A selection of other publications and writing by Jennifer Morag Henderson, including links to read online. Newest articles are posted in News/Events as they appear.
To commission articles or other work, please use the Contact page to get in touch.
Northwords Now – Poetry and Essays
Jennifer is a Contributing Writer for literary magazine Northwords Now.
Northwords Now are slowly digitising back issues: click on this link to access some articles by Jennifer. Previous issues featured commissioned essays from Jennifer about Highland biography and memoir, and Highland crime fiction, as well as book reviews.
In August 2013 she appeared at the Inverness Book Festival as part of the Northwords Now event reading her poetry, alongside two other poets, John Glenday and Rody Gorman. The event was featured on BBC television, and you can read a short review of it here.
“Hugh MacDiarmid and Mary Poppins: Truly Whaur Extremes Meet”
A front page cover for a special article based on original research, which takes a new look at Hugh MacDiarmid and ‘Mary Poppins’ author Pamela Travers:
by Jennifer Morag Henderson
Read the full article here and a news item here.
Jennifer has given talks for the WEA on her research and discoveries around MacDiarmid and Travers.
“A Strange and Drunken Dream”
17th-century Inverness adventurer and ‘expert swordsman’ Donald McBane lived a fascinating life: this article and review of a republication of Donald McBane’s 1728 autobiography “The Expert Sword-Man’s Companion” discusses recent research into his sometimes fantastic claims, McBane’s link to Killiecrankie and ‘The Soldier’s Leap’, Claverhouse, prize-fighting and more.
To buy a copy of Donald McBane’s republished book, go to this site.
Read more about Donald McBane on the News /Events page here.
An article on the history of Inverness’ Victorian Market for the BBC:
“Old Market’s Rise from the Ashes”
click on the links to read the introduction and the full article.
Originally published in 2009 after I was commissioned to write a poem about the Victorian Market for an Inverness arts project, this is an article I still get asked about frequently – with its story of a dog refusing to leave its post during a disastrous fire. See the News/Events page for the latest information.
The Dance of Don’t Know: The Great Yes, No, Don’t Know Five-Minute Theatre Show
The Great Yes, No, Don’t Know Five Minute Theatre show was a 24-hour online broadcast of live theatre organised by the National Theatre of Scotland and co-curated by David Greig and David MacLennan. Billed as ‘a democratic dramatic response to the theme of “Independence”’, it streamed live on 23rd /24th June 2014, the year of the Scottish Independence vote.
I worked with pupils from local secondary school Culloden Academy to produce a short play, “The Dance of Don’t Know”, which was performed in front of a live audience and streamed online. My play featured in a BBC Radio Scotland documentary about the project, where David Greig singled it out for praise.
“The Dance of Don’t Know” explores what young people think about Scotland, and what an independence vote might look like as 16 and 17 year olds will be voting for the first time.
Ceilidh dance classes are an integral part of the school sports curriculum in the Highlands but these lessons might appear strange to others in the UK. The dance lesson explores ideas of Scottishness and how people perceive it. Watch it online here: https://vimeo.com/99227730
Random Acts of Writing (RAW)
From 2006-2010 Jennifer was involved with Highland literary magazine Random Acts of Writing (RAW), starting as a contributor and later becoming editor and owner. The magazine published many well-known writers including Katharine Stewart, Ali Smith, Donald Murray, Kevin MacNeil, Anne MacLeod, Prof James Hunter, Martin MacInnes, Eva Faber, Fiona Mackenzie and many more.
“Random act to relish… very engaging” – Scotland on Sunday
“The publication has gone from strength to strength” – Press & Journal
“The contents of R.A.W…. are wide-ranging, with poignant short fiction that stays with the reader, lucid poetry and distinct observations on everyday life in the north of Scotland. R.A.W. is giving a voice to the undercurrent of creativity in the Highlands and Islands” – Stornoway Gazette
As editor of RAW, Jennifer was commissioned by Inverness Museum and Art Gallery (IMAG) to produce two special issues of the magazine as part of two exhibitions: “Reflections” looked at portraits of unknown women, and produced some fascinating new work and research, which was featured on STV and BBC television, and on BBC radio. You can read more about “Reflections” here. The second special issue “Homecoming” was produced for the ‘Year of Highland Homecoming’ in 2009, to tie in with IMAG’s exhibition ‘Leaving Home’.
Am Baile – Literary Landscapes
The Highland Council’s history and culture website Am Baile features the work of a number of Highland writers, including Jennifer Morag Henderson, and Josephine Tey.
Jennifer Morag Henderson 