The Dorothy Dunnett Society

and the Whispering Gallery magazine

Whispering Gallery is the worldwide correspondance magazine for Dunnett readers. For many years there were two versions of it - the US one which started it all off was called Marzipan & Kisses and was run by Jean Clissold and Karen Brandl. It closed in November 2001 (by dreadful irony the month of Dorothy's death) as most of its regular contributors had moved over to the various internet groups. The UK one was called Whispering Gallery and was originally run under the Dorothy Dunnett Foundation and edited by Val Bierman. After the release of Gemini and the last of the major official gatherings at Edinburgh 2000, the Foundation was wound up and Dorothy transferred the funds to a new body - the Dorothy Dunnett Readers' Association - to continue the magazine and maintain the community.

After a number of years operating under that name and going through considerable reorganisation and rebuilding, the name was changed to the Dorothy Dunnett Society.

It holds an annual Weekend Gathering every Spring at the same time as the AGM. Until now this has always been held in Edinburgh but steeply rising costs for both venues and accommodation for delegates have forced a rethink, and the 2025 weekend will be held in Dumfries. Future locations will depend on the success of this innovation and whether other suitable venues can be found in other parts of Scotland.

This gathering is always well attended and very enjoyable - consisting of an opening dinner on the Friday night, lectures, talks, and discussions on the Saturday, followed by a Gala dinner in the evening, and a bus trip to an important Dunnett location on the Sunday.

The Society is a registered Scottish charity and sponsors history prizes at both school and university level and encourages historical research and education into the periods of Dorothy's works. All Society members automatically receive the magazine which is issued 4 times a year and which has developed under successive editors into a superb glossy colour publication of real quality.

The Society is run by a committee of volunteer members. I was a founder member, having been on the steering committee which set up the DDRA, and have served as Chairman and Membership Administrator, before stepping down a few years ago. So I naturally support their activities and encourage readers to join.

DDS Membership

You can find more information about the Dorothy Dunnett Society, and details about joining, on their website at http://dunnettcentral.org