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Edinburgh Reporter
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Reporter
Five things you need to know today 10 June
The Edinburgh International Book Festival 2025 All news about the Book Festival is embargoed until 10am on Tuesday morning. That means we know what you would like to know but we can't tell you until 10am. But there is a Front List of events already on sale at McEwan Hall for you to look at meantime. This year's The Front List series of events, presented in partnership with Underbelly, offers the chance to hear from authors, international voices, critical political commentators, and figures from sports and entertainment. After sell-out events in 2024, this year EIBF have expanded The Front List to 14 events (including two for just Schools), with most taking place at 1.30pm daily throughout the Festival. Watch this space later this morning. Edinburgh Refugee Festival As part of the Edinburgh Refugee Festival the Mission of Innocents is taking part with 'A Life in One Suitcase' – evocative dance and vocal performance exploring displacement, belonging, and hope. Event: A Life in One Suitcase A Life in One Suitcase When: Thursday 13 June at 4:30 PM Thursday 13 June at 4:30 PM Where: St. Cuthbert's Church, Lothian Road, Edinburgh St. Cuthbert's Church, Lothian Road, Edinburgh No Admission Free (Part of the Edinburgh Refugee Festival 2025) This is a powerful multimedia event illuminating the emotional and psychological impact of forced migration through music, movement, and visual art. The centrepiece of the event is a 40–45 minute live vocal and dance performance, created and directed by Oksana Saiapina, and presented by Mission of Innocents. This performance tells the deeply moving story of a person fleeing their home forever—leaving behind family, memories, and identity—captured through the simple but symbolic object of a suitcase. Inside is everything most precious. Inside is a life. The show features performances from: Vocalist Karina Chervyakova Dance group Flowers of Ukraine Children's group Kvity Ukrainy, directed by Oksana Saiapina Children's choir Harmony, directed by Nataliia Khomenko Dance group MyWay, directed by Tetiana Gordienko The performance will be accompanied by three visual exhibitions that offer a broader reflection on memory, identity, and resilience: The Weight We Carried – A display of personal belongings, symbolic objects, and photographs from Ukrainian refugees who fled war. It poses the searing question: If you had to pack your life into one suitcase, what would you take? Icons on Ammo Boxes – An internationally exhibited project by Spiders of Ukraine, transforming materials of war into sacred icons of peace. Refugee and Migrant Art Showcase – Paintings, sculpture, textile art and mixed media by displaced artists from across Scotland, marking personal milestones in resettlement. This event is presented as part of the Edinburgh Refugee Festival 2025, with support from the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain, Consulate of Ukraine, and the Scottish Parliament's Cross-Party Group on Ukraine. The dance segment is organised by Mission of Innocents, a grassroots initiative founded by Joyce Landry, supporting refugee children and families in Scotland through the arts and creative mental health programmes. Their work offers displaced young people tools for expression, healing, and self-worth through song, dance, and storytelling. Former Scottish Widows building is on the market One of the previous venues for Hidden Door (which takes place later this week) was the Scottish Widows building on Dalkeith Road. Now that there is planning permission in place owners Schroders have put it up for sale. There is no hint of the asking price, but the consent involves demolishing five of the twelve hexagonal office modules with the remaining office structure being upgraded and extended. Five high quality residential apartment blocks are proposed in the north-east portion of the site, containing 174 homes. The agents also say that there is 'an opportunity to amend existing planning consent to explore alternative uses including Residential, PBSA, Hotel, Education and Leisure'. (PBSA is purpose built student accommodation). Support Hidden Door Festival Hazel Johnson Director of Hidden Door Festival has written an open letter to everyone who may just be thinking of attending the festival this week – they really need your support. This is the letter here: Arts venues and cultural events need your support now more than ever: Hazel Johnson, Festival Director at Hidden Door, invites you to be part of something special at The Paper Factory this week Scotland's arts scene is vibrant, innovative, and utterly vital to our national identity, wellbeing and economy. Yet, like many sectors, it faces unprecedented challenges, from funding pressures to the ever-shifting landscape of audience engagement. Cities like Edinburgh are at their best when they have cultural venues that can thrive all year round, not just in festival season. This week, we launch our most ambitious venture yet. The Paper Factory is a magnificent, abandoned industrial site which we're transforming into a vibrant new arts venue hosting an amazing programme of music, visual art and performance. It's a monumental undertaking, driven by a passionate team of volunteers, and its success hinges, quite simply, on audiences coming along to experience it. Hidden Door was born from a belief that Edinburgh needs vibrant cultural venues that offer something different. By literally and figuratively opening up forgotten spaces for the