Hannah is originally from Shetland, having disrupted the local folk festival that year merely by being born, and now lives in Aberdeen, as well as having previously lived in Glasgow. She holds an MLitt with Distinction in Creative Writing from the University of Aberdeen and was one of the winners of the Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award in 2021. While primarily a prose writer, she writes poetry that focuses on her Shetland heritage, as well as about mental health and the everyday. She can be found on Twitter @tattooedselkie and on Instagram @tooriekep.

Simmer Dim

Eence wir oot o’ da darkness
We’ll watch da Simmer Dim tagidder.

Dir’ll be nae night,
Nae stars tae coont
An’ nithin’ tae worry aboot,

Juist wis, da silence
An’ a sun dat winna set
Fir da time bein’,

A horizon burnin’ orange,
An’ a cöl air blaa’in
As we enjoy da purples, pinks

An’ yellows fannin’ oot
Abön wir heids
Lik’ a celestial peacock tail.

We’ll drink in da night
As da sun comes up
Den mak’ wir wye hame

Wi’ da dawn’s light,
Blyde in wir tagidderness
An’ da June days.