Who Owns the Clyde? | Louise Welsh

The River Clyde is central to the establishment of the City of Glasgow and its development as 'second city of the empire'. In the late twentieth and twenty-first century the city section of the river does not resemble vibrant rivers such as the Thames, Seine, Brisbane, Spree, Lagan and elsewhere. Indeed, it can feel as if the city has turned its back on the river. Louise Welsh discusses investigations into Who Owns the Clyde, undertaken in collaboration with architect Jude Barber and explores possible reasons why, despite the flow of its waters, the river Clyde has stalled. You can listen to Who Owns the Clyde podcast, featuring a variety of voices and opinions via https://podfollow.com/who-owns-the-clyde/view

Louise Welsh is the author of ten novels including The Cutting Room, The Plague Times Trilogy and To the Dogs. She is co-director (with Jude Barber) of the Empire Café established in 2014 as part of the Commonwealth Games Cultural Programme. The Empire Café is currently asking the question, Who Owns the Clyde? The project began as a mapping exercise exploring ownership of the River Clyde, from Glasgow Green to Pacific Quay. The difficulties around mapping ownership led to a three part podcast, Who Owns the Clyde? (Producer Halina Rifai) https://podfollow.com/who-owns-the-clyde/view. Louise also has a ten-year practice in opera with composer Stuart MacRae. their most recent opera Anthropocene has enjoyed productions in the UK, Germany and Austria. Louise has received numerous awards and international fellowships, including honorary doctorates from Napier University and the Open University. Louise is Professor of Creative Writing at University of Glasgow and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Royal Society of Literature.

The venue will be open from 5.30 pm. Tea & Coffee will be available before the talk.

Photograph of Louise Welsh by Julie Broadfoot

Host or Publisher the St Mungo Festival