Neu!Reekie!

Neu! Reekie! was an Edinburgh-based literary company and arts production house founded in 2010 by poets Michael Pedersen[1] and Kevin Williamson.[2][3] They produced over 200 live shows and published poetry anthologies including #UntitledOne (2015),[4] #UntitledTwo (2016) and #UntitledThree (2020).[5][6]

Previous guests to Neu! Reekie! have included Irvine Welsh, Jackie Kay, Young Fathers, Margaret Atwood, Charlotte Church, Hollie McNish, Scott Hutchison, Tom Leonard, Liz Lochhead, Alasdair Gray, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Akala, Sabrina Mahfouz, Bill Drummond, Andrew Weatherall and Hannah Lavery.[7]

In 2015, Neu! Reekie! were awarded Creative Edinburgh's City Award for outstanding contributions to Edinburgh's cultural scene.[8]

In 2017, Neu! Reekie! hosted a large scale arts festival for Hull City of Culture 2017 entitled Where Are We Now? — a tribute to David Bowie's song of the same name.[9][10]

In 2018, Neu! Reekie! curated a year-long programme of writing residencies at The Curfew Tower in Cushendall Northern Ireland — this was by invitation and at the request of Bill Drummond. Together, in 2019, Neu! Reekie! and Bill Drummond released a book of the writings on Bill Drummond's Penkiln Burn Press entitled After Curfew.[11]

In 2020, the company released their third poetry anthology #UntitledThree with Polygon Books. This received positive reviews with The Scotsman noting: "As its urgent, pithy name attests, Neu! Reekie! is Edinburgh-based but with eagle eyes on the world, welcoming artists from home and away to be part of its gatherings and its output, retaining a gonzo spontaneity while comfortably curating events for prestigious global festivals".[12]

Neu! Reekie! have hosted international shows in Japan, Indonesia,[13] Spain,[14] New Zealand, the United States of America[15] and more.

Since Neu! Reekie!'s final show, Pedersen has gone on to release the books 'Boy Friends' with Faber and Faber[16] and 'The Cat Prince'[17] with Little, Brown and Company. Both have been received positively[18] and taken into other territories.

References

  1. ^ "Polygon Books — Author Directory". Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  2. ^ "Neu! Reekie! @ Leith Theatre, Edinburgh [17 August]". Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  3. ^ "Neu! Reekie! - Edinburgh City of Literature". Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  4. ^ "#UntitledOne: Neu! Reekie!  :: Poetry :: Birlinn Ltd". Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  5. ^ Williamson, Kevin (2016). Neu Reekie. Birlinn, Limited. ISBN 9781846973536. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  6. ^ "Book review: Neu Reekie #Untitled Two - The Scotsman". The Scotsman. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  7. ^ "Neu! Reekie! — Homepage". Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  8. ^ "Creative Edinburgh — Award Listings". Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  9. ^ "ID Magazine — Festival Press". Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  10. ^ "The Herald — Festival Press". Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  11. ^ "Penkiln Burn: Bill Drummond — book announcement". Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  12. ^ "Scotsman Review". Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  13. ^ "British Council Indonesia". Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  14. ^ "Kosmopolis Festival — Barcelona". Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  15. ^ "The Skinny Magazine — New York Showcase". Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  16. ^ "Boy Friends by Michael Pedersen | Books & Shop, Non-Fiction". Faber. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  17. ^ The Cat Prince. 28 February 2023. ISBN 978-1-4721-5688-4.
  18. ^ Cairns, Madoc (17 July 2022). "Boy Friends by Michael Pedersen review – intimate account of male bonding". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 10 August 2023.


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