Aye Write festival to return in November
This year's festival will take place across 11 days from Thursday November 6 until Sunday November 16 as the event celebrates its 20th anniversary.
Wee Write, a book festival entirely for children and young people, will return in March 2026.
Last year's festival was cancelled after Creative Scotland turned down its bid for funding. However, a series of pop-up events was held, boosted by a £65,000 donation from a charitable foundation set up by late EuroMillions winner Colin Weir.
This year, Glasgow Life was awarded £262,500 from Creative Scotland's 2025-28 Multi-Year Fund for the delivery of Aye Write in 2025, 2026 and 2027.
Bailie Annette Christie, chairwoman of Glasgow Life, said: 'We're really looking forward to the return of Aye Write this year and marking an incredible 20 years of Glasgow's much-loved celebration of books, storytelling, and the love of reading.
'We are grateful to Creative Scotland for their support and our festival team is busy planning an inspiring and diverse programme of pop-up and festival events.
'We can't wait to welcome readers, writers and book lovers back to Aye Write over the coming months and during November.'
In the lead-up to this year's Aye Write, the festival will host a series of pop-up events again, the first of which will be Liam McIlvanney in conversation with Scottish literature expert Dr Valentina Bold.
He will be discussing his new psychological thriller The Good Father in the event at the Mitchell Library on Thursday July 31.
Tickets for this event are on sale now and available from www.ayewrite.com.
The wider programme for Aye Write 2025 as well as ticket and venue information will be unveiled in the coming months.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
17 minutes ago
- The Independent
ITV will continue to make shows such as Mr Bates despite challenges
ITV's director of drama has said the channel will continue to make shows such as Mr Bates Vs The Post Office despite pressure broadcasters are facing over squeezed commissioning budgets and increased competition from streaming platforms. The show, detailing how hundreds of innocent sub-postmasters were wrongly accused of theft, fraud and false accounting because of a defective IT system, prompted public outrage and helped put the Horizon scandal under the spotlight. Polly Hill told the Edinburgh TV Festival: 'Drama does really, really well for us, and it's a really important and integral part of ITV. 'We still make the same amount. My priority is finding stories that are right for ITV. 'That is absolutely what I spend most of my time doing, talking to producers and writers about commissioning. 'So funding at that level, at that point, which is when you're thinking about what ideas to bring to ITV. It's about making sure it's realistic, that we can make it. 'If it is a really big budget, take it to a streamer, that's fine, we can all exist together. 'But if it's right for us, and if it feels like the right sort of story, we can make it for you… I know it's much tougher, and there is less opportunities, but we haven't, so far, not funded the show that we wanted to do.' Earlier in the year, Wolf Hall director Peter Kosminsky told BBC current affairs programme Newsnight that American streaming companies have pushed up prices so the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 'can't afford to make dramas like Wolf Hall anymore' or programmes such as ITV's Mr Bates and Hillsborough. Asked if it is true that ITV could not make the show today, Hill said: 'I don't think that's true. 'When we made Mr Bates it was really hard to make. It took passion from all of us and we really dug in deep to make sure we told that story. 'That was true then, and that's true now. And we still make them. 'Those four part-ers are hard, but I will continue to commission them while producers still want to make them, and we will try and find a way to make them together. 'Most of what we're doing is finding dramas that a lot of people want to watch. 'But we also can make certain decisions to make shows that we think (are) important, that we put that story in front of the nation.' A report from the Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) Committee published earlier in the year said the Government needs to ramp up support measures for the UK's high-quality drama sector while safeguarding the creation of distinctly British content, such as Mr Bates. The report said the commissioning budgets of PSBs have been 'squeezed by the real terms reduction of the BBC licence fee', as well as a reduction in advertising revenue.
The Independent
17 minutes ago
- The Independent
Eamonn Holmes forced to apologise for on‑air slur
Eamonn Holmes has apologised after using the term "oriental" during a live GB News interview with Kerry Katona on Thursday. Holmes made the comment while discussing Katona's cosmetic surgery on her eyelids, asking if she looked "oriental or anything". He later issued an apology, stating he was "not allowed to describe someone as looking oriental" and that "the world is ridiculous how you have to apologise for people". The term "oriental" is widely condemned as outdated and derogatory, and is banned in US federal law and no longer used by the Metropolitan Police. Watch the video in full above.
The Independent
17 minutes ago
- The Independent
Public asked to help name endangered red panda cub born at zoo
Members of the public are being asked to choose a name for an endangered red panda cub. The female cub was born at Bristol Zoo Project to first-time parents Neora and Laya on June 26. She has now received her first veterinary health check and is said to be healthy and feeding well. Until now the cub, weighing 780g, has been looked after by mother Laya in nest boxes in the red panda habitat. But now, at almost two months old, she is expected to emerge from the boxes to start exploring further. Nigel Simpson, head of zoo animals at Bristol Zoo Project, said: 'We are all thrilled to see Neora and Laya's new cub thriving. 'As a first-time mum, Laya has done a fantastic job of caring for her cub and ensuring it is safe, fed and well. 'This is a huge conservation win for this endangered species. The wild population is thought to be as low as 2,500 individuals, threatened by habitat loss and poaching. 'Laya and Neora arrived at Bristol Zoo Project in 2024 as part of EAZA's critical breeding programme to help protect the species, which we are a part of. So the cub's arrival is very special indeed.' The zoo is now asking members of the public to help name the cub. Keepers have shortlisted three names – Asha meaning 'hope' in Nepali/Sanskrit, Banita meaning 'cherished' in Nepali/Sanskrit and Malika meaning 'flower bud' in Nepali. Red pandas are native to the eastern Himalayas and south-western China. They spend most of the day resting in trees, conserving their energy, and are usually solitary creatures.
