Shore Poets
Mark Ogle 1948–1999
Mark Ogle was one of the earliest members of Shore Poets and one of the first to read at the group’s original venue, the Shore Gallery in Leith. A poet of great depth and sensitivity, his reading so impressed the founders that they invited him to become the third Shore Poet. He brought a stability, enthusiasm and commitment that helped catalyse and perpetuate the group after the Gallery closed and new venues needed to be sought.
Always closely involved in the running of the group, Mark played a considerable part in organising the appearances of Norman MacCaig and Edwin Morgan at the 369 Gallery. Mark continued this level of involvement even once the group had been expanded, and gave many memorable readings.
The Mark Ogle Memorial Poem
Mark’s untimely death in 1999, at the age of 50, left his considerable poetic talent under-realized. Some redress came with the publication of A Memory of Fields by Akros in 2000 (edited by Stewart Conn and Hugh Dailly). Now Mark’s family has decided to found an award, to be gifted in consultation with the current Shore Poets organizing group. This award, in the region of £500, is used to commission a poet to write in response to one of Mark’s poems, which will be selected each year by Mark’s family.
In principle, the commissioned poet will have been heard at a Shore Poets event in the previous season. The first recipient was Angus Peter Campbell, who was invited to respond to Mark’s poem ‘English rain’.
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In 2008, Aonghas Padraig Caimbeul responded to ‘English Rain’ |
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In 2009, Elizabeth Burns responded to ‘Holy Loch’ |
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In 2010, Frances Leviston responded to ‘Wild Geese Feeding’ |
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In 2011, Anne Frater responds to ‘The Mountain’ |
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