Martin Belk

Name: Martin Belk
Age: 41
Born: Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
Time in Scotland: Since September 2004

Martin Belk completed his Bachelors degree in writing and cultural studies as a mature student in New York City when the opportunity arose to apply for postgraduate work at the University of Edinburgh.

"I was first made aware of opportunities in Scotland when my neighbour down the hall on East 13th Street, a dear friend from Glasgow, suggested I check it out because I might do well there," Martin explains.

"So when it was time to apply, I sent one to Edinburgh University on a whim to see what would happen, and because there was no application fee. After sending writing samples I was told that, if I wanted to go, they were willing to have me."

Arriving in Scotland 

When he arrived in Scotland in September 2004 on a student visa, Martin's aim was to use the one-year MSc in creative writing to produce his first full-length marketable manuscript.

The result was a non-fiction chronicle, called Pretty Broken People: Lipstick, Leather Jeans, A Death of New York, inspired by his eight years running a successful club in New York.

A few weeks before his student visa expired he successfully applied for the Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland Scheme visa, which he had found out about months earlier during a web search.

During the next two years Martin worked as a writer, literary reviewer, commentator, lecturer and director, producing a major show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

New business venture 

In July 2007 Martin and his business partner then set up Polwarth Publishing to promote the work of new literary talent, using their own bi-monthly magazine, ONE Magazine as a showcase.

"I find Scotland an overwhelmingly more supportive environment for arts, culture, and starting new businesses within them than in the United States," Martin says. "Scotland funds its arts, supports its arts and encourages its arts. People take you seriously and if you say you've got an idea, people will listen to you. If you say you're going to do something, they'll expect you to turn up with it."

Polwarth Publishing now employs five people, while ONE Magazine has a circulation of 20,000.

UK Innovator Scheme

When his Fresh Talent visa expired on 31 January 2008, Martin applied to the UK Innovator Scheme, a two-year visa for entrepreneurs with an exceptional business idea.

The scheme is one of the hardest to apply for and required Martin to submit business plans, projections, work samples, references from eight or more business leaders and other supporting paperwork.

Without the help and advice of the team at the Relocation Advisory Service, which also administers the Fresh Talent visa, Martin doubts his application would have been successful.

"Their help was imperative," he admits. "I wouldn't have made it without that service so it was absolutely crucial. Even though I had been in Scotland for three years, I don't know the lingo with this sort of thing. It also gave me confidence that they were willing to work with me because they believed in what I'm doing."

Community work 

Martin also gives his time freely to teach creative writing at Polmont Young Offenders Institution, where he is Writer in Residence, every Friday afternoon.

"I've seen more enthusiasm for (Samuel) Beckett and (James) Baldwin than I usually see in a traditional classroom or community centre," he says. "They tell me that they're seeing things differently, that they see they have choices - choices like I’ve been fortunate enough to have."

Related links 

• Fresh Talent initiative
  
• One Magazine