Lowland is a three-year project devoted to exploring senses of belonging and place in Dumfries.

Primarily, the project is a gathering mechanism, collecting writing from the community to compile an archive of written responses about Dumfries. These may be poetry, short fiction, diary or even illustration.

On the commencement of the project the Stove commissioned poet Stuart A Paterson as its first writer in residence. Stuart worked with the community to generate as many responses to the Lowland identity, including workshops with emerging writers from the High Street Writers group which is hosted every two weeks at the Stove. Stuart also held regular workshops in local schools, engaging both primary and high school pupils in responsive writing.

Lowland is an evolving project that seeks to create a contemporary narrative of Dumfries town in a transitional phase of its history.