The poet Don Paterson has recently spoken out against Scotland’s main arts funding body, Creative Scotland. In an article due to be published in Unstated: Writers on Scottish Independence, Paterson questions the funding body’s policies and role within Scottish arts culture. The article is one of many that several prominent Scottish writers have written for the new book discussing Scottish independence and what it means to Scottish culture, now and in the future.

Don Paterson started writing poetry in the mid 80s when he moved to London to become a jazz musician. Since then, his work has been highly acclaimed. He received an OBE in 2008, won the Forward prize for his poem, Rain, in 2009, and received the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry in 2010.

In this video, Karina Dent interviews Don Paterson at the 2003 Edinburgh International Book Festival.