but it would allow me to explore a world-famous Botanic Garden and to forge strong links with it from my “home-base” gardens in Scotland, the Royal Botanical Gardens, Edinburgh & Glasgow Botanic Gardens, where I have worked extensively. I would also like to include Montpellier Botanic Gardens in the loop of contacts I have established with Botanic Gardens throughout the world.

The writing I was able to produce during the Residency was prolific – some 50 pages of poems concerning the Jardin des Plantes – its unique qualities and its plants. There is interest all round in publishing the results in a bilingual edition, with photographs from the artist/photographer Morven Gregor.

For me, this was a welcome break from the usual writer’s round of teaching and reading. The Residency allowed me simply to have time to write – for any artist, to be given the time to create is invaluable; I was also aware of the responsibilities inherent in the Residency, which I take seriously; links I mentioned above are already being made, not only as I had hoped, between Garden Curators, but also with my input as a writer.

Time (and effort!) will bring the seeds I sowed to fruit.

 

Gerry Loose August 2004

 

CONTACTS

John Hudson
Literary Programme Coordinator

j.hudson@btinternet.com

 

Gerry Loose
2/R 5 Westbank Quadrant
Glasgow, G12 8NT
phone: 0141 334 0310
dharma46@hotmail.com