Michael Pedersen (born 16 June 1984) is a Scottish poet, author and

spoken word Spoken word is an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a 20th-century continuation of an oral tradition, ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetic ...

performer. Alongside his writing, he co-founded the Edinburgh arts collective Neu! Reekie! which existed from 2010 to 2022. He is the current Edinburgh

Makar A makar () is a term from Scottish literature for a poet or bard, often thought of as a royal court poet. Since the 19th century, the term ''The Makars'' has been specifically used to refer to a number of poets of fifteenth and sixteenth cen ...

and writer-in-residence at

The University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

Career

Pedersen started writing in Scots for his

Portobello, Edinburgh Portobello is a coastal suburb of Edinburgh in eastern central Scotland. It lies 3 miles (5 km) east of the city centre, facing the Firth of Forth, between the suburbs of Joppa, Edinburgh, Joppa and Craigentinny. Although historically it ...

high school magazine. He studied Law at

Durham University Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament (UK), Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by r ...

(2002–2005) and lived in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

for several years before returning to Scotland and turning to writing and publishing full-time. Pedersen published two

chapbooks A chapbook is a type of small printed booklet that was a popular medium for street literature throughout early modern Europe. Chapbooks were usually produced cheaply, illustrated with crude woodcuts and printed on a single sheet folded into 8, 1 ...

before compiling his first full poetry collection, ''Play with Me'', in 2013. In 2010, Pedersen co-founded with poet Kevin Williamson the Edinburgh collective Neu! Reekie!. Through it they produced some 200 showcases for poetry, music and arts, and published writings and poetry compilations. Pedersen continued to be heavily involved with Neu! Reekie! until its winding down in 2022. Pedersen won the John Mather Trust Rising Star of Literature grant in 2014 and was awarded the Robert Louis Stevenson fellowship in 2015, which allows for a residency at Hôtel Chevillon International Arts Centre at

Grez-sur-Loing Grez-sur-Loing (, literally ''Grez on Loing''; formerly Grès-en-Gâtinais, literally ''Grès in Gâtinais'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Seine-et-Marne Departments of France, department in north-central France. It is 6 km north o ...

, France. Pedersen had developed a close friendship with musician and illustrator

Scott Hutchison Scott John Hutchison (20 November 1981 – 9 May 2018) was a Scottish singer, songwriter, guitarist and artist. He was the founding member and primary songwriter of the indie rock band Frightened Rabbit, with whom he recorded five studio albums ...

. In 2017 he released his second poetry collection, ''Oyster'', accompanied by illustrations from Hutchison. The publication led to joint performances of poetry and music across the UK and in South Africa. 2017 also saw the establishment of the Cold Turkey evenings around the festive season in December, which include performances from Pedersen, Hollie McNish,

Withered Hand Dan Willson (born 23 July 1974), also known by his stage name Withered Hand, is an Edinburgh-based indie rock musician. His first studio album, '' Good News'', was released in 2009 in Scotland, and re-released in 2011 on Absolutely Kosher R ...

and special guests. That year's show featured Hutchison. The pair's performances continued into 2018, but the tour was cut short by Hutchison's death by suicide in May 2018, shortly before the two were due to make an appearance at the

Ullapool Ullapool (; ) is a village and port located in the civil parish of Lochbroom in the county of Ross and Cromarty, Scottish Highlands. It is located around northwest of Inverness. According to the Scottish Government in 2016, the village had a ...

Book Festival. Pedersen, McNish and Withered Hand performed at the 2019 festival as a memorial to Hutchison. Pedersen also performed at the

Edinburgh International Book Festival The Edinburgh International Book Festival (EIBF) is a book festival that takes place during two weeks in August every year in the centre of Edinburgh, Scotland. Described as ''The largest festival of its kind in the world'', the festival hosts ...

leading a night titled "Good Grief!", where he and other performers discussed grief and healing. In mid-2018, Pedersen took up a writing residency at the

Bill Drummond William Ernest Drummond (born 29 April 1953) is a Scottish artist, musician, writer, and record producer. He was a co-founder of the late-1980s avant-garde pop group the KLF and its 1990s media-manipulating successor, the K Foundation, with wh ...

-owned Curfew Tower in

Cushendall Cushendall (), formerly known as Newtownglens, is a coastal village and townland (of 153 acres) in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is located in the historic barony of Glenarm Lower and the civil parish of Layd, and is part of Causeway Coas ...

, Northern Ireland, where he began working on new material. It ended up the base for his next work, the prose book ''Boy Friends''. 2022 saw the release of ''Boy Friends'', an autobiographical work of prose dealing with male friendships, much of it regarding the kinship with Hutchison and dealing with his loss. The book received wide publicity and acclaim. In 2023, Pedersen released a new collection of poems, ''The Cat Prince & Other Poems'', some of whom were written during the extensive work on ''Boy Friends''. The poem "The Cat Prince" was shortlisted for the 2023 Forward Prize for Best Single Poem (Performed), and the book won Best Poetry at the

Books Are My Bag Readers' Awards The Books Are My Bag Readers' Awards are annual literary awards presented by the Booksellers Association in the UK and Ireland since 2016. They are sponsored by National Book Tokens. History and administration The awards were launched at the 201 ...

, run by the Booksellers Association. In 2023 Pedersen was also announced as a two-year writer-in-residence at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

. In July 2024, Pedersen was announced as the new Edinburgh

, taking over the role from Hannah Lavery. Pedersen is set to release his debut novel, ''Muckle Flugga'', in May 2025.

Personal life

Pedersen grew up in

and has an older sister. His partner is poet Hollie McNish.

Publications

* ''Play with Me'' (poetry, 2013, Polygon) * ''Oyster'' (poetry, 2017, Polygon, with

) * ''Boy Friends'' (prose, 2022,

Faber Faber may refer to: People * Faber (surname) Companies * Faber & Faber, publishing house in the United Kingdom * Faber-Castell, German manufacturer of writing instruments * Faber Music, British sheet music publisher * Eberhard Faber, German ...

) * ''The Cat Prince & Other Poems'' (poetry, 2023, Corsair) * ''Muckle Flugga'' (novel, upcoming - 2025, Faber)

References

External links

*
Profile page at the University of Edinburgh
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pedersen, Michael 1984 births 21st-century Scottish poets 21st-century Scottish writers People from Portobello, Edinburgh Scottish male poets Writers from Edinburgh Living people Alumni of University College, Durham