Marcas served as a member of the board at The Scottish Poetry Library between 2018 and 2021. In that time he has been a steadfast advocate for Gaelic literature, writers and readerships.
During Marcas' tenure, working with colleagues amongst the board and staff, a great many changes have taken place at the library and much has been done to change anti-Gaelic cultures across the sector.
Marcas has advocated for greater inclusion of Gaelic in the Best Scottish Poems online anthology and the Poetry Camhpions Scheme. He was also one of three board members who joined the working group tasked with designing the library's current Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion plan, which, this time, foregrounds minoritised language communities.
Marcas has represented the library on a number of occasions within the sector and is a regular spokesperson, when engaging with Gaelic media.
compàirteachadh │ engagement
This year, Marcas accepted the position of Chair at the Federation of Writers (Scotland), a role he will combine with his existing positions as Gaelic and Social Media Co-ordinator.
Marcas' involvement with the Federation brought about the Gaelic category in its annual Vernal Equinox competition meaning that the Federation's competitions are one of the few open to writers working in all of Scotland's literary languages.
In 2021 Marcas pioneered a series of events with Gaelic women writers, held on Zoom and broadcast on YouTube. The events were unique in that they were specifically designed to introduce non-Gaelic speakers to our literature and to breakdown the barriers of unfamiliarity which currently prevent full Gaelic inclusion within the sector.
As Federation Chair Marcas hopes to expand the membership and remit of the Federation beyond the Central Belt and to connect wiritng communities throughout Scotland.
Check out the Federation's website for it's full calendar of events - both in person and online.
You can also find the Federation on Facebook.
In 2022 Marcas accepted the request to be co-opted onto the Executive Board of the Saltire Society.
He has been a board member of the Scottish Writers' Centre since 2020.
A member of the Live Literature scheme, which brings the joy of books and writing to schools and community groups throughout Scotland,
Marcas is a member of The Scottish Book Trust's Writers' Advisory Panel, which meets through the year to discuss challenges working writers face and ways to better inclusion and representation in the sector.