A TALENTED West College Scotland student has been published in an SQA collection of creative writing. 

The book Write Times 2 is an anthology of essays, prose, poetry and drama written by candidates as part of their Higher and Advanced Higher English courses. 

Gavin Thornton has an essay featured in the non-fiction section of the book, which was inspired by recent lecturer strikes across Scotland.

He provides an account of the work-in of the 1970s by the Upper Clyde shipbuilders and the profound impact it continues to have.

The book has been backed by writers, such as Jackie Kay, Anna Smith, Andy Arnold and Kaye Adams. 

Jackie wrote in her introduction to the poetry section: “Here’s a fantastic selection of poetry – ambitious, inspiring and very moving, these poems clearly demonstrate the instinctive power of poetry. They revel in great insight and give me faith and hope for the future.”

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has offered her support for the project. She writes in the book: “Now, more than ever, it is important for young people to be able to express their thoughts, feelings and ideas with confidence. 

“It is heartening to see the young writers in Write Times 2 engaging with the issues facing us, and giving their views with such thoughtfulness, intelligence and sensitivity.”

Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “Write Times 2 gives us examples of writing from young people producing fantastic work for their SQA assessments, at various stages of their development: from National 3, 4, and 5 through to Higher and Advanced Higher and Higher National qualifications.”