ABOUT
Who is Simon Lamb? And how did he end up as a poet, Carnegie-nominated author and spork enthusiast? Find out below, on a whistle-stop tour of his life and work so far.
PRESENTING
(IN APPROX. 21 SCENES)
01
THE BEGINNING
Simon Lamb grew up on the west coast of Scotland. Through his teens, he was a keen participant in the local amateur dramatics scene – both as a performer and a writer – with a deep love for watching musical theatre and listening to musical theatre cast albums, from which he first learned of his love for the lyrical.
02
MATHEMATICS
At school, his best subject was mathematics, and thus he found himself studying that discipline at the University of St Andrews. He wasn't to be kept from the stage, though, as he spent most of his time on or around them — and even found a way to deliver his final year maths presentation as a one-man show!
03
FACE FOR RADIO
A highlight of his time at university was hosting his own radio show on St Andrews Radio – Standing Ovation – which allowed him to share his extensive musical theatre cast album collection with listeners while talking about his love of theatre and all the latest dramatic goings-on in the theatre world.
04
. . . SAINSBURY'S?!
Post-maths degree, Simon volunteered in local schools to gain teaching experience, earning cash by working in a supermarket. One day, seemingly randomly, they asked him to perform poetry for customers at the front of the store — and the rest, as they say, is history! You can watch the entire Sainsbury's trilogy here.
05
CRINKLY SWEETS
Swivel! Frustrated by increasingly frequent encounters with poor audience etiquette, Simon wrote a performance poem called A Miserable Night at the Theatre. With it, he entered and went on to win Gaiety's Got Talent (on the night of his graduation, no less). You can watch the performance here.
06
MR LAMB
That graduation was for his second degree, teaching, after which he relocated north up to stunning Caithness to take up a post in Lybster Primary School, where he used his interest in theatre and spoken word to the benefit of his students: writing school plays, classroom-themed poetry . . . and even the odd rap.
07
BOOK REVIEWER
Simon volunteered for a short spell for North of Scotland Newspapers as their reviewer of children's books, books always having been a passion of his, and perhaps more important than ever in his then-current role as a teacher. He had a spread in the paper every three to four weeks.
08
FESTIVAL TIME
A highlight of the calendar in the far north, the annual Caithness Music Festival provides opportunities to creatives of all ages. Simon and his students entered with ever-more ambitious work, culminating in 2018 with the "coup de théâtre" (adjudicator's comment) Classroom 2039.
09
QUILL
Simon's legacy lives on at the Caithness Music Festival: the winner of the Original Verse (Primary School) category is now awarded The Simon Lamb Quill, the poet's gift to the festival to thank it for all it had offered him over the time he had lived in beautiful Caithness.
10
THEATRE
Simon's writing for theatre includes Pass the Salt (On the Rocks, 2013), Time Begins at Midnight (SCDA One-Act Festival, 2017) and More Than This (Short Attention Span Theatre, 2024). He also conceived Doormatters, an evening of newly commissioned monologues by Scottish writers (Ayr Fort Players, 2022).
11
FIRST TOUR
Leaving full-time teaching in 2019 to finally follow his passions of writing and performing, Simon toured Scotland with a one-man poetry gig – affectionately named the Blue Triangle Tour after the design of his first logo – including a stop at the Scottish Poetry Library in Edinburgh.
12
SELF-PUBLISHING
To tie in with that first tour, Simon self-published his pamphlet Cathedral Sky, and went on to create a more substantial book at the end of 2021, When the Universe Creaks, featuring five poetry sequences. He typeset both works himself, a skill he continues to hone and use — and enjoy.
13
BLAIR ATHOLL
A member of the Scouts, Simon attends the biennial Scottish International Patrol Jamborette in Blair Atholl. There, he has written and performed a number of extended poems about the camp, perhaps most notably his first, in 2012, I am a Scout. You can watch the entire Blair Atholl quartet here.
14
SPORK SONG
In the summer of 2017, Simon was challenged to write a new campfire song . . . and the resulting earworm has haunted him ever since. What Colour Is Your Spork? is now an established campfire hit, and is undoubtedly Simon's most recognisable piece of work to date. (It's orange, by the way.)
15
SCHOOL VISITS
16
FESTIVALS
Simon is a frequent performer at book festivals across Scotland. He has taken part in Boswell Book Festival, Paisley Book Festival, Tidelines Book Festival, and, in summer 2024, took part in the Edinburgh International Book Festival in a very special event alongside Joseph Coelho, Nikita Gill and Jackie Kay.
17
COMMISSIONS
Simon has delivered commission pieces for a wide variety of organisations including Your Playhouse, Your Theatre, Your Story for the Edinburgh Playhouse in 2021, The Storytellers of Lochancreel for BBC Scotland's Time for a Story in 2024, and even three poems for the Nae Stressie bath bomb for Lush!
18
RESIDENCIES
Simon is the Scriever at the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Alloway, Ayrshire, 2022–25. This position sees Simon creating new work and celebrating Burns and Scottish literature. He was also the poet-in-residence at Eglinton Country Park in 2023, where you'll find his work in the loos onsite! (True story.)
19
DEBUT COLLECTION
In 2023, Simon's debut poetry collection for readers of all ages was published by Scallywag Press in a beautiful hardback gift edition, illustrated by former Children's Laureate Chris Riddell. Garnering excellent reviews, the book saw Simon nominated for the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing.
20
TAM/MAT (BOOK 2!)
Simon's modern-day reimagining of Tam o' Shanter – being Mat o' Shanter, set on shore of Prestwick – for ears of all ages was recorded as a film poem in 2020, available to view here, and is set to be published by Scallywag Press in 2025, illustrated by Scottish muralist Ross MacRae. Incredibly exciting!
21
JOIN THE JOURNEY
21.5
APPROX. 21 SCENES
And, finally, just to clear up the title of this tour, "approx 21" is taken from the aforementioned one-man show at the end of his maths degree: A Mathematical Fable in Approx. 21 Words . . . which proved so popular it was later restaged for a public performance. [Fin.]