Scottish Islands Explorer

02/04/2026

SCARP BOAT TRIP
Join Islands Book Trust for a guided visit to the island of Scarp, exploring the village and cemetery with local insight.

1 August, 11am

Departing Hushinish, North Harris

Details and booking via islandsbooktrust.org

01/04/2026

SPECIAL 1 DAY CONFERENCE, SKYE, 30 MAY

Join Islands Book Trust at An Crubh, Sleat, Skye for The Misrepresentation of Gaelic History and Culture Over the Centuries.

This important symposium brings together leading Gaelic scholars to examine how Gaelic Scotland’s history and culture have been misrepresented, whether deliberately or through ignorance, across generations of writing, tourism, promotion and public understanding.

Saturday 30 May
10.00am to 4.00pm
An Crubh, Sleat, Skye

Tickets
£5 for IBT members
£10 for non members
For details and bookings, visit islandsbooktrust.org

14/03/2026

06/03/2026

Scottish Islands Explorer returns.
Islands Book Trust has acquired the publication and Volume I will relaunch it as a substantial annual book exploring Scotland’s island communities through long form writing, cultural journalism, heritage documentation and creative work.

The renewed editorial direction is rooted firmly in Scotland’s islands. The Outer Hebrides, Inner Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland sit at the heart of the publication. Where the book looks outward to Ireland, the Faroes or Iceland it does so to explore shared language, lineage and cultural exchange.

The first volume is guided by the themes Inheritance and Continuity and Islands in Transmission.

We are now inviting pitches for the first annual volume.

We welcome thoughtful place rooted writing that reflects the lived cultures of Scotland’s islands including work exploring language and place, land labour and working traditions, cultural memory and heritage, music literature and contemporary cultural life, island diaspora and cultural transmission.

Scottish Islands Explorer Volume I will be produced as a substantial 200 page B4 annual designed to be read cover to cover and retained as a reference and collector’s volume documenting contemporary island culture.

Please submit a short pitch outlining your proposed article.

Deadline for pitches 15 April

Deadline for full article submissions 15 May

Submissions should be sent to
[email protected]

Photo credit Allison Regan

19/02/2026

A new chapter for Scottish Islands Explorer.
Between these pages: shoreline light, shifting skies, tidal reflections, the textures of island life.
In late 2025, Islands Book Trust acquired Scottish Islands Explorer to ensure its continuation and future development. We believe the publication plays an important role in deepening appreciation of the history, heritage, culture, and contemporary life of Scotland’s islands.
Our vision is to develop SIE into a high-quality, collectible annual publication, bringing together writing and visual work from across the Northern Isles, the Outer Hebrides, the Inner Hebrides, and beyond.
It will balance storytelling, archaeology, ecology, language, creativity, and lived experience, a curated annual exploration rather than a news magazine.
Further details of the first new annual edition, planned for October 2026, will be announced in due course.
We look forward to shaping this next chapter with contributors, readers, island residents, and the wider diaspora.

17/02/2026

READERS OPEN CALL

We are inviting readers to support the editorial life of books published across the Scottish islands. This role focuses on editorial reading rather than proofreading. We are looking for thoughtful, constructive responses to fiction, non-fiction and poetry, with particular attention to voice, narrative and island context. Clear guidance and feedback proformas are provided. Opportunities are occasional and project-based.If you care about writing, place, and rigorous reading, we would like to hear from you.

Contact us islandsbooktrust.org

If the book is chosen to be published by IBT, you will recieve a free copy.

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31/01/2026

DEADLINE TOMORROW AT MIDNIGHT! Lewis lines is a writing and creative residency rooted in place, weather, and attention. A space to live, listen and let the work unfold. Come and create work in a stunning setting.

Applications now open
Deadline February 1st 2026
Follow the link in our Bio
Photo credit Allison Regan

DEADLINE TOMORROW AT MIDNIGHT! Lewis lines is a writing and creative residency rooted in place, weather, and attention. A space to live, listen and let the w...

26/01/2026

The New Lewis Community Hub and The Islands Book Trust Present: Lewis Lines, a writing and creative residency rooted in place, A space to live, listen and let the work unfold. Come and create work in a stunning setting.

Applications now open
Deadline February 1st 2026
Follow the link in our Bio
Photo credit Allison Regan
https://youtu.be/TAIo9ntKWi4?si=Mt9wQdIpSRgNO_49
https://islandsbooktrust.org/blogs/ne...

The New Lewis Community Hub and The Islands Book Trust Present: Lewis Lines, a writing and creative residency rooted in place, A space to live, listen and le...

12/01/2026

We’re delighted to announce that What’s Your Name? by Susanne Barding is now available in a new Faroese edition!

This thoughtful comparative study explores personal naming traditions in two bilingual island communities: Berneray in the Outer Hebrides and Syðrugøta in the Faroe Islands. Drawing on lived experience in both places, Barding examines first names, surnames, nicknames, names of address, and how shifting languages shape identity over time.

A fascinating insight into how names carry culture, memory, and belonging across island communities.

We’re delighted to announce that What’s Your Name? by Susanne Barding is now available in a new Faroese edition!This thoughtful comparative study explores pe...

08/01/2026

Donald E. Meek’s Giving the Devil His Due examines the controversial figure of Malcolm McLaurin, chamberlain and factor to the Duke of Argyll, whose role in the early nineteenth century shaped the establishment of some of the first crofts on Tiree.
Drawing on extensive archival research, the book explores the tensions McLaurin faced from both his employers and the Tiree tenants, and situates his actions within the wider social, religious, and economic context of the island. Sources include estate papers, national records, and archival sound recordings, offering a detailed and measured reassessment of a figure long remembered in Tiree tradition as the “Devil”.
Written by Donald E. Meek and published by the Islands Book Trust, the book contributes to a deeper understanding of crofting history, island life, and the complexities of land, power, and belief in the Highlands and Islands.
https://youtu.be/bfsUreFv_Qw?si=blupaiYHk5os9D-m

Giving the Devil His Due, Malcolm McLaurin, Chamberlain of Tiree, and the Creation of a Crofting Island. Our New Crofting Life explores the contested legacy...

30/12/2025

While the new team at the Islands Book Trust are gradually making their presence felt through this page, messages are still trickling in by email to the old team expressing sadness at the way Scottish Islands Explorer former life came to an end.

Kevin writes: "I've just looked at your website and seen the sad news. As have many others,no doubt, I've really enjoyed reading Explorer ths year and last . Finding it in my local newsagent was great - outer Melbourne Australia. Having walked and been around a few Scottish islands , including Lewis and Harris, I now have many new ideas for continuing the journey thanks to your magazine. Take care and hope you all find good jobs."

We have absolutely no idea how the magazine was available in a newsagents in Melbourne!

And Paul writes: "Sorry to hear that you've had to end publication, I used to subscribe for my parents who very much enjoyed reading your magazine."

(Photo: Beach views from Eriskay…including a unique approach to the mains electricity supply)