Makar | |
---|---|
National Poet for Scotland | |
Nominator | Scottish Government |
Appointer | First Minister |
Term length | 3 years |
Formation | 2004 |
First holder | Edwin Morgan |
Salary | £15,000 |
The Makar or National Poet for Scotland is the national poet laureate of Scotland. The current Makar is Kathleen Jamie, who was appointed in August 2021. [1] Holders of the post are appointed by the Scottish Government and supported by the Scottish Poetry Library.
The Makar's responsibilities include:
The stipend for the post is £15,000 per year for 3 years, to recompense the Makar for their time in writing or attending events in this role. [2] The post is appointed by the Scottish Government in an unregulated appointment. [3] The Scottish Poetry Library provides support to the post including media handling, festival booking and web presence.
With the appointment of Kathleen Jamie in 2021, the Scottish Government convened an expert panel representing Scotland's literary sector to consider nominations for the next Makar and agree upon a recommendation to put to the First Minister. [4] The panel members were:
The term of the Makar is now 3 years, rather than the 5 years which it had previously been. [5]
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