Weel duin tae Doric Books CIC wha hae bin nominatit in Scots in Business in the Scots Language Awards. Vote now!
The 2026 Scots Language Awards tak place on Saturday 19th September at the iconic Discovery Centre, home of the RRS Discovery Ship (1pm). Reserve yer ticket here.
The awards will be a daytime event this year, making them as inclusive and accessible to as many award nominees from across Scotland as possible.
We askit Jackie Ross o Doric Books CIC thae speirins.
Tell us aboot yersel or yer ootfit.
Doric Books CIC is a community-interest publisher based in e North-East o Scotland, set up wi a simple idea at its hairt: we wint folk tae hae mair opportunities tae read, hear, spik an enjoy thir mither tongue.
We stairtit Doric Books cos we wintit tae see mair stories in Doric an, in particular, mair pictur beuks aat mithers, faithers, grunnies an grandas cud read wi thir bairns. Bit fae e stairt, e ambition wis bigger thin jist publishin beuks. We wint tae be pairt o a warld far Scots is fully recognised as a language, far Doric is valued in oor hames, skweels an communities, an far e diversity o e wye folk spik across Scotland is celebrated.
Aat's fit wye we set Doric Books up as a Community Interest Company. Oor business exists tae benefit e Doric-spikkin community, an we try tae mak aat purpose rin thro aathin we dee.
We write an create oor ain Doric beuks for bairns, publish beuks by ither authors, an sell an promote e wirk o ither Doric writers. Bit we tak Doric aff e page an oot intae e community inna.
We wirk wi skweels, includin projecks far we co-write beuks wi bairns; we deliver storytelling, sangs an creative activities in care hames; an we bring generations igither thro projecks wi local skweels an care hames, far fowk can blether, share stories an write poems igither in Doric.
We collaborate wi ither artists tae create new Doric experiences. Aul McDonald an Freens, for example, is an early-years show built aroon familiar nursery rhymes an animal sangs translated intae Doric bi Lucy Beth. We wirk wi North-East Makar Sheena Blackhall inna, tae deliver Rhyme Time fur Bairns, takin Doric rhymes an stories tae pre-school bairns thro skweels an libraries.
We regularly welcome students on placement, giein thim practical experience an e chance tae develop skills in areas includin digital marketing, journalism an illustration. An we ging oot tae community groups, fae Rotaries tae WRIs, tae gie talks aboot Doric, e history o Scots an e wirk we're deein noo.
Sae atho we're caad Doric Books, e beuks are really jist e stairtin pint. Oor business is aboot creatin spaces far North-East Scots can be seen, heard, spoken, shared an valued.
Whit wis it got ye involvit wi the Scots leid?
We wint tae pass it on.
We wintit oor bairns an grandbairns tae grow up hearin, spikin an readin e language aat we grew up wi. Doric wis aye ere in everyday life, bit we didnae see enouch o’t in e beuks oor bairns wur readin or in e places far they spent thir time.
We thocht, “Fit's stoppin us fae deein sumthin aboot aat?” – aat’s foo Doric Books cum aboot!
As we've growen, aat original idea o “passin it on” his become even mair important. It's nae jist aboot passin Doric fae adults tae bairns. It's aboot giein bairns e confidence tae create in Doric thimsels; bringin bairns an auler folk igither tae share it; supportin writers an artists tae wirk in it; an makin opportunities for folk tae eese e language in everyday life.
Why dae ye feel it is important tae use Scots in everyday life?
Cos it's e wye we spik.
It's oor language, oor culture an pairt o fa we are. An for a language tae thrive, it needs tae be eesed. It canna jist come oot for Burns Nicht or Scots Wik!
We need tae hear an see Scots at hame, at wirk, in skweel, in libraries, in care hames, in beuks, on stages, in businesses an oot in e community.
Aat's affa important tae us as a business. Eesin Doric disnae mak sumthin less professional. We can run a business, publish quality beuks, wirk wi organisations, deliver projects an communicate wi oor customers in oor ain language.
E mair folk see businesses an organisations treatin Scots as a normal pairt o everyday life, e mair permission it gies aabody else tae dee e same.
Dae ye hae a favourite Scots phrase or saying?
“Haud gaun!”
Twa wee wirds aat say an affa lot.
Keep at it. Dinna gie up. Cairry on.
It probably sums up oor approach tae runnin a Doric business pretty weel inna!
Is there a Scots speaker who inspires you?
