Message for 2023
At the end of 2022, we brought together writers from each of the four home nations (England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland) to mark their thoughts and feelings at the end of a hard year and the beginning of a potential-filled new year
Fin Ross Russell - Project Coordinator
Fin Ross Russell is the co-founder of Island Life Productions, having founded the company with his sister in 2011. Since founding the company, he completed his BA in Drama, Applied Theatre & Education from the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama. Following a year working at Chichester Festival Theatre as the theatre's Education Assistant, Fin moved up to Edinburgh where alongside running the company, he has worked as a freelance facilitator for various companies including the Brunton Theatre, Millennium Stage School, Scottish Youth Theatre, Edinburgh City Council, Strange Town, Ignite Theatre, Imaginate, LYRA, PACE Theatre Company and Lyceum Youth Theatre. Fin also lectures for the CGO Institute and assistant directed Perth Theatre's main-stage production of Chaos (February 2022). Fin is a board member of Capital Theatres and founding member of their new Youth Advisory Board.
Melanie Ross Russell - Editor
Melanie Ross Russell is an Edinburgh-based French-Russian emerging filmmaker, writer and programmer. She has a blog called 'The Feminist Film Gaze' which she uses to examine and critique today's film culture through a modern feminist lens. Her opinions and writing have been developed during her BA studying Performing Arts and Film Studies at the Université Paris Nanterre and during her MA studying Directing at Met Film School. She is currently the videographer and photographer for the Edinburgh Short Film Festival. She is always looking for opportunities to collaborate with organisations and individuals in a filmmaking, film writing or film programming capacity.
England
Kathryn Webb - Message Writer (England)
Kathryn Webb (they/she) is a queer working-class creative who first began filming Doctor Who spinoffs on a cam-corder in her best friend’s back garden. Today, Kathryn’s work spans Poetry, Film, Theatre and everything inbetween with a creative practice focused on silenced voices, folklore, and queerness. Kathryn has developed projects with Rianne Pictures, Sky Arts & Creative England. Recently, Kathryn wrote & directed a short film as part of the Make Film HIstory X BBC 100 Project in celebration of the BBC’s centenary. Previously, Kathryn’s Guernsey-set short screenplay ‘The Curse of Old Bluebeard’ placed Runner Up for the 2020 Jenny Lecoat Screenwriting Award while ‘Self Raising’, a screenplay about coming out later in life, placed Runner Up at Women Over Fifty Film Festival. Kathryn’s Theatre work includes ‘9’ directed by Millie Whittam for Theatre503’s Rapid Write Response, and ‘Dust On A Mirror Is Kin’ R&D at NDTBroadgate directed by Xanthus. Kathryn’s poetry has been published by Read24, ChewBoy Productions, and ripe.
Northern Ireland
James Doyle - Message Writer (Northern Ireland)
James Doyle is an award-winning author, teacher and journalist. He has written thirteen books and his works have been translated into numerous languages. In 2013, he became the first person from Northern Ireland to win The International Reading Association’s Award in San Antonio, Texas. The International Reading Association is the world’s largest literacy organisation. James won their middle grade non-fiction prize for his book ‘A Young Scientist’s guide to Defying Disasters with Skill and Daring’. In addition, he has devised many online and video based learning resources for BBC Bite size, the Guardian’s Learn things, StudySmart GCSE and Twig Education. He has written for The Times and The Guardian newspapers.
Scotland
Alexander S. Jenkins - Message Writer (Scotland)
Alexander is a dyslexic writer and illustrator from a working class background. Born and raised in Scotland, he has a passion for social welfare, history and philosophy. He is a self confessed audiobook addict and eclectic reader. In all of his work he aims to entertain, provoke thought and encourage self reflection. He has had work published on the John Byrne Award website and was invited to read ‘A Wicker World’ at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, published on their website as part of Scotland’s Year of Stories. Find him on Twitter @One_AS_Jenkins
Wales
Lucy Loughanne - Message Writer (Wales)
Lucy Loughnane is a Welsh writer/actor and a graduate of Mountview, where she wrote her first full length play, Ascent. Her work has been performed across London at venues such as Theatre Royal Stratford East and The Museum of Comedy. She has recently been selected to be part of the Emerging Playwright programme with the Lyric Hammersmith. Lucy aims to amplify the voices of the working class and to encourage conversations about issues people face today.
