Shane Strachan Email and Phone Number

I am a writer based in Aberdeen, Scotland. Much of my work is inspired by the folk, language and landscape of the Northeast of Scotland, with my prose and drama often incorporating Northeast Scots (Doric). Many of my stories and poems have been published nationally, and I've also had theatre work staged in Aberdeen.I hold a PhD in Creative Writing from the University of Aberdeen and am an Honorary Fellow of the university's WORD Centre for Creative Writing. I have experience teaching within academic and community settings and I've also worked on various creative projects, both locally and internationally.For more on my writing career, please visit my personal webpage: www.shanestrachan.com

I was the Learning and Engagement Manager for national cultural education charity, Art UK. The charity works with the UK’s public art collections to showcase their artworks to the world, which can be viewed at www.artuk.org

Across 2021-2022, I coordinated the development and dissemination of The Superpower of Looking, a free online resource for primary schools to support young people to develop their visual literacy skills by looking at and discussing key artworks. This initiative is funded and supported by the Freelands Foundation and is currently being piloted, before being rolled out nationally in 2023.Between 2018-2020, I coordinated Masterpieces in Schools, Sculpture Around You and other events engaging people with the UK's sculpture collections as part of Art UK's Sculpture Project which has created a comprehensive record of the UK’s publicly owned sculptures. The project transformed the way people access and learn about their sculptural heritage, and allowed existing, new and diverse audiences to share knowledge, exchange opinions and visit objects, both in person and online.

I supported and delivered a range of initiatives, projects and activities within the city of Aberdeen on behalf of the Creative Learning Team's Artistic Pathways strand including the 2017 Dr Gavin Wallace Fellowship (Creative Scotland) and The Writers' Room, a professional development programme for emerging writers. I also delivered a range of creative writing projects for schools for the Arts Across Learning Festival and Edinburgh International Book Festival.

Between September 2015 and May 2017, I was a Lecturer and Teaching Assistant for the University's Language Centre on their Chinese Scholarship Council programme which has involved lecturing in Creative Writing and assisting Chinese teachers of English with individual research projects in literature, linguistics and creative writing practice.Between January 2012 and May 2015, I led seminars on three different undergraduate literature courses across five semesters. Course details:– Reading Writing: first-year introductory course to various forms of English literature. Texts include: Shakespeare’s sonnets, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and Mrs Dalloway.– Controversial Classics: first-year course looking at historical context of controversial texts including The Crucible, Maus, Lolita, Lady Chatterley’s Lover and Heart of Darkness.– The Tragedy of Knowledge: second-year course focusing on mythology in literature including Prometheus Bound, Paradise Lost, Frankenstein and The Bloody Chamber.Teaching on these courses involved lesson planning, reading preparation and research, assessment marking, team meetings, 1-to-1 sessions with students, and administration.

On behalf of Creative Learning and Youth Arts Collective North East (YACNE), I edited and collated content for a new Youth Arts Advice microsite for North-East Scotland.The website features advice, interviews and resources for young people at for different stages, covering seven different art forms. I worked alongside creative agency, Form Digital, who designed and developed the website's look and functionality.The website was launched during a celebratory weekend of the arts in Aberdeen as part of the Inspiration Point project. Follow @inspirationABDN on Twitter to find out more.

As part of the 2014 Production Team, I helped produce performances by dance and theatre groups from around the world in venues all over the Northeast, culminating in galas at His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen. This involved working alongside technician teams and group carers/couriers, as well as dealing with various logistical issues.In 2015, I coordinated the festival's first Young Programmers' Day, a workshop series and a gig organised by a group of local 15-21 year-olds looking to gain experience in programming, producing and arts management. This initiative was supported by Creative Scotland, Time to Shine and Youth Arts Collective North East.

I founded and coordinated this twin city writing project in conjunction with Aberdeen City Council and the Volkshochschule (VHS) in Regensburg, Germany. After running competitions and writing workshops in both cities, a collection of winning works entitled Passages was launched at the 2015 University of Aberdeen May Festival.

This Aberdeen City Council Arts Development project involved a series of workshops with participants from a Doric-speaking 50+ group and Gaelic-learning pupils from Gilcomstoun Primary exploring Aberdeen’s favourite Doric and Gaelic words alongside local artists. The final 200 chosen words were portrayed through artworks and exhibited to the public in Aberdeen Arts Centre and Seventeen.

This was primarily a customer service role alongside managerial responsibilities such as shift supervision, book ordering, budget monitoring and key-holder duties.