Founded in 1970, the Association for Scottish Literature is an educational charity that aims to promote the study, teaching and writing of Scottish literature, and to further the study of the languages of Scotland. 

To these ends, the ASL publishes works of Scottish literature which have either been neglected or which merit a fresh presentation to a modern audience, and critical anthologies of both creative and non-fiction writing, in our Annual Volumes series. Papers on literary criticism and cultural studies, along with in-depth reviews of Scottish books, are published biannually in our journal Scottish Literary Review; short articles, features and news in the ASL newsletter ScotLit; and scholarly studies of language in Scottish Language. New Writing Scotland, our annual anthology, contains new poetry, drama, short fiction and creative prose in Scots, English and Gaelic. Our Scotnotes series of school- and college-level study guides provides invaluable background information to a range of major Scottish writers. We also produce collections of essays in our Occasional Papers series. Our website contains a substantial body of essays, articles, papers and classroom notes. Other free online resources include the peer-reviewed International Journal of Scottish Literature and the ezine The Bottle Imp.

We hold annual conferences on Scottish writers in such diverse locations as Glasgow, Kirkwall, Edinburgh, Dumfries and Skye. Other annual conferences address Scottish language issues, and the place of Scottish literature and language in the classroom. Our schools conferences are suitable for CPD (Continuous Professional Development), and attract teachers from across Scotland.

Along with other Scottish literary organisations, the ASL campaigns for a greater appreciation, both at home and abroad, in schools, colleges and universities, of Scotland’s literary culture. Click here for information on joining the ASL, and click here for details on how to submit material for publication.

ASL is a registered charity, no. SC006535.