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Claire Squires joins LAS Board

Posted on 5th May, 2026 in LAS, Members, News

Following a well attended, engaging Sector Day a couple of weeks ago, we are very happy to share that Claire Squires has joined the LAS Board of Trustees.

“I’m really pleased to be joining the Literature Alliance Scotland Board, and particularly in order to input from the perspective of the Higher Education section and its role in the Scottish literary ecology. It’s both an exciting and challenging time to work cross-sectors, and I hope to be able to bring my expertise to developments within LAS and beyond.“

Claire Squires, Professor in Publishing Studies at the University of Stirling

Claire is Professor in Publishing Studies at the University of Stirling, and former Director of the Scottish Graduate School of Arts & Humanities (SGSAH). Her research interests focus on the history of the book, publishing studies and book cultures in the 20th and 21st centuries, both in the UK and globally. Her publications include Marketing Literature: The Making of Contemporary Writing in Britain (Palgrave, 2007), with Beth Driscoll The Frankfurt Book Fair and Bestseller Business (CUP, 2020) and The Frankfurt Kabuff Critical Edition (Wilfrid Laurier, 2023), and as co-editor with Andrew Nash and I. R. Willison, The Cambridge History of the Book in Britain Volume 7: The Twentieth Century and Beyond (CUP, 2019). She previously worked at Hodder Headline plc, and as a freelance proofreader and copy-editor. She has been a judge for the Saltire Society Literary Awards, and is a Scottish Book Trust New Writer Awardee (2015). She is currently co-writing a book entitled The Social Life of Canapes.

“We are delighted to have Claire’s keen intellect and breadth of expertise enriching our Board discussions, especially as our sector mapping research progresses. We know our members will benefit from continued close ties with the Higher Education sector and an understanding of shared challenges, and look forward to working with Claire on our programme celebrating 10 years as a SCIO.”

Mairi Kidd, Chair of Literature Alliance Scotland

Literature Alliance Scotland is a registered charity, overseen by a Board of Trustees nominated from within the LAS Membership: we aim for a representative spread of the broader sector LAS supports. Many of our trustees are also published writers and bring with them extensive experience as freelancers as well as from previous roles within the Literature sector in Scotland and further afield.

If you are a current LAS member interested in nominating yourself or someone else from your organisation to join the Board of Trustees, please get in touch with our Chair, Mairi Kidd, for an informal discussion.