Reposted by Agnes Owens Literary EstateCaustic Cover Critic @causticcovercritic.bsky.social · 17/09/2026Lemme hear you say B! (B!) O! (O!) O! (O!) Look, you get the gist 0211
Agnes Owens Literary Estate @agnesowenslitest.bsky.social · 13/09/2026substack.com/@johncrosbie...substack.comJohn Crosbie (@johncrosbie)Remembering My Sister, Irene: A Written Piece for the Agnes Owens Centenary In this centenary year for my mother, the Scottish Author Agnes Owens, people often ask me: "Was your mother a feminist? D... 101
Reposted by Agnes Owens Literary EstateThe Agnes Owens Archive @aowensarchive.bsky.social · 03/09/2026The final three Agnes Owens reissues are out now from Polygon @birlinn.bsky.social Featuring introductions by Jenni Fagan, William Letford & Chitra Ramaswamy. Available now via our online shop. 063
Reposted by Agnes Owens Literary EstateDani Garavelli @danigaravelli.bsky.social · 24/08/2026Thing I love about Agnes Owens is you get pages like the first one which is darkly hilarious. And then pages like the second which communicates so viscerally the panic bordering on madness you experience when you are exhausted with a newborn. 193
Reposted by Agnes Owens Literary EstateAssociation for Scottish Literature @asls.org.uk · 20/08/2026Starting 31 Aug, BBC Radio 4: A WORKING MOTHER, by Agnes Owens (1926–2014) Ten years after WW2, our unreliable narrator Betty – arch, witty, clever – is married with children & feels trapped. While her husband, Adam, drinks and complains, Betty plots her escape… 💙📚 www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...bbc.co.ukBBC Radio 4 - A Working Mother by Agnes OwensTen years after the Second World War, Betty craves freedom from domestic responsibility. 162
Reposted by Agnes Owens Literary EstateAssociation for Scottish Literature @asls.org.uk · 14/08/2026Acknowledging Agnes Owens: a celebration of her writing & legacy 24 Sep, Glasgow – free Launch event for the Byres Road Book Festival, in collaboration with the @aowensarchive.bsky.social – with Dani Garavelli, Kirstin Innes, William Letford, & Chitra Ramaswamy www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/acknowledg...eventbrite.co.ukAcknowledging Agnes Owens: a celebration of her writing and legacyJoin us at the Byres Road Book Festival for a special launch evening, presented in collaboration with the Agnes Owens Archive. 0138
Agnes Owens Literary Estate @agnesowenslitest.bsky.social · 20/08/2026www.the-tls.com/literature/f...the-tls.comNo such thing as loveWhen Agnes Owens published her first novel, Gentlemen of the West (1984), at the age of fifty-eight, it was welcomed with enthusiasm by some of her fellow 010
Agnes Owens Literary Estate @agnesowenslitest.bsky.social · 16/08/2026www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m... Agnes Owens- Book at Bedtime Radio 4 31/08/26bbc.co.ukBBC Radio 4 - A Working Mother by Agnes OwensTen years after the Second World War, Betty craves freedom from domestic responsibility. 022
Reposted by Agnes Owens Literary EstateValarie Smith @valarie.bsky.social · 01/07/2026Excellent recommendation by @jacquiwine.bsky.social about a Scottish bricklayer with no future outside of booze. It reads like a book of short stories, some quite funny, but steadily, subtly grows into something more. Definitely reading more Owens soon. Willy Vlautin fans, it’s worth a look. 1175
Agnes Owens Literary Estate @agnesowenslitest.bsky.social · 21/06/2026They both continued on, Agnes now pulling the pram as it was impossible to push and Sam carrying the sleeping baby in his arms. Scoraig eventually came into view, sitting alongside the minch. The expanse of the North Atlantic Ocean beyond and Stornoway could seen hazily in the distance. 010
Reposted by Agnes Owens Literary EstateAssociation for Scottish Literature @asls.org.uk · 16/06/2026A Working Mother The latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast speaks to John Crosbie, the son of Agnes Owens (1926–2014). They discuss the new editions of Owens’ novels, critical acclaim versus commercial success, Owens’ legacy, the Agnes Owens Archive, & more 💙📚 www.scotswhayhae.com/post/this-wo...scotswhayhae.comA Working Mother: The Scots Whay Hae! Podcast Talks To John Crosbie...For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast we spoke to John Crosbie, the son of one of Ali's favourite writers, Agnes Owens whose centenary is being marked in a number of ways, including a handsome set o... 121
