Kirsty Johnson

I began writing in 2011, and started collaborating with my best friend from High school, illustrator Mandy Sinclair, in 2013. In 2021, we created our publishing imprint, Wee Stoorie Press, to publish our own rhyming picture story books for children, written in Scots, with a glossary of Scots words and phrases.

Our workshops aim to encourage youngsters to enjoy singing; reading; speaking and writing in Scots.  We do this through our music; the songs; our stories and illustrations and the interactive fun created around all these elements. 

For Book Week Scotland, 2021, we held two workshops at Langbank Primary school, introducing our Christmas book.  We also hosted a session for the Paisley Book Festival, 2022, launching our Summer book.

We are delighted to have received the Scottish Book Trust’s Scots Language Publication Grant, 2021, for our four picture books.

I first heard Scots through songs my grandmother and father taught me.  My family moved to a small Southern Upland village, where I was privileged to hear Scots spoken on a daily basis.

I tutored traditional fiddle music in Shetland, and continued this in Campbeltown, where I have presented pupils at Nat 5, Higher and Advanced Higher Scottish fiddle exams.