Nicola Sturgeon’s upcoming book, Women Hold Up Half The Sky is due to be published in May by independent Scottish publisher, Sandstone Press. The book is a collection of speeches made by the Scottish First Minister addressing “such diverse matters as education, human rights, equality, infrastructure, food banks and the European Union”, the publishers state.
According to The Times, the independent publisher has received over £410,000 in grants from Creative Scotland, a government-funded body. In response to criticism that the publishers are misusing public funds by publishing the title, Sandstone Press said that they were “disappointed to see misleading information on our upcoming book”.
On 10th February, the publisher addressed the claims in a statement on twitter, stating “Women Hold Up Half The Sky is published and financed independently of any public body. Sandstone Press has received no funding for this book. Creative Scotland has supported Sandstone Press to deliver various projects through the Open Project Fund between 2011 and 2019. Women Hold Up Half The Sky is not part of that support”.
Women Hold Up Half The Sky will be released in hardback on 10th May, four days after the Scottish Parliamentary elections.
Words by Alex Lovegrove
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