Reposted by Agnes Owens Literary EstateAlan Maxwell @anthemsprinter.bsky.social · 07/06/2026Another "books I've read this year" update. The Scottish bias continues, and this one was excellent. 131
Reposted by Agnes Owens Literary EstateMindless Ones @mindlessones.bsky.social · 07/06/2026Issue #61 of our newsletter is out now, ft. John Blanche, Andrew & Steven, the editors, Time Ships, Future Shocks, Agnes Owens, Vince Staples, Alice Oswald and more! mindless-ones.ghost.io/do-your-pare... 01811
Reposted by Agnes Owens Literary EstateValarie Smith @valarie.bsky.social · 04/06/2026This just in! Extreme gratitude to @drlauravarnam.bsky.social for almost half of them and to @thehemicane.bsky.social for Sugar Run! 5152
Reposted by Agnes Owens Literary EstateMarina Sofia @marinasofia.bsky.social · 25/05/2026Thank you @jacquiwine.bsky.social for reviewing Agnes Owens' A Working Mother and so getting me to read this strange, sad little story (but also very deadpan funny) 181
Reposted by Agnes Owens Literary EstateAileen Walker @aileenwalker.bsky.social · 25/05/2026I’m reading through these newly republished Agnes Owens novellas. She’s a great writer: dark, comic wit and social observation. And gorgeous Joan Eardley paintings on the covers. More info in this Observer article : observer.co.uk/culture/book... 122
Reposted by Agnes Owens Literary EstateAssociation for Scottish Literature @asls.org.uk · 26/05/2026“In contemporary reviews she was likened to Muriel Spark and Beryl Bainbridge: her books thrive on the friction between comedy and sadness.” @john-self.bsky.social on the working-class genius of Agnes Owens (1926–2014) 💙📚 observer.co.uk/culture/book...observer.co.ukThe working-class genius of Agnes Owens | The ObserverThe Scottish author’s darkly comic novels – written between shifts as a typist and cleaner – are being rediscovered 100 years after her birth 1159
Reposted by Agnes Owens Literary EstateAssociation for Scottish Literature @asls.org.uk · 26/05/2026To celebrate her centenary, Polygon is publishing new editions of Agnes Owens’ books with introductions from contemporary Scottish writers. 4 are released this month: A Working Mother; For the Love of Willie; Like Birds in the Wilderness; & Gentlemen of the West 💙📚 birlinn.co.uk/contributor/... 0104
Reposted by Agnes Owens Literary EstateAssociation for Scottish Literature @asls.org.uk · 24/05/2026Agnes Owens: Out of the Margins Agnes Owens (1926–2014) was born 100 years ago #OTD, 24 May. This short film presents Owens as a writer shaped by working-class life, whose fiction exposed power, resisted sentimentality, & centred overlooked voices. A 🎂🧵 💙📚 1/7 www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkYR...youtube.comAgnes Owens: Out of the MarginsYouTube video by Alasdair Gray Archive 21411
Reposted by Agnes Owens Literary EstateJan Carson @jancarsonwrites.bsky.social · 21/05/2026My 21st stop on the indie bookstore tour was @bigglestones.bsky.social Glasgow where bookseller Ian chose Agnes Owens’ For the Love of Willie as a favourite recommended read (am currently reading it and it’s class) #indiebooksellers #saintsandwarriors 062
Reposted by Agnes Owens Literary EstateAlice Jolly @alicejolly.bsky.social · 21/05/2026Many, many years ago Agnes Owens taught me on the first ever Arvon course I attended. I was sick all week because I was so nervous ..... She was so warm and generous and encouraging. I love her work and I owe her for her kindness to me at that time. 072
Agnes Owens Literary Estate @agnesowenslitest.bsky.social · 21/05/2026www.thetimes.com/culture/book...thetimes.comThis unsung writer can make you laugh and shock you on the same pageAgnes Owens is finally getting her due 100 years after her birth. Her reissued debut, Gentlemen of the West, packs in violence, revenge and a comic twist 000
Reposted by Agnes Owens Literary EstateAssociation for Scottish Literature @asls.org.uk · 13/05/2026To celebrate her centenary, Birlinn is publishing new editions of Agnes Owens’ books with introductions from contemporary Scottish writers. Four are released this month: A Working Mother; For the Love of Willie; Like Birds in the Wilderness; & Gentlemen of the West 💙📚 birlinn.co.uk/contributor/...birlinn.co.ukAgnes Owens | Birlinn Ltd - Independent Scottish Publisher - buy books online 051
Reposted by Agnes Owens Literary EstateLaura MacDonald @laurzzs.bsky.social · 13/05/2026Very much looking forward to giving this talk on Agnes Owens' 100th birthday! 🎂🥳 Get your free tickets and come along. ✨️ 094
