Latest news with #BookFestival
Edinburgh Reporter
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Reporter
Book Festival programme – some tasty teasers announced on the Front List
The full programme for the Edinburgh International Book Festival programme will be announced on 10 June, but as a taster the Front List includes 14 events including two for schools with Frank Cottrell-Boyce and Laura Bates. The list includes names such as Maggie O'Farrell, Ian McEwan, R.F Kuang, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Asako Yuzuki and Nicola Sturgeon. Alexei Navalny's widow, Yulia Navalnaya will also come to Edinburgh this yea. Yulia, the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in a Russian prison last year, speaks about her late husband's courageous work, Patriot, and continuing his crucial activism. These events will take place at McEwan Hall near to the Edinburgh Futures Institute and is an expanded version of last year's events, all run in collaboration with Underbelly. Maggie O'Farrell will celebrate 25 years since her first book was published and Ian McEwan will share with audiences his thoughts of past work and what comes next. Movie fans won't want to miss the UK's favourite film critic, Mark Kermode, who brings us the first edition of his energetic MK3D show (a frequent sell-out of the British Film Institute's programme) outside London, previewing upcoming releases and revelling in the Golden Age of Cinema alongside very special guests including Succession patriarch, Brian Cox. No one knows better the pleasure (and, unfortunately, immense pain) of being a dedicated fan of Scotland's national football team than sporting legend Ally McCoist, who visits the festival to discuss Dear Scotland: On the Road with the Tartan Army. And Gavin and Stacey co-creator and writer Ruth Jones lets us into the secrets of her writing craft, and her tender new novel, By Your Side. Jenny Niven, Director and CEO, Edinburgh International Book Festival, said: 'We are thrilled to be returning to the beautiful McEwan Hall, and expanding our partnership with Underbelly to present 14 The Front List events in 2025. At this challenging moment in history and politics, we'll be offering a comprehensively informed and critical eye on international affairs, and also the chance to escape them through the work of some of the world's foremost fiction writers, entertainment, and sporting figures. There's plenty more to come in our full programme announcement, but we hope our line-up for The Front List offers a delicious taster of what you can expect from this year's Book Festival.' Marina Dixon, Head of Programming, Underbelly, said: 'Underbelly's partnership with the Book Festival continues to bring some of the most vital, thought-provoking voices of our time to the heart of the city and the festival season and so we're absolutely delighted to welcome back The Front List. At Underbelly, we're passionate about creating space for bold ideas and unexpected conversations—and The Front List does exactly that. It's a real joy to be working together again on a programme that feels urgent, alive, and connected to the spirit of the Festival.' Tickets for The Front List events are available at To ensure these events remain accessible in times of great economic pressure, under-30s can purchase tickets at just £14 and £5 tickets are available to those in receipt of governmental income benefits. Full listings for The Front List events: Tues 12 Aug, 13.30 – Ruth Jones Wed 13 Aug, 13.30 – Mark Kermode Thu 14 Aug, 13.30 – Nicola Sturgeon Fri 15 Aug, 13.30 – Maggie O'Farrell [Sponsored by the National Library of Scotland]Sat 16 Aug, 13.30 – Ta-Nehisi Coates [Sponsored by the University of Edinburgh]Sun 17 Aug, 13.30 – Anne Applebaum & Edward Wong [Supported by the Turtleton Charitable Trust]Mon 18 Aug, 13.30 – Ally McCoist [Sponsored by Digby Brown]Tues 19 Aug, 13.30 – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Wed 20 Aug, 13.30 – Frank Cottrell-Boyce and Steven Lenton [Schools Edition] Thu 21 Aug, 13.30 – Laura Bates [Schools Edition]Fri 22 Aug, 13.30 – Yulia Navalnya Sat 23 Aug, 13.30 – Asako Yuzuki Sun 24 Aug, 13.30 – Ian McEwan Sun 24 Aug, 19.30 – R F Kuang All events take place at McEwan Hall, Teviot Place, EH8 9AG. McEwan Hall audience – credit Mihaela Bodlovic Like this: Like Related
Edinburgh Reporter
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Reporter
National treasures heading to Borders Book Festival in June
