I’m working on a creative non-fiction book about the dairy industry for September Publishing. You can see more details of the book on the Milk Book page.

I organise and host the spoken word night Speakin’ Weird on the second Wednesday of the month in Aberdeen. Speakin’ Weird has collaborated on events with groups including Friends of the Earth Scotland and filmmaker Sara Stoud, the National Theatre for Scotland and the Loud Poets National Poetry Slam as well as being nominated for a Scots Language Award in 2023. You can read more about Speakin’ Weird here. I arrived in Aberdeen in 2016 as a spoken word artist looking for somewhere to perform, so decided to start my own night. I published a poetry pamphlet in 2017 entitled Dating Advise from my Unconscious.

I started performing stand up comedy in 2017 and have performed in venues across Scotland, including at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Writing and performance

Picture of Orla Shortall on stage at Spin, Aberdeen, in front of the microphone with her arms outstretched towards the audience.

Speakin’ Weird audience photo by Julian Maunder