Reposted by Agnes Owens Literary EstateDani Garavelli @danigaravelli.bsky.social · 10/05/2026 "In A Working Mother, Owens transforms difficulties from her own life into a glorious work of art in which nothing is quite what it seems." My @heraldscotland.bsky.social review of all the Agnes Owens' books reissued by Polygon so far to mark her centenary. www.heraldscotland.com/life_style/2...heraldscotland.comThis brilliant Scottish author has been forgotten for far too long - that changes nowAGNES Owens famously rejected the notion of herself as a feminist author. What she meant by that, I think, is that - while her depiction of poverty… 01610
Reposted by Agnes Owens Literary EstateKenny @kennypieper.bsky.social · 08/05/2026Hey @backlisted.bsky.social not sure if Agnes Owens has crossed your path but damn, she’s good 052
Reposted by Agnes Owens Literary EstateAssociation for Scottish Literature @asls.org.uk · 08/05/2026“She’s writing stories about smaller areas in the West Coast, that are not a major city – urban, rural, borderland kind of spaces, and the particular desperations of those lives” —Kirstin Innes & Hayley-Jane Dawson on the life & work of Agnes Owens 💙📚 www.greatergovanhill.com/latest/in-co...greatergovanhill.comIn conversation on writing, class, Scots and Agnes Owens — Greater GovanhillWith the release of Agnes Owens’ ‘A Working Mother’ today, introduced by novelist Kirstin Innes, we’re looking back to our recent Scots issue and our conversation with Kirsten & artist Hayley-Jane... 172
Reposted by Agnes Owens Literary EstateAssociation for Scottish Literature @asls.org.uk · 08/05/2026To celebrate her century year, Polygon is publishing new editions of Agnes Owens’ books with specially commissioned introductions from contemporary Scottish writers. Four are released this month – including A Working Mother, published yesterday 💙📚 birlinn.co.uk/product/a-wo...birlinn.co.ukA Working Mother | Birlinn Ltd - Independent Scottish Publisher - buy books onlineA Working Mother is a perfectly crafted novel that will enthral, entertain and surprise in equal measure. Our unreliable narrator, Betty – arch, witty, clever – is married with children and feels trap... 051
Reposted by Agnes Owens Literary EstatePeter Ross @peteralanross.bsky.social · 07/05/2026Congratulations to everyone involved in the publication of the works of Agnes Owens. The first of the reissues, including Gentlemen Of The West, are out today - with introductions by Scottish writers and terrific use of Joan Eardley paintings. A beautiful set of books. 53816
Reposted by Agnes Owens Literary EstateWaterstones Argyle Street @waterstonesargyle.bsky.social · 21/04/2026Discover Agnes Owens, who Alasdair Gray called the most unfairly neglected of Scottish authors, her writing brims with dark humour & sharp observations of real life. She’s being reprinted in her centenary year & we couldn’t be happier! 031
Agnes Owens Literary Estate @agnesowenslitest.bsky.social · 30/04/2026booksfromscotland.com/2026/04/agne...booksfromscotland.comAgnes Owens - Books from Scotland'I can guarantee that you won’t have read anyone else like her.' 044
Reposted by Agnes Owens Literary EstateBooksfromScotland.com @booksfromscotland.bsky.social · 29/04/2026We are ALL IN for the next issue of BfS! Read it here: booksfromscotland.com/issue/all-in/ Lots of fab books coming out between April & June - thanks to @birlinn.bsky.social, @whiterabbitbks.bsky.social, @jonathancape.bsky.social, @pushkinpress.com, @bwpublishing.bsky.social & more! 074
Agnes Owens Literary Estate @agnesowenslitest.bsky.social · 27/04/2026www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...bbc.co.ukBBC Radio 4 - Front Row, Paul Weller on his decades-long career in musicAs he releases Weller at the BBC Volume 2, Paul Weller talks to Kirsty Wark. 000
Agnes Owens Literary Estate @agnesowenslitest.bsky.social · 27/04/2026Please share birlinn.co.uk/event/agnes-...birlinn.co.ukAgnes Owens: A Life in Conversation & Polygon Publications Launch | Birlinn Ltd - Independent Scottish Publisher - buy books online 000
Agnes Owens Literary Estate @agnesowenslitest.bsky.social · 27/04/2026birlinn.co.uk/event/agnes-... Please sharebirlinn.co.ukAgnes Owens: A Life in Conversation & Polygon Publications Launch | Birlinn Ltd - Independent Scottish Publisher - buy books online 000
Reposted by Agnes Owens Literary EstateThe Agnes Owens Archive @aowensarchive.bsky.social · 18/04/2026Delighted to share our new short film on Agnes Owens, marking her 2026 centenary, now live on AGA’s YouTube. Discover her life, work, and legacy—or watch it on a retro TV at the Lillie Art Gallery exhibition from today!youtube.comAgnes Owens: Out of the MarginsYouTube video by Alasdair Gray Archive 0119
