Marsali Taylor

A retired teacher of English/Drama, I now write Shetland-set contemporary crime stories starring an independent female liveaboard sailor. The books are rooted in the natural world and seasons of Shetland, but also include issues important to remote communities. Many involve a folklore element. While aimed at adults they are popular with Shetland teenagers.

Audiences appreciate my talks/slideshows on my writing. I was proud of the creative writing achieved by my pupils and enjoy giving writing workshops to young people and adults.

I wrote a history of women’s suffrage in Shetland, and edited the diary of a woman ambulance driver on the WWI Russian front – both of these are self-published, and I have given talks on self-publishing, particularly focusing on gathering your own family history to create a limited-edition book.

I wrote many plays for my pupils, including dramatised local history, and continue to work in the school with both primary and secondary, for a yearly performance at our Festival. I would be happy to deliver drama workshops on topics like women’s suffrage, or to work with pupils on staging one of my plays which they had studied beforehand.

Audience size would depend on the type of event.