Our Story

Hillfire Press Edinburgh and the Hillfire Anthology have their roots in the creative writing MSc programme at the University of Edinburgh, 2019/20. This cohort was made up of amazing people, and we felt our time together had ended too soon, and too suddenly. What better way to keep the momentum going than to put all that talent to good use and publish an anthology together? That is what we’re doing at Hillfire Press. We are a collective of writers, publishers, designers and team players, and we cannot wait to share Hillfire Anthology with you.

The first time we worked together was for From Arthur’s Seat, an anthology the MSc students are asked to produce as their end-of-year project. This history is part of the Hillfire name: Arthur’s Seat is one of Edinburgh’s iconic hills, and each year in spring, the gorse that covers it blooms, lighting up the hillsides. Gorse flowers are small and gentle, but together they create a powerful, spectacular effect. If you have ever tried to make your way through a thicket of gorse, you will also know that this plant is a force to be reckoned with. Those spikes hurt! These are the things that we are aiming for with the writing in the Hillfire Anthology.

Even if you’re successful with publishing your writing, as many of us already are, the process of getting something published, (or trying to) can be fairly soul-destroying. There are often hundreds of stories competing for one spot in a magazine, and rejections are a part of day-to-day life for writers. This is our attempt not to replace that process, but to create something alongside it that allows us to publish joyfully, and support each other in doing so. The quality of writing in the Hillfire Anthology shows that this way is a way, too.

Hillfire Anthology will be available to pre-order and order online, and to purchase at select Edinburgh bookshops.