Barbara Bryan
Writer and Thinker
“The only predictable thing in life - is its unpredictability.”
I am a writer and thinker, based in Scotland, who enjoys all things creative.
I have just finished writing my first novel 'McCulloch's Dilemma'. Set in Edinburgh in 1792, the heart of the story is the quest for voting reform, and the quest for love in the face of adversity. Divided into Parts One and Two, the thirty-four chapters span a six month period. The tale is fictitious, as are the characters, but it is interspersed with factual events of the time.
I was inspired to write a novel about an ordinary man getting involved in the reform movement after i read an inscription on the Political Martyrs Monument in the Old Calton Burial Ground in Edinburgh. "...these two days will be rejudged." 'High Court of Justiciary January 7th 1794. William Skirving.' The monument was erected in 1844 to commemorate the five political martyrs who, in the 1790s, were found guilty of sedition and banished to Botany Bay for daring to publicise the right to universal suffrage.
I conceived , wrote, narrated and produced 'To a Lost Love'. Set to six specific Chopin nocturnes, which I play, it is a duet for female dancers. The script I have written is minimal enabling dance and music to convey the variety of emotions portrayed in this journey of love.
I have had poetry published, and my short play 'The Letter' was performed in Off Off Broadway. I did a speech and drama course at the Guildhall , and have written monologues on drugs, anorexia and coming out as LGBT for the theatre.
Until lockdown, I reviewed classical music, theatre and dance events for many years for Edfinburgh Guide, but I haven't resumed reviewing since lockdown lifted, preferring instread to focus on writing.
Taking Time Out
Lying on the beach, prostrate,
the sweat pours down
like droplets of rain
as the sun scorches the skin
which has been hibernating
for years from the heat.
Eyes down, the water
laps invitingly on the pebbles,
willing the survivor
to rise from their torpor
and sluggishly meander
down to the shore
where the cool water
chills, then caresses
the burning body
now splayed on the sea
recovering from the ruthless rays
of the sun.
Barbara Bryan