Hi! Welcome to my blog as the new Scottish Book Trust Reader in Residence with Glasgow Women’s Library.

On my first day I was as excited as a kid setting out to a new school.

First day nerves. Will I get on okay?

Not that I should have worried. The thing about Glasgow Women’s Library – if you’ve been in already you’ll know this – is that the team of workers and volunteers is fantastically friendly and helpful. What’s more, they have rather a predilection for cake.

Of course, they like to pretend they eat healthily – the fridge is heaving with bean salads, raw carrots and humous – but there seems to be cake everywhere else! (Please note, this is not a complaint, merely an observation.)

The question I’ve been asked most often in the past two weeks (between mouthfuls of tummy-melting cake, of course) is ‘What does a Reader in Residence do?’

Well, at its most basic it means that I encourage others to read. That answer usually prompts a couple more questions. The first being – how do I aim to do that? The second – why me?

The second is easier to answer. I’m a writer and facilitator, and have been for twenty five years. You can find more about me on www.magigibson.co.uk andwww.wildwomenwriting.co.uk. It’s impossible to be a writer without being an avid reader. The two things go hand in hand. So it’s great to put a lifetime of reading to use helping to guide others towards books – fiction, fact, poetry – that might excite and nourish them. And the shelves of GWL are heaving with the most fantastic and inspiring books.

Which leads to the answer to the first question – how? Well, one of the things I’ll be doing is holding one-to-one sessions most Thursday afternoons (and the occasional Saturday) in the library. You might never have been much of a reader, or you might feel you need your horizons stretched, or maybe there’s an area of reading you’d like to explore but you’re not sure what to start with…

So why not book a 30-45 minute session with me? The sessions are free.

Simply email me on magi.gibson@womenslibrary.org.uk. When we meet we can chat about what areas you’re interested in exploring, then plan a way forward. It doesn’t matter what reading level you’re at. You might not have picked up a book since you were at school – or you might be doing a PhD. You might want to start a book group with some friends and want suggestions on women-specific reading. Whatever your need, I’ll try to help.

Oh, and in case you’re on a health kick, don’t worry, the cake is optional!

I’ll be posting again soon about other things I’ll be doing at GWL.

Happy Reading!

Magi

‘If you have a library and a garden you have everything you need.’ Cicero (106 – 43 BC)

‘Mmm… Cicero. What about the cake?’ Magi (1953 – ?AD)