Well-known writer and broadcaster Billy Kay presents an eight part series starting today called A History of Scottish Literature which can be heard on BBC Radio Scotland, each Thursday at 1.30pm. Programmes will be repeated on Friday and Sunday mornings and will be available on BBC iPlayer for 30 days afterwards. The series of programmes is as follows:

October 2: The Flouer o Scotland, which looks at the origins of Scottish literature and Scotlands various ethnic and linguistic communities.

October 9: Lament for the Makars, tracing the golden age of the Scots courtly language 1450-1603 under the Stewart monarchy.

October 16: The Solace of Mankind, which examines the Scottish ballad tradition of the 17^th and 18^th centuries.

October 23: Wizards of the North, telling the story of the Romantic Movement in Scotland.

October 30: Twa Corbies and Tartan Noir, which takes a look at the dark side of Scottish writing in time for Halloween.

November 6: Sunset Songs, which examines literature and the Scots revival of the early 20^th century.

November 13: A Beacon in the Darkness, looking at the variety of recent writing in Scotland.

November 20: The Future Oors?, which brings us up to the contemporary period, the roots of writing in local communities, and what people hoped for language and writing in the event of a Yes vote in the Scottish Referendum.