Kris Haddow

It's a happy new year from all of us at the SSP. However, wherever and whenever you write, we're wishing you all the creative joy for 2026 and beyond.

Hello, Playwrights and theatre colleagues. We have made it to Bluesky.

The SSP is Scotland's theatre writer's union. We develop and promote the interests and craft of professional #playwrights and #playwriting within Scottish theatre.

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🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🎭 ✍🏼

an industrial building in snow in Poland. It almost looks monochrome

An abandoned shell of a train in Poland

A fiery peach coloured sky above a royal gate in Szczecin Poland

A colourful sky above a modern skyscraper in Szczecin Poland. A green and white tram is passing by

Dobry wieczór ze Szczecina. 👋🏼🇵🇱

Kicked off 2025 back in Gdańsk, before traversing the wintery monochrome Pomeranian landscape for 5 hours by train to the Baltic north west port town of Szczecin.

-12°C and snowy on arrival yesterday. Today, a balmy 9°C, with an eruption of colour to end the day.

Winter writing retreat vibes. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Starting Point | Creative Carbon Scotland Culture has a vital role to play in tackling the climate emergency and building a better future for all. Since 2011 Creative Carbon Scotland (CCS) has

Gotcha. We also have these in Scotland: www.creativecarbonscotland.com/green-arts/s...

There's an online workshop next week that might give you some other jumping off points.

I’m planning on doing this in 2025 with SSP council members. theatregreenbook.com

A piper playing bagpipes beyond a Christmas tree

Guid stuff. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🎶🎄🥃

The snow’s heavy outside, but we enjoyed an evening of music, food, and readings of new work by the fire.

The best night with a cracking bunch of writers.

#moniackmhor
#amwriting

the round turf-roofed hobbit house at Moniack Mhor under a pinky-peach morning sky, snowcapped Scottish mountains in the distance

Hello from the Highlands. 👋🏻 🏔️

I'm here working on the latest draft of the novel, but alas, I'm 9k down on where I started the week after executive decisions were made on a couple of shonky chapters, so feel a bit behind schedule.

Sometimes you've to go backwards before you go forwards.

#amwriting

When we met them last month, they had finished shortlisting and were applying a third lens, a portfolio review, to ensure a diverse range of orgs were funded, not just a narrow slither or homogenous type. The approach sounded positive. Hope more funds = more make it through. Still fear for the rest.

Oh good grief, I hope you are well soon and avoid having it whipped out!

Lots of men dressed up in red outfits and red hats in Cologne

More men dressed up in bright green uniforms and green hats in a hotel lobby

What in the Will Ferrell have I walked into?! Some sort of elf convention??

#koln #cologne

I can raise you lychees and poltergeists? But not at the same time, alas.

Kris, a man with round glasses and a black baseball cap, outside Cologne Cathedral.

Exterior of Cologne Cathedral by night

Interior ceiling shot of Cologne Cathedral. Lots of columns and lights

The festive lights at the entrance to the Christmas market in Cologne. Sadly it is not open yet

Guten Abend. Wintergrüße an einem kalten Samstagabend aus Köln. 🇩🇪

So. Bluesky finally took off, eh?

Hiya, I’m Kris. 👋🏼 Scottish writer based in Glasgow, dotting round Europe consulting atm.

I should say hit me up for freelance dramaturgy, but I’m stacked till Easter juggling a PhD, novel, memoir + gigs… 🫠

Expect drama, auditoria, travel pics + vegan scran. 🎭🌱🌍👣

I was literally just thinking about this earlier. I heard ooo gonna miss you like a hole in the head playing in a German pharmacy with one of those green flashing LED plus signs outside, and every time I hear it, I think, yeah, pop’s sorely lacking in the trepanation representation department.

I downloaded my data this week and am now in a quandary. I was a super early adopter of Twitter back when it felt like just me, Stephen Fry and a few geeks. I’m reluctant to delete it. It’s a legacy, of sorts. But I guess that’s like saying I don’t want to move out when the house is falling down. 🤷🏼‍♂️

Backlit sign at the entrance of Teatr Komuna Warszawa, an arts venue and theatre in Warsaw

A red neon sign glowing under a tree outside a theatre in Warsaw, Poland. It says ALL THE THINGS THAT COULD HAPPEN NEXT in uppercase. The leaves on the ground are bathed red.

Playwright Kris Haddow wearing glasses, a baseball cap, and a black adidas top. He is coding on a laptop against a wood panel. He thinks he looks cool but he’s definitely not.

A skyscraper office block with a radio antenna on top in Warsaw. It is glowing against the night sky.

Dobranoc, Warszawo. Było fajnie. 🇵🇱

I’ve enjoyed this development. A.I. meets dramaturgy. Both my jams in one trip.

📍 Warsaw, PL.

A man with a beard and round glasses wearing a waistcoat and a burns check tie. He is standing by the writing desk by the Spence in Robert Burns’ Ellisland Farm, Dumfriesshire, Scotland. Papers and quill pens are in the desk

Performers Dave McFadzean and Kris Haddow outside the barn at Ellisland Farm.

Kris and Siobhan in traditional dress outside Ellisland Farmhouse.

Storyteller Tony Bonning singing and playing a drum in the historic kitchen at Ellisland. He is in traditional folk dress.

Performing at Ellisland today on the anniversary of the first Burns Supper was a privilege. And extra special to be shown the Spence and see remnants of Burns’ library. Hoping to get my hands on those books on a future visit!

