Carol Ann Duffy and bestselling writer Val McDermid are among the writers who will tutoring at the Moniack Mhor Writing Centre near Kiltarlity, part of the Arvon Foundation's network of writing centres and the only one in Scotland.

Fife-born McDermid was recently awarded the Crime Writers' Association Diamond Dagger for outstanding achievement in the field of crime writing. Previous winners include Elmore Leonard, Inspector Morse creator Colin Dexter, Ed McBain, Ruth Rendell, Dick Francis, John Le Carré and P.D. James.

McDermid, whose work has inspired the television series "Wire in The Blood" and the award-winning "Place of Execution", will be bringing her experience as the author of some 25 novels to bear when she helps less experienced writers in September's "Starting to Write" course.

Duffy, who succeeded Andrew Moton as Poet Laureate in May last year, will also be drawing on her experience when she gives tips on "Writing Poetry for Children" in July.

Other tutors appearing at the centre's 16 courses between March and October include Andrew Greig, Richard Mason, Zoe Strachan and Susie MacGuire. Among the tutors will be a number of writers either from or resident in the Highlands, including Erica Munro, children's author Cathy MacPhail and Lewis author Kevin MacNeil.

Providing evidence of Arvon's success, one of this year's tutors, Lesley Glaister the prize-winning author of 12 novels, is a former student, as is poet and novelist Jackie Kay, one of this year's guest readers.

Other guest readers who will be joining the tutors at Moniack Mhor this year include Costa Fiction Prize winner A.L. Kennedy, Bernard MacLaverty, Andrew O'Hagan, James Meek, James Robertson, Alan Bissett and Mairi Hedderwick, creator of the Katie Morag children's series.

"We do have a lot of great writers," centre director Hamish MacDonald acknowledged.

Past tutors at the centre have included Booker Prize winner James Kelman, Pulitzer Prize winning US author Alison Lurie, another Diamond Dagger winner in Ian Rankin, Inverness born Ali Smith and Gil Dennis, co-writer of Johnny Cash biopic "Walk The Line".

This year's courses include fiction, poetry, children's writing, radio and travel writing and autobiography, with courses for all levels of students, from beginners to more advanced writers.

This year's students can also enjoy improved facilities.

"In 2010 we will be in a position to offer 10 single room places and six shared (previously 10 shared and six single) and also new disabled toilet facilities, thanks to a grant from the Scottish Arts Council and the National Lottery," MacDonald explained.

Many of the visiting tutors, including McDermid and Duffy, return year after year, but the centre also plays host to an overseas writer through the Jessie Kesson Residency, named in memory of the Inverness born author of "The White Bird Passes" and "Another Time, Another Place", who lived at nearby Abriachan. "Our writer in residence for 2010 has been confirmed as Malaysian born Chiew-Siah Tei. During the residency Chiew-Siah will offer workshops to local schools," MacDonald added.

The Malaysian writer has strong links with Scotland. She was a student at Glasgow University in the early 1990s and her first collection of prose, "It's Snowing" was about her life as an outsider in Scotland. She has since won awards for her Chinese prose, including the Hua Zong International Chinese Fiction Award and the National Prose Writing Competition. In 2002, she was nominated as Best Prose Writer and in the same year returned to Scotland to pursue a PhD in Creative Writing and Film Studies at Glasgow University, where she began working on her first novel, "Little Hut of Leaping Fishes", which was long-listed for the inaugural Man Asian Literary Prize and short-listed for the 2008 Best Scottish Fiction Prize.

Her play "Three Thousand Troubled Threads" was performed at the Edinburgh Festival in 2005.

Moniack Mhor also works closely with schools at home and overseas, including Centauri Arts School from Ontario who sent a group to the Highlands last year and will be returning in 2011.

"The Pushkin Prize-winners, an annual schools course with students from Scotland and Russia will take place again this year, as will our environmental writing course in association with Abriachan Forest Trust, attracting some 200 local primary school children to the centre," MacDonald said.

"2009 also saw a course in association with Highland secondary schools and Dark Sky Scotland, inspiring new writing through exploration of the night sky. It is hoped that imaginative courses such as this can be offered to Highland secondary schools in 2010."

Adult writers also come from far afield.

On the day MacDonald spoke to The Inverness Courier, he had already received expressions of interest from Spain, Hong Kong and Germany. Other students over the last 12 months have come from as near as Beauly and the Black Isle.

"We had a terrific year in 2009 with 98 per cent occupancy, which is terrific in a recession," MacDonald commented.

"Obviously, the location is a huge boon. For someone wanting to write, a place like Moniack Mhor is a great draw."

Brochures for Arvon courses at Moniack Mhor and elsewhere will be available at local bookshops and libraries or further details can be found at www.arvonfoundation.org

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