Alasdair & Others: Willy Maley

Announcing the First Event in Our New Themed Programme: Alasdair & Others

We’re delighted to launch the first event in our brand new themed programme, Alasdair & Others, presented in partnership with the Advanced Research Centre (ARC) at the University of Glasgow. At The Alasdair Gray Archive, we’ve been reorganising our expanding collection of donated materials to create dedicated sections that highlight the lives and work of others closely connected to Alasdair Gray - one of Scotland’s most influential writers and artists. This initiative aims to preserve and celebrate the often-overlooked cultural histories that intersect with Gray’s life and legacy.

By tracing the rich network of relationships that shaped his creative world - including artists, writers,activists, and educators, Alasdair & Others seeks to deepen public understanding of Gray’s legacy while amplifying the voices of individuals and communities whose contributions have been overlooked orunderrepresented in public collections.

Our first event will celebrate Willy Maley, whose recent donation to the Archive includes correspondence with Alasdair during his brief professorship on the Creative Writing course, as well as materials related to Willy’s contribution to The Book of Prefaces.

Willy Maley is a Scottish literary critic, editor, teacher, and writer who has profoundly influenced generations of students and writers in Glasgow and beyond.A former Professor of English Literature at the University of Glasgow, and co-founder (with Philip Hobsbaum) of the University’s Creative Writing programme, Willy is a prolific author whose work spans early modern literature—from Spenser to Milton—as well as modern Scottish and Irish writing..

As part of this project, the Archive commissioned writer, academic and Gray’s biographer, Rodge Glass, to produce a new biographical guide exploring Willy’s connections with Alasdair. Both the guide and selected archival materials will be on display during the event.

The event will open with an introduction to the Alasdair & Others project by AGA’s Custodian Sorcha Dallas, followed by an in-conversation session between Willy Maley and Rodge Glass. Guests will then have the opportunity to explore Willy’s donation informally.

📍 Where: ARC, University of Glasgow, 11 Chapel Lane, G11 6EW

️ When: 18 November 2025, 4–6pm

️ Booking: Free but ticketed, booking essential via Eventbrite

This event will be recorded.

For further details about the ARC, including accessibility details, please visit: https://www.gla.ac.uk/research/arc/

Please note there is no parking at the venue.