The Carrying Stream

A Podcast for Scottish Words and Ideas

The Carrying Stream is a podcast for Scottish words and ideas. Hosted by Dr Paul Malgrati, the series offers long-form conversations with scholars, writers, poets, and artists working in and around Scotland. It is a space for criticism, idea-making, and the sharing of cutting-edge work in Scottish literature and culture. With room for Scots, Gaelic, and international voices, the podcast takes its name from Hamish Henderson’s idea of the “carrying stream”: the belief that cultural change emerges through common intellectual labour and the slow but deep sedimentation of voice and verse.

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10 episodes
monthly
Avg 1 hr 15 min
English

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September 6 · 1 hr 50 min
9. Firth & Earth: The Scottish Eco-Poem — with Garry MacKenzie
This episode's guest is Garry MacKenzie — the award-winning, ecologically attuned poet and scholar, Fifer, Glaswegian, and translator from Gaelic. He is the author of Ben Dorain: A Conversation with a Mountain (Irish Pages, 2021) and, most recently, Firth (Irish Pages, 2026) We talk about Scotland, the Firth of Forth, the planet, deep time, oysters, glaciers and deer. We also listen to Garry’s exquisite verse, and, in so doing, we touch on the mad poet’s dream of rendering the world into words. Overall, it is a hopeful conversation: a vindication of local insight, art and craft against the forces of global extraction. 02:30 - Writing about "the burning world" 07:20 - Garry's journey as a Scottish/Glaswegian eco-poet 20:10 - Poetry, ecology, spirituality and the non-human world 35:00 - Ben Dorain: Garry's experimental translation from 18th-century Gaelic 52:30 - Ecology and philosophy of translation 01:09:20 - Firth: Garry's latest collection about the Firth of Forth 01:16:50 - Glacier and Oysters 01:32:35 - Geology, History, and Revolution 01:41:00 - Scotland's eco-poetic scene
July 26 · 1 hr 40 min
8. Dundee Poetry: Past and Present - with Erin Farley and Taylor Dyson
This episode's guests are Dr Erin Farley, historian of Dundee literature and archivist at Dundee's Public Library, and Taylor Dyson, the award-winning Dundonian poet. In the first part of the episode, Erin paints a broad and vivid picture of Dundee's literary history, from Reformation verse and the poetry of the jute industry and from William McGonagal to Mary Brooksbank, W.N. Herbert and Michael Marra. In the second half, Taylor reads from her own work and reflects on the past few years, which have seen her emerge as one of the most exciting new voices in Dundee and Scottish poetry. Together, these conversations explore how a distinctive literary culture is made and sustained, and the many rewards and challenges of nurturing a local, democratic writing scene. Part 1 - Erin Farley (3:00-56:00) 03.22 - Introduction to Dundee Literature and Erin's work 07:04 - Dundee literature before the Industrial Revolution 14:02 - Dundee literature in the Industrial era 19:33 - Inequalities, politics, and literature in Victorian Dundee 33:29 - William McGonagall, Scotland's best worst poet 39:00 - Mary Brooksbank: Communist, Feminist, Poet. 46:40 - Dundee's contemporary poetry scene. Part 2 - Taylor Dyson (56:15 - 1:40:00) 57:00 - Taylor's work and Dundee's literary tradition 1:02:50 - Taylor's poetic journey and relationship with Dundonian Scots 1:13:30 - Blether, Dundee's monthly poetry night in Scots 1:17:40 - Taylor's recent awards and works 1:22:20 - Contemporary challenges for Dundee and working-class poetry 1:31:40 - Poetry and Drama in Taylor's work 1:37:30 - Future projects of Taylor and Erin
May 31 · 1 hr 19 min
7. Auld Alliance and the Ideal of Friendship - with Clément Guézais
This episode's guest is Dr Clément Guézais, a French historian, lecturer at the University of Arras, and specialist of the Auld Alliance between Scotland and France. We discuss the alliance itself - its origins, its history, and its legacy - as well as the ways in which French and Scots have imagined, understood and misunderstood one another across the centuries. At its heart, this is a discussion about the possibility of genuine friendship between nations, rather than merely a relationship of political convenience. 02:00 - Clément's journey as a scholar and into Scotland 07:30 - The origins of the Auld Alliance 16:00 - Why was the "Alliance" called "Auld"? 23:27 - The alliance and medieval notions of riendship 26:30 - The alliance and the Hundred Years' War 35:45 - The "Garde Ecossaise" 38:20 - Why the Auld Alliance came to an end 47:15 - How the French understood the Scots in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance 57:37 - The legacy of the Auld Alliance 01:07:00 - "Distance Unites": Clément's Franco-Scottish identity and his future works
April 18 · 1 hr 22 min
6. Writing Scotland in the Plural - with Robert Crawford
This episode’s guest is Robert Crawford, Emeritus Professor at the University of St Andrews and a distinguished poet. We discuss his work, which since the 1980s has played an important role in reshaping our understanding of Scottish literature in more multilingual and multicultural terms. We also speak about his engagement with Robert Burns and T. S. Eliot, as well as his interests in fields as varied as philosophy, computing, and the Japanese haiku. The result is a wide-ranging conversation on literature, influence, and the many directions Scottish writing and scholaship can take. 02.20 - Robert's origin story as a scholar of Scottish and English Literatures 09.30 - Crawford vs TS Eliot on Scotland's literary tradition 15.00 - Scottish literature, multilingualism and pluralism 27.30 - Robert's most influential essay: 'Devolving English Literature' (1992) 42.00 - Robert's work as an anthologist of Scottish verse and prose 50.45 - Robert answers some of his critics 1.01.00 - Robert's biographies of Robert Burns and TS Eliot 1.20.00 - Robert's forthcoming book on the Japanese haiku