National Treasures will make their way to Harmony Garden in the Scottish Borders in June for one of the best parties in Britain. For four glorious days (12th to 15th June), all roads will lead to Melrose, where the Borders Book Festival will celebrate books and writers, interrogate politics and current affairs, and where festival-goers will have fun and be amazed. The Book Festival's sparkling programme was announced yesterday (Wednesday 23rd April) ahead of tickets going on sale. The diamonds and rubies in the Book Festival's National Treasure chest will include Gavin and Stacey stars Alison Steadman and Larry Lamb who both have new books. Michael Palin will cast his glow, talking about his latest volume of diaries. Stacey Dooley won Strictly! and has also written a superb, moving book on motherhood. Hairy Biker, Si King, needed no second invitation to put on his helmet and roar up the A68 to Melrose. Gifted natural history cameraman, Gordon Buchanan, has written a memoir. Scottish National Treasures Kirsty Wark and Sally Magnusson will recall the good – and bad – bits of 20 years on Newsnight and 27 years on Reporting Scotland. Tanni (Grey Thomson) will meet Sammi (Kinghorn) and talk about gold (medals) and much else with Louise Minchin. And the doyen of crime fiction, Ian Rankin, returns in triumph to Melrose after another number one bestseller. The world is changing at breakneck speed – every day it seems – and this summer, politics and political discourse will be major themes. Now freed from the constraints of government, former cabinet ministers Jeremy Hunt and Michael Gove will tell us what they really think. Journalist, television presenter and author Gavin Esler will talk about how Britain can be better. First Minister, John Swinney, will talk to another former cabinet minister, festival chairman Michael Moore, not about politics but about the books that shaped his thinking. Andrew Marr, Sally Magnusson and Alistair Moffat will discuss the seismic changes in journalism and why they matter. And unique to the festival, available on no other format, Jim Naughtie will unravel what is truly happening in Washington – that day. To mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War: Andrew Marr and James Holland will celebrate the Great Generation who sacrificed so much for victory; Tim Bouverie will discuss his superb book on the politics of the allies who defeated Hitler; and, in To See Ourselves, Alistair Moffat charts how the boomer generation radically changed post-war Britain. Inspiring stories from more recent years come from champion British-Kenyan swimmer Rebecca Achieng Ajulu-Bushell, who will share her memoir, These Heavy Black Bones; and unlikely athlete-turned-record-breaker Jessica Hepburn, who describes how she exercised her way out of the heartbreak of eleven failed rounds of IVF and the realisation that she would not be a mother. Also joining the line-up: husband-and-wife duo Chris Brookmyre and Marisa Haetzman as crime sensation Ambrose Parry; and for fans of literary fiction, celebrated novelist Andrew O'Hagan, plus Dacre Stoker and Ellie Zeegen on the legacy of Bram Stoker's 1897 gothic horror novel Dracula; Mairi Kidd joins us with her acclaimed historical novel The Specimens; and Scottish poet, writer and musician Don Paterson and young rising Scottish music star archie add to the eclectic arts line-up. The announcement of the prestigious Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction will also be made on the opening evening of the Festival, with six shortlisted international literary talents in contention for the £25,000 prize, previously won by the likes of Dame Hilary Mantel, Sebastian Barry and Robert Harris. Festival Director, Alistair Moffat, said: 'As spring finally wakes us all from the long, dark winter, it gives us such joy to be able to bring to Melrose's idyllic Harmony Garden such a treat for the June diaries. 'This year we will look back at world events eighty years ago, with the end of World War Two, and will also hear direct from some of Britain's brightest minds their reflections on our current world: how it's changed; where it's headed; and what we can do about it. 'But it's not all heavy politics. As ever, our programme is as varied as it is packed, with top-notch storytelling, inspiring sport, well-known faces from the screen, and tales of travel and adventure to suit all tastes. 'This sparkling programme would not have been possible without the generosity of those who helped fund the Book Festival – both public and private – and we are beyond grateful for their support and enthusiasm, this year more than ever.' The Family Book Festival, sponsored by Blackport Investments, takes place throughout the day on the Saturday and Sunday (14th & 15th June), teeming with fantastic author events for young book festival-goers, including: for teenagers, the inimitable Elle McNicoll, and former Waterstones Children's Laureate and Carnegie Medal winner Joseph Coelho; and for younger audiences , the wonderful Vivian French and Alan Windram returning to Harmony Garden, with Jill Calder, Mike Nicholson and My Kind of Book founder and sensory storyteller Ailie Finlay this year set to join the fun in sparking young imaginations; plus award-winning author-illustrator Catherine Rayner with a special event celebrating 20 years of her beloved picture book, Augustus and His Smile. In addition, the four-day festivities will also play host to live music, the Orchard Food Village, a bookshop to browse thanks to new sponsor David Young, as well as free, fun activities for all the family throughout the weekend. Naturally, the biggest party in the Borders will be blessed with glorious sunshine throughout! But if there are occasional episodes of 'refreshing' weather, those in the Orchard Food Village will be spared, for it will be covered by a vast transparent canopy, new to the Book Festival this year. The Borders Book Festival is committed to reducing its carbon footprint and environmental impact by implementing a number of net zero goals including: zero waste to landfill; e-ticketing and a donation to planting trees for every ticket purchased. Tickets now available at or by calling 0131 290 2112. Like this: Like Related
