Scots at the United Nations [Issued May 2006]

On 5th May 2006, the Scots Language was heard on-stage for the first time at the prestigious world poetry event, The Stones of Civilization, held at the United Nations in New York.

Itchy Coo's Matthew Fitt read a poem in Scots to 250 delegates in the U.N. Building's Dag Hammarskold auditorium. Reading 'Acid Burns' by Mike Cullen from Itchy Coo's Scots anthology The Smoky Smirr o Rain, Matthew encouraged poets from Australia, Wales, the Basque Country, Ireland, Africa and North America to join in a chorus of 'Hoose, hoose, hoose, hoose.'

The UN reading was co-sponsored by the United Nations SRC Society of Writers, the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) with the aim of raising awareness of minority and endangered languages in an era of globalization. It was attended by Sir Emyr Jones Parry, the UK's Ambassador to the UN.

Prior to the Stones of Civilization reading, the United Nations has only recognised Scottish Gaelic (which was represented this year by poet, Aonghas MacNeacail). At this milestone event for Itchy Coo and for Scots, Matthew also read a statement addressing Scottish government's changing attitude towards the language:

'I'd like to take this opportunity here at the United Nations to commend the Scottish Arts Council and the Scottish Executive for their strong commitment to the Scots Language. It is hoped that all organisations in Scotland will now support this unique tongue and work to secure its future for the next generation of young Scots.'

Itchy Coo goes International [Issued 2004]

Itchy Coo has raised its international profile in recent months. In November 2004 Matthew Fitt and James Robertson attended the 3rd Mercator Symposium on Regional and Minority European Languages in Education, held at the Fryske (Frisian) Akademy in Ljouwert (Leeuwarden, the Netherlands). This gathering of academics and activists was hugely impressive and informative - Matthew and James learned about the problems and successes of regional and minority languages across Europe, including such tongues as Kashubian, Silesian and Ruthenian. More details on Mercator's important work can be found at www.mercator-education.org

Meanwhile Matthew took Itchy Coo on a British Council-supported tour of the Czech Republic in November/December, visiting schools, teacher-training faculties and British Centres. Itchy Coo was also featured on Radio Prague, Radio Usti and in the British Council news magazine.

Itchy Coo, along with 16 other Scottish publishers, will be represented at the Modern Languages Association annual convention in Washington D.C., 27th-30th December. This is a huge event, one of the largest gatherings of teachers and academics in the USA, and Itchy Coo will be there for the second year running. We're hoping the books will attract as much attention as they did in Philadelphia last year. More information at www.scottishwriting.org.uk