March 8 · 1 hr 25 min
5. Gaelic Revival: From Czechia to Gàidhealtachd - with Petra Johana Poncarová
This episode's guest is Dr Petra Johana Poncarová, a native speaker of Czech who has become a distinguished scholar of Gaelic literature and an emerging, award-winning poet in Gaelic. We begin with Petra’s journey into the Gaelic language, before turning to her work on Derick Thomson and Rùraidh Erskine, two key figures of the twentieth-century Gaelic revival. We finish by talking about the present and future of Gaelic — and by listening to Petra’s brand new poems, written between Czechia and the Gàidhealtachd . 02.10 - Petra's journey into Gaelic and tips for Gaelic learners 13.30 - Derick Thomson: icon of the twentieth-century Gaelic revival 20.30 - Derick Thomson's work on the Ossian controversy 31.00 - History and legacy of the Gaelic magazine Gairm 36.15 - Derick Thomson's poetry (with extracts) 48.40 - Ruraidh Erskine of Mar: Gaelic firebrand and early Scottish nationalist 55.30 - Thomson, Erskine and Petra's ideas for the Gaelic revival 1.05.15 - Petra's poetry in Gaelic 1.19.45 - Petra's ongoing and forthcoming works
February 8 · 1 hr 27 min
4. Scottish Folksong and European Music - with Kirsteen McCue
This episode's guest is Kirsteen McCue, Professor of Scottish Literature and Song Culture at the University of Glasgow. We discuss the origins and history of Scottish folk music, and place particular emphasis on the Romantic era, when songs collected by figures such as Robert Burns became instrumental raw materials in the formation of modern music — from Haydn and Beethoven to the folk revival of the 1960s. 2.00 — Kirsteen's upbringing in one of Scotland's most distinguished musical families. 11.54 — Song collection in eighteenth-century Scotland (the example of George Thomson) 16.00 — The relationship between Robert Burns and Thomson 22.00 — The origins of Scottish folk music 28.00 — Scottish music and Enlightenment culture 34.50 — Musical Extract: 'O Poortith Cauld' arranged by Weber 38.00 — Scottish music and democratic culture 44.00 — Burns, Thomson, Haydn and Beethoven 54.00 — Musical Extract: "The Lovely Lass of Inverness", arranged by Beethoven 58.00 — The long-term influence of Scottish folk on Romantic and Modern music. 1.06.00 — From Beethoven to Bob Dylan 1.15.00 — Kirsteen's current and forthcoming research work. 1.22.00 — A final musical recommendation
Dec 31, 2025 · 1 hr 23 min
3. Robert Burns and Mental Health – with Moira Hansen
This episode's guest is Dr Moira Hansen, whose PhD research explores the life and mental health of Robert Burns, Scotland’s national poet. We talk about Moira’s work on Burns, including her argument that he may have experienced bipolar disorder, and how this might have shaped his life, his relationships, and some of his best-known works — including "Tam o’ Shanter". It’s a thoughtful conversation about literature, mental health, and how we read figures like Burns today. 01:30 – Moira's background and journey into Burns studies. 05:30 – Diagnosing an eighteenth-century poet. 18:40 – Impact of Burns's mental health on his personal, social and creative life. 28:10 – The Irvine episode: Burns's first depression? 40:10 – How Burns understood his own condition. 46:10 – Frances Dunlop: Burns's correspondent and confidante. 57:10 – A new reading of "Tam o' Shanter". 65:30 – Addressing recent controversies about Burns and gender. 74:20 – Moira's influence on Alan Cumming's recent adaptation of Burns for the stage. 77:39 – Moira's forthcoming research work.
Dec 31, 2025 · 1 hr
2. Scots Language and Scottish Worlds – with Billy Kay
This episode's guest is Billy Kay, the Scottish writer, broadcaster and lifelong advocate for the Scots language and the status of its speakers. Our conversation is, of course, in and about Scots, but we also journey further afield from the deep ties between Scotland and France to broader questions of Scotland's global identity. 03:30 – Billy Kay's upbringing as a Scots speaker and his inspiration for his best-selling book, The Mither Tongue. 11:47 – The linguistics and politics of Scots. 22:10 – Scots and social class. 35:17 – Billy Kay on his book, The Scottish World. 43:20 – The "Auld Alliance" and the wine trade. 53:09 – Billy Kay's view of the future and poetry reading.
Dec 31, 2025 · 1 hr 5 min
1. Gaelic in Translation and Poetic Transience – with Taylor Strickland
This episode's guest is Taylor Strickland: a talented poet from the US who has learned Scottish Gaelic and recently won several awards for his superb translations of the 18th-century Jacobite poet, Alasdair mac Mhaighstir Alasdair. In 2025, Taylor also published his debut poetry collection, Dwell Time with Tapsalteerie Press. We cover a lot of ground in this conversation, from Taylor’s journey into Gaelic and his translation work, to his broader thinking about poetry — and his deep admiration for the Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa. 03:40 – Taylor's (poetic) journey from America to Scotland 13:20 – Taylor's transient poems and his vision of poetry 23:25 – Translating Gaelic Poetry into English 28:50 – Alasdair mac Mhaighstir Alasdair 45:50 – Portugal and Pessoa 56:18 – Final thoughts on poetry, national identi(es) and Taylor's upcoming works.
Dec 31, 2025 · 4 min
0. Welcome to The Carrying Stream
In this introductory episode, Dr Paul Malgrati presents his vision for The Carrying Stream and explains why he is launching a podcast devoted to Scottish words and ideas. Episode 0 sets out the ethos of the project and the kind of long-form conversations the podcast aims to make space for.

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