Jenny Lindsay

Jenny Lindsay is a Scottish poet, performer, and promoter. She is one of Scotland's leading spoken word performers[2][3] and has been described as “one of Scotland’s finest cultural innovators.”[2]

Jenny Lindsay
Born1982[1]
Maybole, Ayrshire, Scotland
OccupationPoet
LanguageScots; English
NationalityScottish
Years active2002 -
Notable worksThe Things You Leave Behind,
This Script
Notable awardsCreative Edinburgh Award for Leadership,
John Byrne Award for Critical Thinking
Website
www.jennylindsay.com

Career

Lindsay started writing poetry in 2002 at the age of 20.[4] Her first full poetry collection to be published was "The Things You Leave Behind," which Red Squirrel Press published in 2011. She was BBC Slam Champion in 2012.[2] Following this debut, she released pamphlet-length collections, "The Eejit Pit" in 2012 and "Ire & Salt" in 2015.[5]

Lindsay worked as a full-time modern studies schoolteacher in Edinburgh until 2014, when she became a full time writer, mentor, and events organiser.[5]

In 2016, Lindsay established her own company, "Flint & Pitch", which curates and hosts events that combine music and poetry, showcasing them at prominent venues like the Royal Lyceum Theatre.[5]

In 2017 Lindsay was awarded the Creative Edinburgh Award for Leadership for her work in the spoken word sector and longlisted for the inaugural Jerwood Compton Poetry Fellowship.[2]

Lindsay published her second full poetry collection, "This Script," by Stewed Rhubarb Press in 2019.[5] "This Script" is also a play that was performed the same year[5] and was described as "inspiring and thought provoking" in reviews.[6]

In 2020, Lindsay won the John Byrne Award for Critical Thinking for her film-poem ‘The Imagined We’.[7]

Works

Poetry collections
  • The Things You Leave Behind (Red Squirrel Press, 2011); ISBN 978-1906700386
  • This Script (Stewed Rhubarb Press, 2019) ISBN 978-1910416075
  • This Script (re-release) (Red Squirrel Press, 2022) ISBN 978-1913632328

Poetry pamphlets
  • The Eejit Pit (Stewed Rhubarb Press, 2012) ISBN 978-0957636316
  • Ire & Salt (Stewed Rhubarb Press, 2015)

Personal life

Jenny Lindsay is from Ayrshire, she lived in Edinburgh for a number of decades having moved there for university at 17 before returning to Ayrshire in 2020.[5] Lindsay is a supporter of the Scottish Independence movement and has campaigned for independence.[8] She is fluent in both Scots and English.[9]

Lindsay has spoken publicly about her experiences of being stalked[8] as well as being a survivor of sexual assault.[10]

Trans Rights row

In 2020, during a session in the Scottish Parliament, SNP member Joan McAlpine MSP said that is was “worrying that women such as feminist poets in Scotland, Jenny Lindsay and Magi Gibson, have been subject to online mobs trying to stop them getting work or blocking their performances”.[11] This situation arose in the context of comments made by Jenny Lindsay, where she critiqued a social media post by a transgender activist, claiming that the post implicitly endorsed violence against women participating in a London demonstration.[3]

References
  1. Borland, Ben (13 May 2023). "Scots poet 'hounded' by Scotland's snobby literary elite for her views on toxic trans debate" – via Scottish Daily Express.
  2. "Jenny Lindsay | Poetry | Scottish Poetry Library". www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  3. Ferguson, Brian (4 October 2020). "Police warned leading Scottish poet over threats to safety after social media 'hounding'" – via The Scotsman.
  4. McBay, Nadine (3 August 2019). "Jenny Lindsay's This Script calls for finding solidarity in division" – via The National.
  5. McMillan, Joyce (18 February 2021). "The Scotsman Sessions #188: Jenny Lindsay" – via The Scotsman.
  6. Frasier, Steven (7 August 2019). "This Script" – via The Wee Review.
  7. Sabah, Naush. "Naush Sabah's Bad, Mad, and Bold Mixtape". Retrieved 3 October 2023 – via The Poetry Society.
  8. McBay, Nadine (22 April 2016). "Yes-campaigning poet speaks out for first time about stalking experience" – via The National.
  9. "Jenny Lindsay | Author Directory |". www.scottishbooktrust.com/. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  10. Wade, Mike (7 May 2023). "'Tide begins to turn' for the women cancelled by trans campaigners" – via The Times.
  11. Flood, Alison (5 March 2020). "Transphobia row leaves Scottish poetry scene in turmoil" – via The Guardian.
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