🙏🏼🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🥃

Exterior shot of a stone colonnaded building with a small dome on the roof and black railing fence outside

Inside the newly renovated Elder Park library. Lots of books on display with light coming through a glass ceiling

A colourful pile of books being held up in a library

Visited the newly restored Elder Park library in Govan yesterday. What a beautiful refit it’s had.

1000s of brand new books, 100s of new releases stocked, all the major prize lists on display.

I walked, but it’s close to Govan Subway. Recommend a visit, Glasgow book lovers. Check my haul! 📚

An introduction to the 2024 Wee Gaitherin Festival brochure, stating that Stonehaven will be a-buzz with poetry when more than 80 poets from across Scotland, Ireland and England perform at our fourth Wee Gaitherin festival 2024.

A page of the festival brochure showing event listings for 1st and 2nd August. The previous post links to the full event brochure

A page of the festival brochure showing event listings for 2nd and 3rd August. The previous post links to the full event brochure

Here's a quick guide to The Wee Gaitherin 2024. Link above for more info

Poster for The Wee Gaitherin Poetry Festival in Stonehaven, 1-3 August 2024. It is hues of green and purple.

The brochure's up for The Wee Gaitherin Poetry Festival in Stonehaven, 1-3 Aug. Quite an array of talent they've assembled!

I'm reciting new work opening night, after a reading of my hometown's more famous poetic export, ‘Surfaceman’ Alexander Anderson.

www.weegaitherin.com/post/festiva...

A poster advertising the Sunny Burns Bash at the Robert Burns Ellisland Farm & Museum on Sunday 21 July 2024, 12-4pm, with live music, historic dance, storytelling and games in celebration of the anniversary of the first ever Burns Supper.

In 10 days (July 21st) the 223rd anniversary of the first Burns Supper will be celebrated @Burns_Ellisland Farm, where Rabbie wrote over 130 of his poems & songs.

I'll be singing & reciting, there's live music, activities for kids & local stalls. Come visit us in D&G!

www.dgwgo.com/community-fo...

Kris, a bald man with a beard in round glasses, wearing a blue shirt and khaki trousers, standing beside a table filled with cakes

A blue booklet and a yellow booklet stand side by side under some plants. One is titled An Appendix of Grief, the other Comfort Food: Recipes I. Both are by Kris Haddow.

An audience attending an author panel at the DeathWrites Public Symposium in a grand hall

Copies of the DeathWrites newspaper with images from Kris Haddow’s project

What a great day connecting with other authors and creatives, hearing readings from #DeathWrites work in progress from the past 2+ year. I’ve relished being part of this collective.

A limited number of my short essay + recipe chapbooks are available here:

📚🛒👉🏼 buy.stripe.com/bIY3en8wFg4v...

Dr Elizabeth Reeder on a stage under a large banner welcoming writers to a conference on death writing

Lots of vegan bakery on a table beside a plant

Around thirty writers in a large hall networking and chatting

We are here. ✍🏼

The #DeathWrites Symposium daytime sessions are underway. Finally catching up with lots of writers from the Network, and even meeting several in person for the first time.

My vegan cakes are oot!

#Glasgow #amwriting

two small booklets, one light blue, the other yellow, sitting on a wooden desk. the blue one is titled an appendix of grief, the yellow comfort food. both are by kris haddow

a small booklet laying open on a wooden table, with a handwritten recipe on notepaper on the left for highland shorties, and on the right, a vegan version

a poster for the deathwrites public symposium, an event taking place at adelaide place, glasgow and online on 7th june 2024 from 6-9pm. the image is white with black text and a logo made up of a fountain pen nib with a bone in the inkslot

a detailed flyer for the deathwrites public symposium in glasgow on 7th june, with a light blue background

THIS FRIDAY is the 2022-24 #DeathWrites Network finale, with a FREE event on writing death, dying, grief + illness.

Join authors, poets + essayists as we read our work, in #Glasgow or online.

I'll be sharing two wee chapbooks + vegan treats! 🍰🌱

🎟️+ℹ️: deathwrites.org.uk/Symposium

Tickets can be booked via this link: www.tickettailor.com/events/death...

Poster for DeathWrites Network public symposium to be held at Adelaide Place, Glasgow on 7th June from 6-9pm. The logo is a large fountain pen nib with a bone inset.

Details of the DeathWrites public symposium to be held in Glasgow on 7th June. Tickets are free and should be booked in advance. There is a QR scan to the booking website.

4 weeks today, writers (including me) will read from our @DeathWrites1 projects developed over the past 2+ years, with a public sharing at Adelaide Place, Glasgow.

The event is free (ticketed).

Please join us we creatively explore themes beyond grief, death & dying.

#amwriting

Gdańsk. 🇵🇱

a wood panelled lounge room. a brads monkey is bearing its bum

a glass covered roof terrace adorned in ivy

a selection of vegan food plates

cocktails in the lounge at house of gods in Glasgow

Had a very decadent night sampling food at the Secret Garden roof terrace, followed by cocktails downstairs in the lounge at the new House of Gods in the Merchant City.

Cracking l views over Glasgow at dusk, which I imagine will be even better in summer. We’ll be back!🍸🍹

The logo for the DeathWrites Network in Scotland, which is a fountain pen nib incorporating a bone in the ink slot.

The logo for the University of Glasgow's Write of Spring event, a blue bar on a purple background with orange hexagons in the background.

I'm reading reflections on my two-year DeathWrites Network project ‘An Appendix of Grief’ alongside peers at a University of Glasgow Write of Spring event tomorrow, 6-8pm.

It is a public sharing, if you'd like to join the live stream, please msg for registration info.

#amwriting ✍🏼