Biography
Catherine Wilson Garry (previously Catherine Wilson) is a poet and writer based in Edinburgh. Her debut pamphlet Another Word for Home is Blackbird was published by Stewed Rhubarb Press in 2023.
She is the winner of the Janet Coats Memorial Prize, and has been highly commended by both the Edwin Morgan Poetry Award and the Bridport Prize. She has also been shortlisted for the Moniack Mhor Emerging Writing Award, and longlisted for the Short Fiction Journal’s International Short Story Competition. In 2024, she was selected to be part of the Bloomsbury Mentorship Programme for her collection of short stories.
She has been commissioned for both page and stage by organisations including StAnza Poetry Festival, the British National Gallery, BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio Scotland. Her work has been published by publications including The Scotsman, Extra Teeth magazine, Gutter magazine and more.
She is a member of the London Library’s Emerging Writers, Edwin Morgan Trust’s Clydebuilt 17 and part of Push the Boat Out Festival team, running their monthly poetry night Rock the Boat.
Explore the projects page to see some of the projects Catherine has worked on.
Another Word for Home is Blackbird
Now available from Stewed Rhubarb Press
“These are poems that talk of grief with hope, of home with a sense of adventure, of the future with determination. Catherine is an enormously exciting new voice on the Scottish literary scene; what a joy to see her fly.”
Heather Parry, author of Orpheus Builds a Girl
“Beautiful and complex poems which powerfully explore grief and belonging, and find deep meaning grounded in the everyday. Another Word For Home Is Blackbird is as intricate and gentle as the wings of the birds which fly through its pages, Wilson Garry’s words and attention lifting up each poem and setting them free to soar.”
Nadine Aisha Jassat, author of Let Me Tell You This
In her debut pamphlet, Another Word for Home is Blackbird, Catherine Wilson Garry examines the nature of solace and escapism from grief and loss. Through retracing her personal losses, people-watching, magpies and olive oil offer small moments of transformational joy. Wilson Garry explores grief and loss on a wider, political scale, including examinations of climate change, industrial action, isolation – advocating for a world where happiness thrives.
Available to purchase from:
Stewed Rhubarb Press
Lighthouse Bookshop
Upcoming events
Thursday 16th October: Rock the Boat at Inspace Gallery, Edinburgh
Saturday 23rd October: Launch of North Bridge: Where We Travelled, Chateris Centre, Edinburgh
Sunday 23rd November: Rock the Boat at Push the Boat Out Festival, Edinburgh
Catherine Wilson Garry 