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Square Baw
Paperback
First published January 1, 2025
About the author
Hamish MacDonald
7 booksHamish MacDonald is a Scottish writer who has been published in poetry and fiction. He was raised in Clydebank, working in various places in Scotland and overseas before settling in the Highlands in 1999.
As a playwright his work has featured in touring productions throughout Scotland and abroad, with his play Factor 9 premiering at the Umea 2014 European Capital of Culture programme in Sweden. He has been involved in theatrical collaborations in Scotland, Sweden and Iran and in association with the University of St Andrews he recently translated Papusza’s Tears of Blood, the definitive poem of the Roma holocaust during WW2, into Scots and English. He has written and presented documentaries for BBC Radio Scotland including The Spirit of Invergordon and The Scot Who Stayed in Argentina. Hamish is active on the live poetry scene and has been roving poet at Nairn Book & Arts Festival, he also has a long standing association with Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival. He was the first Robert Burns Writing Fellow for Dumfries and Galloway Arts Association (2003-06) and the first Scots Scriever for the National Library of Scotland (2015-17) where he created and developed the Wee Windaes website which was awarded Best Scots Project at the 2020 Scots Language Awards. His poetry collection Wilson’s Ornithology & Burds in Scots was a recipient of the Scottish Book Trust’s Scots Language Awards. In December 2020 Hamish became the Bankies Bard, official poet in residence for Clydebank Football Club.
MacDonald is a founder and former Joint Artistic Director of Dogstar Theatre Company and former Director of Moniack Mhor, Scotland’s creative writing centre. As a performance poet, he became Scotland's slam poetry champion in 2022 and runner-up at the world slam finals in Paris. His latest poetry collection, Square Baw, celebrating the world of Scottish football, was published by Scotland Street Press in 2025.
As a playwright his work has featured in touring productions throughout Scotland and abroad, with his play Factor 9 premiering at the Umea 2014 European Capital of Culture programme in Sweden. He has been involved in theatrical collaborations in Scotland, Sweden and Iran and in association with the University of St Andrews he recently translated Papusza’s Tears of Blood, the definitive poem of the Roma holocaust during WW2, into Scots and English. He has written and presented documentaries for BBC Radio Scotland including The Spirit of Invergordon and The Scot Who Stayed in Argentina. Hamish is active on the live poetry scene and has been roving poet at Nairn Book & Arts Festival, he also has a long standing association with Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival. He was the first Robert Burns Writing Fellow for Dumfries and Galloway Arts Association (2003-06) and the first Scots Scriever for the National Library of Scotland (2015-17) where he created and developed the Wee Windaes website which was awarded Best Scots Project at the 2020 Scots Language Awards. His poetry collection Wilson’s Ornithology & Burds in Scots was a recipient of the Scottish Book Trust’s Scots Language Awards. In December 2020 Hamish became the Bankies Bard, official poet in residence for Clydebank Football Club.
MacDonald is a founder and former Joint Artistic Director of Dogstar Theatre Company and former Director of Moniack Mhor, Scotland’s creative writing centre. As a performance poet, he became Scotland's slam poetry champion in 2022 and runner-up at the world slam finals in Paris. His latest poetry collection, Square Baw, celebrating the world of Scottish football, was published by Scotland Street Press in 2025.
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October 30, 2026
An absolutely fantastic piece of work. Combining two things of great interest to me, the history of the First World War, and the bizarre magic of Scottish football. I was very lucky to get to hear the writer perform some of his prose in person and pick up a signed copy. This is definitely something to pick up and read.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review