Reposted by Agnes Owens Literary EstateThe Agnes Owens Archive @aowensarchive.bsky.social · 23/04/2026On Saturday we opened Agnes Owens: Out of The Margins at Lillie Art Gallery, Milngavie—the first of several centenary events. The exhibition runs 18 April–18 June 2026. Wonderful to see so many visitors attend. 073
Reposted by Agnes Owens Literary EstateStefan Siebert @stefansiebert.bsky.social · 23/04/2026Got a chance to see the excellent satellite exhibition by @agrayarchive.bsky.social and @aowensarchive.bsky.social The Joan Eardley pictures & this photo were the highlights for me - imagine being part of that discussion or even just being privileged to eavesdrop on those amazing writers chatting! 374
Reposted by Agnes Owens Literary EstateDani Garavelli @danigaravelli.bsky.social · 22/04/2026This book is so freaking good: black, sparse, funny, modern, it transcends descriptions of it as a working class Scottish novel. It’s making me angry all over again that Agnes Owens was so belittled and under-appreciated. 5337
Agnes Owens Literary Estate @agnesowenslitest.bsky.social · 23/04/2026www.scotsman.com/arts-and-cul...scotsman.comInsider's Choice: New Scottish books to look out for in MayAs well as reissues of classic novels by Agnes Owens and Neil Gunn, next month also has several treats in store for fans of Tartan Noir, writes Vikki Reilly 010
Reposted by Agnes Owens Literary EstateAssociation for Scottish Literature @asls.org.uk · 27/03/2026Agnes Owens’ novels, novellas, & short story collections are being reissued by Birlinn in 2026, her centenary year birlinn.co.uk/contributor/... 0104
Reposted by Agnes Owens Literary EstateA.C. Harper (he/him) @harperac.bsky.social · 29/03/2026Love this pick. Thrilled Birlinn is reprinting Agnes Owens for her centennial, keeping a brilliant backlist alive. Library ebook at max magnification for the win. 111
Reposted by Agnes Owens Literary EstateThe Agnes Owens Archive @aowensarchive.bsky.social · 09/04/2026Celebrating 100 years of Agnes Owens ✨ Out of the Margins opens 18 April at Lillie Art Gallery. Featuring archival & contemporary works, it honours Owens’ powerful, place-rooted writing and lasting impact, curated by @sorchadallas.bsky.social 0125
Reposted by Agnes Owens Literary EstateGraeme Purves @gaspurves.bsky.social · 12/04/2026New editions to mark the centenary of the birth of the Scottish novelist Agnes Owens: #BookSky💙📚 #ScottishLiterature www.thenational.scot/news/2601424...thenational.scotNew editions of one of Scotland’s most original but unrecognised authors reissuedYEARS of perseverance have succeeded in the reissue of works by Agnes Owens, one of Scotland’s most original but unrecognised authors. 021
Reposted by Agnes Owens Literary EstateThe Agnes Owens Archive @aowensarchive.bsky.social · 15/04/2026Centenary Agnes Owens tote with her striking quote, in typewriter-style font. Baby pink, 100% organic cotton. Features Calum Colvin photos. Limited run—pre-order now or buy at events. Link in bio. 0106
Reposted by Agnes Owens Literary EstateThe Agnes Owens Archive @aowensarchive.bsky.social · 17/04/2026📚 Pre-orders now open! 📚 Polygon’s @birlinn.bsky.social reissued Agnes Owens titles—with new introductions by @danigaravelli.bsky.social Kirsty Logan @kirstininnes.bsky.social and @heatherparry.bsky.social are in our shop. New covers by Joan Eardley. Order via link in bio! 079
Reposted by Agnes Owens Literary EstateThe Agnes Owens Archive @aowensarchive.bsky.social · 17/04/2026📚 Agnes Owens in the Archives ✨ FREE TALK ✨ 23 Apr, 17:30–18:30 | National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh Celebrate Agnes Owens’ centenary and explore her archives with expert speakers @laurzzs.bsky.social @sorchadallas.bsky.social and Dr Colin McIlroy 🎟️ Book via Eventbrite (link in bio) 055
Reposted by Agnes Owens Literary EstateThe Agnes Owens Archive @aowensarchive.bsky.social · 14/04/2026Final event in our Milngavie programme for the Agnes Owens centenary ✨ Join a special Curator’s Tour of Out of the Margins with @sorchadallas.bsky.social 12 June, 11:00am, Lillie Art Gallery. 084
Reposted by Agnes Owens Literary EstatePat Byrne @patbyrne.bsky.social · 13/04/2026Writing Short Stories like Agnes Owens with Kirsten Innes - Alexandria Library Thursday mornings 7/14/21 May www.glasgowwestend.co.uk/writing-shor...glasgowwestend.co.uk 011