20/11/2025
We were delighted that our Catch 23 Writers Group were joined by special guest author Zoe Strachan last week who delivered a fascinating session, via ZOOM, focusing on her journey to becoming a writer. Heartfelt thanks to Zoe for leading such an inspiring session that led to some great work being created by our talented group members.
" is an award-winning novelist whose short stories and essays have appeared in various magazines and anthologies internationally and been broadcast on BBC Radio. She also writes stage drama (sometimes with her partner, the novelist Louise Welsh) and opera, and has a long-standing sound art/experimental radio collaboration with composer Nichola Scrutton.
She is Professor of Creative and Interdisciplinary Practice at the and she has edited six anthologies of new writing. She lives in Glasgow and agrees with Muriel Spark that all writers should acquire a cat. Her most recent novel is Catch the Moments as They Fly.
Zoë's journey into writing started with her love of reading as a child. Books have always given her adventure, learning, fun and solace, and as soon as she could read, she wanted to make up stories of her own. She credits her local library (the Dick Institute in Kilmarnock) with helping her on her literary journey, and now sometimes chooses to write in the Mitchell Library in Glasgow.
And Zoe shared the following feedback about the session;
'It was a real pleasure to visit the Catch 23 writers virtually, and I felt as if I was in the room with them (though I missed the lunchtime crumble!) The writers responded brilliantly to the prompts I suggested, writing with great poignancy and humour about places and memories that were significant for them. There is a lot of talent in the group, and it's so important to find a safe and supportive space in which you can experiment and share your writing and ideas. I hope to visit again - in person!'
Professor Zoë Strachan, Dean of International & External Partnerships, College of Arts & Humanities
