Malachy Tallack
  • Home
  • About
    • About me
    • Interviews
  • Writing
    • Books >
      • The Valley at the Centre of the World
      • The Un-Discovered Islands
      • Sixty Degrees North
    • Other writing
    • Outriders
    • Other publications
    • Mentoring
  • Music
  • Events
  • Contact

Recent writing

A selection of recent articles, essays and reviews:

  • A Song of Home: a profile of the artist Paul Bloomer, for Caught by the River, 2019.
  • The Heart of Beyond: an essay on 'remoteness' and centrality in fiction, in Boundless magazine, 2019.
  • A Christmas Compass: North: a short story broadcast on BBC Radio 4, Christmas Day, 2018.
  • The Noticing: a short story for The Simple Things magazine (not available online).
  • The Worth of Words, The Island Review, 2018.
  • "Drive Safely!", The Island Review, 2017.
  • Why I Love ... Fair Isle, The Guardian, 2016.
  • The Nameless Loch, Fallon's Angler issue 8 (not available online).
  • The Magic of an Island: for the Scottish Book Trust.
  • A review of Louise Gray's The Ethical Carnivore for Caught By The River, 2016.
  • The Fear of a Retreat: a blog about the RLS Fellowship for the Scottish Book Trust, 2016
  • An introduction to Wendell Berry's The Art of the Commonplace for Caught By The River's Nature Book Reader, 2015.
  • The Way to My Grandparents' House, for the Scottish Book Trust's 'Journeys' project, 2015.
  • Tom Nairn, in Darkness and Light, for Scottish Review of Books, 2014.
  • First thoughts on the independence referendum result, and the way forward from here, for National Collective, 2014
  • Review of The Fly Trap by Fredrick Sjoberg, Caught by the River, 2014
  • Northern Lights: review of The Literature of Shetland in Scottish Review of Books, 2014
  • So Long As We Can Imagine Better We Can Make Better: why I am voting Yes to Scottish independence. National Collective, 2014
  • True North: why there is no need for 'island referendums'. Bella Caledonia, 2014
  • Where I Write: a blog post for the Scottish Book Trust, 2014
  • Farson's way: a profile of Negley Farson, writer, wanderer and angler. Caught By the River, 2013
  • Islands Voices: on the Our Islands, Our Future autonomy campaign. Bella Caledonia, 2013
  • A comment piece for The Guardian on Shetland 'home rule', 2013
​

The Things Around Me

The Things Around Me was a 'nature writing' collaboration with ornithologist and artist Will Miles. From the autumn of 2011 to the spring of 2012 I wrote a series of essays about a Shetland garden – its wildlife and plants, and the experience of getting to know the place. The essays can be read here.
​

New Statesman

My columns for the New Statesman, from 2007, can be read here.

Shetland Life

A selection of my articles and editorials from Shetland Life magazine:
  • Of Poets and Dolls: Lemn Sissay and the nature of racism in Shetland
  • West, to Greenland
  • What is a Community?
  • Editorial: On terror and extremism in Britain and Norway
  • Editorial: On Harry Patch and remembrance
  • Editorial: On education and technology
  • Editorial: On privacy and press freedom
  • Editorial: On drugs and society
  • Editorial: On technology and agriculture
​

The Shetland Times

A selection of my Spaekalation columns:
  • On democracy in Europe
  • On the Roma and discrimination
  • On 'islandism'
  • On 'the commons'
Sign up for my (very occasional) newsletter below.
SUBSCRIBE
Privacy policy
  • Home
  • About
    • About me
    • Interviews
  • Writing
    • Books >
      • The Valley at the Centre of the World
      • The Un-Discovered Islands
      • Sixty Degrees North
    • Other writing
    • Outriders
    • Other publications
    • Mentoring
  • Music
  • Events
  • Contact