Posted on 7th October, 2026
Our News
Announcing the cohort for To Be Continued 2026/27
Posted on 7th October, 2026 in News, Press release
We are delighted to announce the recipients of our tailored career development programme, To Be Continued.
The 2026 cohort is made up of Emma Collins, Director of Push the Boat Out, Edinburgh’s international poetry festival, Dawn Geddes, Festival Coordinator at Islay Book Festival and Digital Manager at crime writing festival Bloody Scotland, Saskia McCracken, freelance creative practitioner and teacher of Life Writing at the University of Glasgow. The trio will embark on a months-long programme of individual and collective development to support the next steps in their career and professional progression.
To Be Continued is a strategic programme for literature professionals, delivered in partnership with Coaching for Creatives. It aims to support a more resilient, inclusive and supportive literature sector in Scotland – one where individuals from all backgrounds feel empowered to make positive change.
Meet the awardees:
Emma Collins has been a leader, consultant and producer in the arts and literature sector for over a decade. She is currently the Director of Push the Boat Out, Edinburgh’s International Poetry Festival. Formerly the Director of the Village Storytelling Centre, in that role she founded the Village Storytelling Festival, remaining the festival’s Creative Director until 2022. She is a trustee of Edinburgh City of Literature. She loves supporting collaborations between different art forms, and stories in all their glorious forms.
Dawn Geddes is a passionate champion of Scottish literature. She is a journalist, interviewing authors for the likes of the Scots Magazine and has chaired events at some of Scotland’s top literary festivals. Since 2021, Dawn has been Bloody Scotland’s Digital Manager, working on the crime writing festival’s newsletter, social media and digital events. She produces and edits the festival’s podcast. Dawn works for Islay Book Festival as the charity’s Festival Coordinator, welcoming some of Scotland’s best authors to the whisky isle. She also handles the festival’s publicity and marketing.
Saskia McCracken has worked as a freelance creative writing facilitaor for 8 years. She has led poetry, fiction and memoir workshops and courses for Paisley Book Festival, Beyond Form Creative Writing, the Alasdair Gray and Agnes Owens Archives, the British Animal Studies Network, Scottish Graduate School of Arts and Humanities, East Renfrewshire libraries, and charities and community groups across Scotland. She teaches Life Writing at the University of Glasgow. She loves supporting writers to build confidence in their craft and believes in the power of literature to enrich lives. She is a Reader for the Highland Book Prize. She is also an author, with her nature writing debut, Awful Creatures: Encounters with Britain’s Misunderstood Animals, forthcoming with Bloomsbury in 2027.
“At LAS we see To Be Continued as a programme essential to the ongoing health of the Scottish Literature Sector. It enables individuals to build and sustain their career in the literature sector by providing access to the support and development they need regardless of their situation or the resources of the organisation they work for. We are delighted to be able to support another dynamic cohort of awardees this year and we are excited to see where they choose to take their careers in future.”
— Philippa Cochrane, Co-Chair of Literature Alliance Scotland.
“Coaching creates the space for reflection, confidence and clarity — qualities that enable people to lead with purpose in their work and connect with their peers. We’re delighted to collaborate with Literature Alliance Scotland to support this talented cohort as they explore their ambitions, strengthen their resilience, and shape the future of Scotland’s literature sector.”
— Lindsay Dunbar, Coach at Coaching for Creatives.
“Through providing an invaluable opportunity to this cohort of literature professionals to level up their skills and experience, To Be Continued is securing a more sustainable literature sector for the future. Literature Alliance Scotland recognise that the strongest growth happens through collaboration and connection, and Emma Collins, Dawn Geddes and Saskia McCracken have the unique and thriving backgrounds to help push themselves and the sector further forwards.”
— Alan Bett, Head of Literature and Publishing at Creative Scotland.
Through this programme in LAS are supporting the professional development of three people with at least five years experience working in the literature sector through one-to-one coaching sessions, action learning sets as a group, and individual mentor meetings.
To Be Continued is supported by The National Lottery through Creative Scotland, as part of LAS’ annual programme of professional development, networking and collaborative advocacy.
Find out more about the To Be Continued programme here.
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