Fife poet releases new book that shines a light on Scottish historical events

Ian Nimmo White’s, The Shell of Stone, is his third book-length collection of poetry which marks major events of the 20th century, with other poems travelling even further back.

A keen genealogist, many of his poems resonate with Ian’s passion for heritage, and they are laced with warmth and humanity, and a good helping of Scottish humour.

The author also touches on the inevitable passing of time and his own ageing, and while there is always a presence of nostalgia, sometimes sadness, as he balances this with poems about the joy of having grandchildren and observations of wildlife.

Ian said: “The Shell of Stone is a collection of work that I have done over the past 15 years. I thought that I’m not getting any younger so I decided to put them together in a new book.

"As I’m a keen genealogist and have worked in heritage for many years I wanted to do a collection that focused on events from Scottish history."

Drawing inspiration from Mary Queen of Scots, Ian named the book, The Shell of Stone, after a trip he made a trip to Loch Leven castle where she was interned as a prisoner.

“We got the boat over to the island and were walking round the castle, and I remember thinking that ‘this is a shell of stone’,” he said.

“I wrote a poem called A Queen and I about Mary Queen of Scots where I’m imagining myself back in the 16th century and looking up to the third floor where she was incarcerated."

The Shell of Stone is Ian’s tenth book after his last novel, Of Love and Sanity, was released in 2015 with Ian assuring that there are many more poems in the pipeline.

“I’m 74 now, and as long as I remain in good health there are more collections of poems that I would like to publish,” he said.

"Like everyone else my age, things are beginning to wear and tear, but the poetry is a big help for me because it keeps my mind active.”

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