HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EDDIE!
Today we are celebrating Edwin Morgan’s Centenary by launching ‘Open the Doors!’, the first video from our new video channel, ‘Hold Hands Among the Atoms‘, which will feature discussions, readings and insights into Morgan’s life and work.
‘Open the Doors!’ is not just the first line of Edwin Morgan’s poem, it was also his approach to life: as Jackie Kay said,’I think his lasting legacy is that he broke doors open’, and he said himself: ‘Change Rules OK!’
Edited by Glasgow-based artist Aideen Doran, ‘Open the Doors!’ includes the voices of a baker’s dozen (+1!) of enthusiasts, old friends and collaborators (listed in order of appearance): Jackie Kay, Damian Barr, Elaine C Smith, Alan Cumming, Ron Butlin, Gerard Mulgrew, Liz Lochhead, Tommy Smith, Imtiaz Dharker, Carol Ann Duffy, Kate Dickie, Tam Dean Burn, Eddi Reader and Andy Arnold. A galaxy of talent, sharing favourite lines and memories of Morgan. Transcript can be found HERE, and video is embedded below.
‘Hold Hands Among the Atoms’ is the title of a collection of 70 ‘social poems’ Edwin Morgan and his publisher at Mariscat Press put together for his 70th birthday. It has particular resonance for us on his 100th birthday, when we reach out to form virtual communities at a time that social contact is restricted by the Coronavirus pandemic.
We plan to put up new videos and links to places where you’ll find other Morgan delights on the 27th of each month. So put the date in your calendar for revisiting the site, and please spread the word: the doors are open to all!
Edwin Morgan Trust 
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