Anne Dunford is a writer in her seventies who lives in Wigtown. She has enjoyed a checkered career mostly involving teaching reading (from infants to adults) and later training teachers and volunteers in effective methods for reluctant readers. Her move to Galloway in 2002 meant more time for writing (although writing up five years’ work on a PhD was abandoned in favour of plays and poetry).
Anne’s short plays and monologues have been performed at The Swallow Theatre, but more recently her focus has been on writing poetry. Her poems have been published in a number of anthologies, poetry magazines and online – most recently, Wigtown Book Festival commissioned Anne to write a poem on the theme of ‘Hello Stranger’ for their 2021 programme, and a recording of it is available online.
Her latest collection of poetry, From The Mountains to the Sea, inspired by the landscape and illustrated by her husband Les Dunford’s photographs, has been published to raise money for research into Fibromyalgia. It’s available in Clatteringshaw’s Visitor Centre, Wigtown and surrounding area local bookshops or by contacting Anne by email: anne.dunford@holmespun.co.uk
Her blog, Life’s a Beach, contains random thoughts and poems.
Tell us 4 important facts about yourself:
- Most of my working life was spent in education but there were exceptions.
- Five years were spent making miniature bone china (12th scale)
- Two years were spent living on a tiny island that only had one house.
- I’ve been vegetarian since 1971 and vegan for about the last thirty years
What is your favourite age that you’ve been so far in life, and why?
Life now (in my seventies) is very good. My husband Les and I live in a place that we love. I have time to write, and we walk, take photographs and enjoy working in the garden. Not so many responsibilities and commitments now.
Who is your favourite fictional character or famous person over 60?
Fictional character – that’s hard to decide but possibly Chris Guthrie in Lewis Grassic Gibbon’s ‘A Scots Quair’(although she doesn’t start off over 60).
Famous living person over 60 – I think that now it has to be David Attenborough with maybe Judi Dench a second choice. Very different people but still inspiring.
You are alone in your house (no pets). You have three minutes to get out before the house collapses and burns to the ground. What one possession would you grab and take with you?
My laptop as it contains my photographs, notes and writing dating back a long time plus contact details of friends and family.
What’s your favourite creative pastime?
Writing (but I do enjoy creating soups!)
Tell us something about yourself that’s surprising or unexpected.
Although I was born near the sea and I love living near it, I don’t swim and regret not having learned to conquer my fear of water as a child.
Sad that you never learnt to swim although I empathise with a fear of water. I can swim OK, not well but have always been terrified of the thought of drowning. Its probably not too late to learn?