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Twin Cities Book Festival will leave the State Fairgrounds in 2025
The Twin Cities Book Festival is saying farewell to the State Fairgrounds. The Rain Taxi-run event will host its 25th fest at St. Paul's Union Depot, organizers announced on Thursday. The state's longest-running book festival will bring publishers, magazines, lit groups, libraries, rare book dealers, authors, and book lovers together at the St. Paul train hub on Saturday, Nov. 8. "We are thrilled to announce this move," says Festival Director Eric Lorberer. "With the Book Festival celebrating its 25th appearance in the Twin Cities and Rain Taxi's quarterly magazine marking 30 years of continuous publication at the end of the year as well, we intend to double down on our passion for the written word – it is the hallmark of humanity's capacity for understanding, education, and communication, and the world could use more of that, it seems." In recent years, Rain Taxi says it has brought in more than 6,000 visitors but is preparing for even more bibliophiles to frequent the festival in the coming years. In September, Story Line Books opened at Union Depot, putting a literary presence in the historic station year-round. It followed on the heels of the Depot's new restaurant, the 1881 Eating House. With those additions, Union Depot said it had leased out all of its storefronts. The festival plans to unveil details about this year's Twin Cities Book Festival in the lead-up to the November event.
BBC News
30-01-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Winners and losers in £200m Creative Scotland funding deal
The public body that supports the arts and creative industries in Scotland has revealed which applicants will receive long-awaited funding. The Scottish government says 251 organisations will share more than £200m from Creative Scotland over three years in a "transformational" deal. Is this truly transformational for recipients, or simply a step in the right direction? The announcement is certainly significant for the organisations that are now part of Creative Scotland's multi-year funding about since 2018, under way since 2023, and delayed on several occasions while the arms length body wrestled with the Scottish government over exactly how much money they had to the government has kept its promise of substantial extra funding, the spread of projects, the fact this is the first increase in many years, and the current economic climate means few of the applicants will any be any better off than they were in Book Festival's allocation of £111,800 for year one restores their public sector funding to 2018 levels taking into account advantage of the new system is that it rises to £138,550 per annum for the following two years as well as giving them the stability and certainty of a three-year arrangement. As ever, demand outweighed resources. There were 500 initial enquiries about the fund, before the final 251 made it through the arduous application process.A hundred and forty one of those are new to long term funding. Many of them are community based -North Edinburgh Arts, Govanhill Baths and Birnam Arts as well as Birks Cinema in Aberfeldy and the Belmont in Aberdeen. Their grants - while smaller than many established organisations - will allow them to plan ahead and harness their communities with a new level of spread of genres and geography is impressive, and in part thanks to a sustained campaign to value the arts in Scotland. The tensions between the cabinet secretary and Creative Scotland, which led to the closure of the open fund in August last year, may have lessened but they're not over.A review of the body's funding processes, ordered last year after a row over a grant awarded to an explicit art project, is about to get under are of course casualties. Fifteen organisations including Cumbernauld Theatre had their applications turned down. The only previously regularly funded organisation on the list, it released a statement staying it was "heartbroken" by the decision and called on the community to "Fight for the future of the theatre."Creative Scotland wouldn't give details about the reason for their rejection but said there would be further talks to consider alternative support.
