Tessa Ransford, poet activist and founder of the Scottish Poetry Library, has gifted to the University of Edinburgh her personal collection of poetry pamphlets. This is a major new acquisition for Special Collections which strengthens our excellent existing holdings of modern literature and Scottish poetry.

‘No one has done more for the cause of poetry in Scotland than Tessa Ransford’ asserted Dorothy McMillan in the Scottish Review of Books in 2008, and her influence on contemporary poetry in Scotland has been profound. Born in India, Tessa has spent most of her life in Scotland, and has published numerous collections of poetry since the 1970s. She founded the Scottish Poetry Library in 1984 and directed it until 1999. She has edited Lines Review poetry magazine and set up the Callum Macdonald Memorial Award to encourage the publishing of poetry in pamphlets (www.scottish-pamphlet-poetry.com). As a student at the University of Edinburgh she was influenced by philosopher John Macmurray, whose papers we also hold.

This collection includes many rare works produced in small editions, and numerous copies signed or annotated by the writer – as well as letters and other handwritten documents. It will be kept together as a new named special collection.

http://www.wisdomfield.com/biograph.html

http://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poetry/poets/tessa-ransford