What Maks a Makar with Kathleen Jamie

Live Event


The position of Scots Makar was established in 2004 by the Scottish Government to celebrate the importance of poetry in Scotland’s culture and history. Following in the footsteps of Edwin Morgan, Liz Lochhead and Jackie Kay, Kathleen Jamie was announced as the new Makar in summer 2021. Having published her first pamphlet aged 19, Kathleen has had a prolific career as a poet and non-fiction writer, writing both in English and Scots and with particular interests in travel and the natural world. So, what maks a Makar? Kathleen discusses her career to date alongside Trustee of the Edwin Morgan Trust and previous Director of the Scottish Poetry Library, Robyn Marsack, in a conversation chaired by Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.