Catrìona Lexy Chaimbeul

• Name — Catrìona Lexy Chaimbeul • Born — 1982 • Birthplace — Ness, Lewis, Scotland • Occupation — Poet, novelist, dramatist, actor • Language — Scottish Gaelic • Education — University of Edinburgh (M.A.) • Relatives — Tormod Caimbeul (father) Alasdair Caimbeul (paternal uncle)

Chaimbeul was born into a well-known literary family in Ness, Lewis. Her father, Tormod Caimbeul (also known as Tormod a' Bhocsair and Norman Campbell), and her uncle Alasdair Caimbeul are both published writers in Gaelic, as was her grandfather Aonghas Caimbeul (Am Bocsair) and her great-uncle, war poet and award-winning memoirist, Aonghas Caimbeul (Am Puilean). Her mother, Mary Jane Campbell, is a Gaelic Traditional singer. Chaimbeul attended the University of Edinburgh (M.A. in Mental Philosophy). She worked as an actor and tutor in Gaelic drama, including two years with Eden Court Theatre in Inverness as the Gaelic Drama Artist for Skye and Lochalsh, and in 2011-12 was the Gaelic Associate Artist at the National Theatre of Scotland. The family's connection with Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, the National Centre for the Gaelic Language and Culture, now part of the University of the Highlands and Islands, has included periods as writer-in-residence for both Tormod and Alasdair Caimbeul, and Mary Jane is a lecturer at the centre. In January 2013 Catrìona was appointed for a one-year term as writer-in-residence at Sabhal Mòr.