E folk we hear spikin it ilka day.
E fairmers, fisher fowk, bairns, parents, grandparents an ordinary folk across e North-East fa spik thir mither tongue as a maitter o course.
They're e reason e language is still here.
We're inspired bi folk like Sheena Blackhall, fa his done sae muckle for Scots literature, bit we're equally inspired bi a bairn discoverin aat e wird thir granny eesed is Doric, or an auler body in a care hame lightin up fin somebody stairts spikin tae thim in thir ain tongue.
Yon are e moments aat remind us aat Doric disnae belong tae ony one kind o body. It's a community language, an ilka person fa spiks it is pairt o keepin it alive.
Do you hear Scots spoken regularly in your local area? Have you noticed any changes over time?
Ay – especially fin we spik it oorsels!
Ae thing we've noticed thro oor wirk is aat folk sometimes seem tae need “permission” tae spik Doric. Ye start a conversation in Doric an at eense e body answers ye back in Doric, an ye realise they cud hae bin spikin aat wye aa alang.
Aat's een o e reasons we think it's sae important for businesses, skweels an organisations tae eese Scots openly. It sends a message aat iss language belangs here.
Ere probably are fewer bairns spikin broad Doric naturally thin ere wur in previous generations, an we need tae recognise aat. Bit ere's plenty tae be encouraged aboot inna. We're seein mair skweels actively engagin wi Scots, an thro oor projects we're seein bairns discoverin, writin an creating in e leid. Fin young folk are co-writin beuks, makin poems or bletherin in Doric wi an auler generation, ye realise e language isnae sumthin aat jist belangs tae e past.
Ony particlar career heighlichts
Ere's nae really jist een – it's seein aa e different strands o e wirk stairt tae come igither.
Seein mair writers wintin tae publish in North-East Scots an bein able tae gie thim a haun tae dae it is affa special. Sae is seein bairns become authors thimsels thro oor co-writin projects wi skweels.
Syne ere’s e wee minties: a care-hame resident sharin a story cos sumthin we've said his sparked a memory; bairns an auler fowk sittin bletherin or writin a poem igither; a roomfu o wee bairns jynin in wi a Doric rhyme; or a body comin up efter een o oor talks tae tell us a wird they hivnae heard since thir grunny wis alive.
We're prood tae be creatin opportunities fur ither writers an artists inna, whether aat's publishin thir wirk, sellin thir Doric beuks or collaboratin on projecks an performances.
An giein students placements wi us his become anither pairt o aat. If we can gie a young body e chance tae develop professional skills in journalism, illustration or digital marketing while wirkin in an environment far Doric is valued, syne houpfully we're showin aat e language can hae a place in thir future career as weel as thir cultural past.
Wha’s yer plans fir the days aheid?
Tae haud gaun!
We wint tae publish mair beuks, support mair Doric writers an artists, an help mair fowk bring thir ideas intae print.
We wint tae develop mair projects wi skweels an communities, create mair opportunities fur bairns tae write an create in Doric, an cairry oor wirk in care hames – especially projecks aat bring generations igither thro language, stories an shared memories.
We'd like tae create mair performances an creative experiences, develop mair partnerships, an keep giein students an young fowk opportunities tae learn an develop professional skills wi’s.
Bit aneath aa o aat, e plan is really e same as it wis fin Doric Books stairtit: tae create mair opportunities fur fowk tae eese thir mither tongue.
We dinna jist wint tae preserve Doric. We wint bairns tae play wi it, writers tae write in it, artists tae create in it, businesses tae eese it, auler fowk tae share it, an communities tae hear an spik it.
It's a living language. E best thing we can dee fur’t is eese it.
Read more about Doric Books CIC
http://www.doricbooks.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DoricBooks
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Instagram: @doricbooks
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The Scots Language Awards are in Dundee on the 19th September at 1pm. There wull be some grand entertainmint includin a recitals fae Yvonne Tait an Hugh Macmillan alang wi musical performances fae Iona Fyfe and Scott Gardiner.
To attend the Scots Language Awards there are a few tickets remaining. Click here to reserve your tickets.
Join Elfie Picket Theatre for the Scots language nicht BLETHER, fur a nicht o music, poetry and stories aa celebratin Scots Leid & culture. We hae twa special guests jynin us and a wee open mic. Leadin us intae a big Dundee Fringe Ceilidh! Startin at 6pm, tickets £10.
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