Mairi shares her thoughts about the book Poor Things by Alasdair Gray this week. It's a wildly inventive, postmodern reimagining of Frankenstein set in Victorian Glasgow, where Bella Baxter—reborn with an infant’s brain—defies patriarchal control to carve her own path through scandal, feminism, and social critique.

Find it in our catalogue and on BorrowBox

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Martin Stepek delivered a World Refugee Day talk on 20 June at Fairhill Library, focusing on his family’s experiences during and after World War II. He recounts how his Polish family was uprooted by the war and eventually found refuge in Scotland. The talk highlights pivotal moments and chance events that influenced his family’s survival, such as the kindness of a stranger who provided food when they were starving. Stepek also describes the hardships his family endured and explains how they built a new life in Scotland after the war, sharing a factual personal account of their refugee journey.

In the context of World Refugee Day, the talk offers timely insight into the importance of empathy, the dismantling of stigma, and the human reality behind forced displacement, reminding us that today’s “other” could easily have been any one of us.

World Refugee Day – United Nations (UNHCR)

https://www.unhcr.org/uk/get-involved/take-action/world-refugee-day

Official site with information on the day, themes, and refugee statistics.

The 1951 Refugee Convention

https://www.unhcr.org/uk/1951-refugee-convention.html

UNHCR page on the foundational legal framework protecting refugees.

Scottish Refugee Council

https://www.scottishrefugeecouncil.org.uk

Information and services supporting refugees and asylum seekers in Scotland.

Jan Stepek: Part 1 – Gulag to Glasgow (2024)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jan-Stepek-Part-Gulag-Glasgow/dp/B0CZDB8BK2

Martin Stepek’s biography of his father, tracing the family’s deportation, survival, and journey to Scotland.

Martin Stepek – Author and Mindfulness Teacher

https://www.scottishbooktrust.com/authors/martin-stepek

Official profile from Scottish Book Trust, with publications and biography.

Ten for Zen – Martin Stepek’s Mindfulness Organisation

https://www.tenforzen.co.uk

Mindfulness training and resources co-founded by Martin Stepek.

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For your ears this week, Mairi talks about World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks. This excellent eAudiobook imagines a global apocalypse reshaped through the voices of survivors and is an unsettling mirror for our own societal vulnerabilities.

Find it at BorrowBox

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Mairi takes a quick look at the book, The Voids, this week. Author Ryan O'Connor delivers a haunting yet darkly lyrical debut set in a condemned Glasgow tower block. The Voids asks hard questions about belonging and purpose - an unsparing yet tender exploration that will linger long after the final chapter.

Find it in our catalogue.

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Mindfulness the Journey, Not the Destination is more than a self-help book. It is an amazing journey of self-discovery, understanding and knowledge that brings clarity and motivation into every aspect of our lives.

By practising mindfulness every day, we can achieve a deeper understanding of who we are.

The author takes us on her own personal journey through life. She encourages us to become the drivers of our own lives, based on mindfulness, compassion and gratitude.

By working towards keeping our minds healthy, we will not only help ourselves but every other precious life we encounter along the way. Our mental health is key to how we choose to live our lives, as:

“Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think.” (The Dhammapada)

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In this episode, Heather and James chat about the Wise Mentoring service and how it helps families take positive steps forward. From money worries to mental health, digital skills to energy advice, they explain how the service works and what kind of tailored support they can provide. And it won’t affect your benefits!

It’s a friendly and honest look at a service that’s all about lifting people up when they need it most.

Don't know where to start?

Talk to us. Contact our team using the details below.

Tel: 0141 303 3131 (option 8)

Email: relationalmentoringscotland@thewisegroup.co.uk

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Descent into MS

A podcast by Grahame Brown

Episode 2: Making Use of Broken Pieces and MS Thinking

In this four-part episode, Grahame Brown explores the cognitive and emotional effects of Progressive MS. Through personal stories, reflection, and dry humour, he examines how the condition affects memory, thought, and self-understanding.

Part 1: Reframing the Broken

Grahame shares three memories: a ruined tower seen on childhood visits to his granny, a chaotic bullfight in Madrid, and an imagined white horse tethered to a roundabout. These moments explore how damaged or invented things can still offer direction, comfort, or meaning, especially when life becomes difficult to navigate.

Part 2: Misplaced Meaning

A story about a broken statue mistaken for a lucky charm becomes a reflection on how we assign value when familiar roles are lost. Humorous but pointed, it raises questions about usefulness, embarrassment, and the stories we build to make sense of change.

Part 3: Disruption, Memory and Meaning

Grahame describes the period before his diagnosis, marked by confusion, low moods, and intrusive thoughts. He recalls the shift that came with understanding his symptoms as neurological, and contrasts this with memories of childhood in the 1980s, now experienced as both nostalgic and alien.

Part 4: Support and Survival

In closing, Grahame reflects on how shared experience and conversation offer a way through. Exchanges with others who have MS help make sense of what is happening. He returns to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest to explore the limits of escape and the quiet act of staying, not fixed but present.

Resources and Links:

• One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Ken Kesey / Milos Forman)
• Revive MS Support Glasgow
• MS Society

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This short podcast is a personal description of how MS affects me: my thoughts, feelings, and the daily challenges I face living with this life-limiting condition.

My Descent into MS: An Abstract View is part of a series exploring the impact of Multiple Sclerosis, treatments, medications, and the support available through the NHS, charities, and local groups. Featuring personal stories and interviews, the series sheds light on living with MS and the help that’s out there.

Resources & Links:

• Dylan Thomas: "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night"
• MS Revive Glasgow
• St Andrew's Hospice – Outpatient Services
• MS Society

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.