Principal Bibliography

Odyssey: Voices From Scotland´s Recent Past (ed.) Polygon Books 1980.

Odyssey: The Second Collection (ed.) Polygon Books 1982

The Complete Odyssey (ed.) Polygon Books 1996

Scots: The Mither Tongue Mainstream Publishing 1986.

Second Revised Edition Mainstream Publishing March, 2006

Knee Deep in Claret: A Celebration of Wine, France and Scotland Mainstream Publishing 1983. (with Cailean Maclean) Revised Edition 1994 Auld Alliance Publishing

The Dundee Book – an anthology of living in the city (ed.) Mainstream Publishing 1990

The Scottish World Mainsteam Publishing September 2006, Paperback Edition 2008

Poetry:

Made in Scotland ed. Robert Garioch, Carcanet Press 1974.

The New Makars ed. Tom Hubbard, Mercat Press. 1991

Chapman ed. Joy Hendry 1992

Scottish Literature in the Twentieth Century An Anthology ed David McCordick Scottish Cultural Press 2002

Short Stories:

"Inrush at Nummer Fower" Genie E.U.S.P.B 1974. "A Tongue in Yer Heid" ed. James Robertson B&W Publishing, Edinburgh 1994

"Mak it New" ed. Neil R MacCallum, David Purves. Mercat Press Edinburgh 1995

Famie" The Weekend Scotsman (1981)

Miscellaneous Writing:

Scotland and Ulster ed Ian S Wood Mercat Press Edinburgh 1994

Cultural traditions in Northern Ireland Varieties of Scottishness Proceedings of the Cultural Traditions Group conference 1996 ed. John Erskine and Gordon Lucy The Institute of Irish Studies The Queen´s University of Belfast 1997

Being Scottish ed Tom Devine and Paddy Logue Edinburgh University Press

Under Cover ed. Colin Nicholson [for Shelter, the Charity for the Homeless]

The Saltoun Papers Reflections on Andrew Fletcher ed. Paul Henderson Scott Saltire Society 2003

Ecosse, Pierre Vent et Lumiere,
Autrement (French periodical) 1988

L´Alliance la plus Vieille du Monde,
published by the French Institute of Scotland

Sharing the Earth ed. Magnus Fladmark Donhead 1995

The Scots Language Its place in education d Liz Niven and Robin Jackson,
Northern College 1998

Plays:

Jute 1983 (radio) They Fairly Mak Ye Work 1986 (Dundee Rep) Lucky´s Strike 1993 (radio)

CDs:

Fergusson´s Auld Reikie The poetry of Robert Fergusson and the music of 18th Century Edinburgh. Musicians: Rod Paterson, Tony Cuffe, Derek Hoy, Norman Chalmers.

The Mystic Tie Robert Burns & the History of Scottish Freemasonry click here.

From The Mystic Tie Double CD Robert Burns & The History of Scottish Freemasonry

This extract describes the spread of Scottish Freemasonry in 18th century America, and its influence on George Washington in Fredericksburg Virginia. Duration 02 45 Audio.

A link to more audio work, click here.

Here is an example of creative writing by Billy, the poem ´Lambing in Easter Ross´ From the anthology Scottish Literature in the Twentieth Century, (Scottish Cultural Press) edited by David McCordick. The poem is in Scots, and tells of the other side of the pastoral idyll conjured up by lambing – many years ago a friend worked as a shepherd and this was based on a story she told me.

´Lambing in Easter Ross´

Anither day´s dawin
on the stibbled parks
abuin Dornoch´s caller watters.
In the park o the new born,
brockie faced lambkins
lowp, stacher an totter
ahint the buirdly shanks
o hooseproud yowes
playin an soukin.

Glisked abuin the
muirlan braes o Struie
a formation
o seagulls
splicin white stucco
in the mornin blue o the lift.

The faa wes free
the wings wes swept
an the crack
o the brockie´s craig
wes quaet
claught
in a forlorn frisk
that landit
gralloched
wi the ruggin
o six beaks,
fleain awa
caain
in a flauchter
o reid, white an yella.
Twa scarlet trails
belly an thrapple,
efterbirth, efterlife.

In the park o the unborn
aa is still.

Glossary:
caller; fresh   brockie faced; black and white   lowp;leap   buirdly;solid   yowe;ewe   lift;sky   claught;gripped   craig;neck   quaet;quiet   thrapple;throat   gralloched;disembowelled   ruggin;tearing

Copywriting/Commercial Writing/Scriptwriting/Voiceovers

Copywriting for advertising agencies dealing with Scottish cultural and historical material has also been a theme in Billy Kay´s work. He has done voice overs for radio, televison, websites and museum displays. At the award winning Verdant Works museum to the textile industry in Dundee, for example, Billy wrote the scripts and presented the film, wrote and produced the dramatised material and provided the audio material for the display on the links between Dundee and India.