Quines

Gerda Stevenson was born and raised in the Scottish Borders, and trained at RADA, London. She is an award-winning poet, play-wright, prose writer, dramatist, actor, director and singer/song-writer. She is a visiting lecturer at the University of Glasgow, where her poetry collection, If This Were Real, and her stage play Federer Versus Murray are studied on the Contemporary Scottish Literature course. Her poetry and prose have appeared in the Scotsman, the Herald and New Writing Scotland. In 2013 her first poetry collection If This Were Real was published and in 2014 Gerda was awarded a Creative Scotland Artist’s Bursary, to write this second collection on neglected Scottish women.

Quines is a vivid explosion of thought, description and bold opinion, clothing Scots history at last with the myriad contribution of its women. Gerda Stevenson personifies figures often left as dry as dust and reinstates the dignity and complexity of female characters who have helped shape society and reach across the centuries to modern women today. Her use of Scots language and Gaelic phrasing adds authenticity and smeddum. This is a wonderful, life-affirming book. - LESLEY RIDDOCH