John J. Coutts

John J. Coutts (born 1934) is a Scottish poet, preacher, and broadcaster. ^{[1] [2] [3]} He served as the Poet in Residence at Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum from 2015 to 2021. ^[4]

Early life and education

Coutts was born in 1934 in Clydebank, Scotland. ^[2] He earned a first-class degree in English language and literature from Lincoln College, Oxford. ^{[2] [5]}

Career

Coutts pursued his career in Nigeria and England. ^{[2] [6]}

Coutts has translated sections of The Complete Works of Alexander Pushkin in English (Milner and Co, 1999), including the epic poem Poltava and various lyrical pieces. ^{[7] [2]} In 2010, The Handsel Press published his poetry collection titled Lines of a Lifetime. ^{[6] [8]}

His theatrical works include Shakespeare in Stirling, a play that imagines William Shakespeare visiting Scotland. ^[2] The play was part of the Royal Shakespeare Company's Open Stage project and was performed by the Riverside Drama Club. ^[2] Coutts also created A Box of Surprises, a solo performance piece that combines poetry and storytelling. ^[2] He also writes scripts and performance poetry for young audiences. ^[2]

From 1953 to 1954, Coutts studied Russian and played rugby at the Joint Services School for Linguists. In the 1980s, he briefly held the position of Keston's representative in Moscow. ^[9]

Coutts has contributed to BBC Radio Scotland's Thought for the Day program. In 2015, he published his autobiography, Was That Me? Memories of a Long Spent Youth. ^[2]

In September 2015, Coutts was appointed Poet in Residence at The Smith Art Gallery and Museum by its then-director, Elspeth King. ^{[10] [11] [12]} He organized the monthly Poetry Roundabout at the museum, an open event where participants can present their own poetry or share their favorite poems, until 2021. ^[4]

In 2017, together with David Smith, Coutts compiled a book of poetry themed around the museum's cat, Oswald. ^{[13] [4]} Titled Oswald's Invitation: Oswald the Cat’s Book of Poems for Fun and Finding Out, the book was distributed to every school within the Stirling Council area. ^[10]

Coutts is a lifelong member of The Salvation Army. ^{[14] [10]}

Awards and recognition

• 2017: National Drama Award ^[15]

Bibliography

• Coutts, John J. (1965). Our Faith and theirs. Salvation Army. ISBN   0854120971.
• Coutts, John J. (1968). Prophets & Kings of Israel. Prentice Hall Press. ISBN   0582608155.
• Coutts, John J.; Thompson, P. E. S. (1973). How the Christian Faith began. Longman. ISBN   0582608856.
• Coutts, John J. (1977). The Salvationists. Mowbray. ISBN   0264660714.
• Coutts, John J. (1980). This we believe. Challenge Books. ISBN   0854122826.
• Coutts, John J. (1989). Jewish Lives. Living the faith. Oliver and Boyd. ISBN   0050043196.
• Coutts, John J. (1990). Sikh Lives. Living the faith. Oliver and Boyd. ISBN   0050045121.
• Coutts, John J. (1995). Celebrate Sikh Festivals. Heinemann/Raintree. ISBN   0431069638.
• Coutts, John J. (2007). Saints Alive! A Brief History of the Christian Church. Salvation Army. ISBN   0854127658.
• Coutts, John J. (2015). Was That Me? Memories of a Long Spent Youth. Haddington: The Handsel Press. ISBN   1871828880.
• Coutts, John J. (2020). Rap Around the Gospel. RG Publishing.

References

1. McNeill, Alastair (1 Jul 2020). "It's a rap! Hip-hop Bible tales John (85) gives it chapter and verse". Stirling Observer.
2. "John Coutts b.1934". Scottish Poetry Library . Retrieved 10 February 2025.
3. Coutts, John (12 January 2008). "Face to Faith". The Guardian .
4. "The Stirling Smith's poet John signs off with a celebration of museum's treasures: Lifetime in literature". Stirling Observer. 18 Aug 2021. p. 10.
5. Coutts, John. "Welcome to my website!". Archived from the original on 1 August 2015.
6. White, Gregor (11 February 2011). "Book Review: Lines of a Lifetime, by John Coutts". Daily Record.
7. Stuckert, Heather (13 November 2021). "John Coutts, the Stirling-based poet, scholar, and translator of Pushkin". The Herald (Glasgow). p. 14.
8. "Beneath the outward sign". Church Times . 15 March 2011.
9. Coutts, John (2022). "The Salvation Army in Russia" (PDF). Keston Newsletter (36): 20–27.
10. McNeill, Alastair (4 July 2020). "Stirling pensioner becomes rapper to tell Bible stories through hip hop". Daily Record.
11. Marzella, Chris (14 April 2022). "Stirling church congregation give poetic farewell to retiring deacon". Daily Record.
12. Coutts, John, ed. (25 September 2020). "The September 2020 Poetry Roundabout". Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum . Retrieved 10 February 2025.
13. "Poet's book launched". Stirling Observer. 10 May 2017.
14. "Thought for The Day – John Coutts – The poet, freelance writer and member of the Salvation Army reflects on migration". BBC Radio Scotland. 7 June 2013.
15. "John's Sally Army inspired play wins national award". Stirling Observer. 29 November 2017. p. 8.