arts, we create a place where creative talent can flourish. We exist to provide a vital platform for new and emerging artists in Scotland, offering them the crucial opportunity to experiment and reach new audiences. From our diverse music lineup, including promising local bands selected from hundreds of open call applications, to the captivating, site-specific art installations and immersive performances that bring The Paper Factory's history to life – every element of Hidden Door is designed to be unique and unforgettable. We were fortunate this year to benefit from the Creative Scotland Development Fund – a fiercely competitive pot of funding. We are also hugely grateful to the sponsors and partners who believe in us enough to generously give their support. This support has meant we can be as accessible and inclusive as possible. This year we have offered more concessions and free tickets than ever before, including a 'pay what you can' option to help us better serve the many different communities across the city. But the stark truth is that as a volunteer-run charity, we rely on ticket sales. The magic we create, the opportunities we provide for artists, and our ability to keep opening up new, surprising spaces for the arts across our city – all of it depends on you stepping through our 'hidden door'. Your ticket isn't just access to a great night out; it's an investment in Edinburgh's creative future, a vote of confidence in the artists who are shaping our cultural landscape, and a lifeline that allows us to continue our unique work. Without you, non-profit organisations like Hidden Door simply can't exist. We've all seen much-loved venues and arts organisations forced to close, a worrying trend accelerated by ongoing economic uncertainties. The impact from these external factors on the arts sector is all too real, with arts venues and cultural events needing your support now more than ever. So I invite you to join us at The Paper Factory this week, from Wednesday to Sunday. Come and discover the energy, witness the innovation, and be part of a truly unique cultural moment. If you want Hidden Door to keep doing what we do, transforming forgotten spaces and championing incredible local talent, then please come down and support us. We've been doing this for over a decade, and with you on board, we'll keep doing it. Hazel Johnson Festival Director, Hidden Door The Paper Factory The Paper Factory Bike Station – opening this week The new Bike Station hub at Lauriston Place will open on Thursday 12 June. 'The Bike Station is opening its doors at 141 Lauriston Place this June — and we're setting our sights on a cycling future for all generations. From first bikes to lifelong journeys, we've spent 20+ years making cycling accessible across Edinburgh, Perth and beyond. Now, our new city-centre hub puts us closer to key infrastructure, communities, and the people who need us most.' Sales and servicing begin on Thursday with an official opening in July. Like this: Like Related
Edinburgh Reporter
29-05-2025
- 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
Glasgow Times
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Launch date for Nicola Sturgeon's memoir revealed
Sturgeon, who is MSP for Glasgow Southside, will launch her memoir Frankly at the festival on August 14. The festival has revealed a line-up for an expanded series, The Front List, between August 12 and August 24, at McEwan Hall, next to the main venue, the Edinburgh Futures Institute. READ NEXT: Wedding kiss restrictions branded 'bizarre' by humanist leader at Covid inquiry Included in the line-up are Maggie O'Farrell and Ian McEwan, and also Gavin And Stacey co-creator and writer, Ruth Jones, who will discuss her new novel, By Your Side. Writers RF Kuang; Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie; and Asako Yuzuki, winner of 2024 Waterstones Book of the Year; will also appear, along with Ally McCoist, who will discuss Dear Scotland: On The Road With The Tartan Army. Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of the late Russian dissident, Alexei Navalny, will offer political insights, along with a-Nehisi Coates, Anne Applebaum, and Edward Wong, diplomatic correspondent at the New York Times. More than 600 events will be announced on June 10, with participants from the United States, Japan, Russia, and Nigeria as well as the UK. READ NEXT: Community braves the rain to celebrate Cherry Blossom Festival A spokesperson said: 'We are thrilled to be launching Frankly, the highly anticipated memoir from Scotland's first female – and longest-serving – first minister, as Nicola Sturgeon shares the story of her journey from shy, working-class child to one of our country's most significant political leaders. 'We're joined by acclaimed and international writers, speaking about their careers and works. The luminous Maggie O'Farrell celebrates 25 years of creativity since her debut publication, and Ian McEwan looks back over his remarkable body of work and forward to what comes next. 'With the Trump administration continuing to unravel the last 70 years of established world order with breathtaking speed, essential political insight comes from The Atlantic columnist and author, Anne Applebaum, and New York Times diplomatic correspondent, Edward Wong, who together take on recent seismic political shifts and explore whether democracy can ever be truly protected. 'Poignantly, Yulia Navalnaya, 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.' Jenny Niven, book festival director and chief executive, 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 the many flavours and perspectives you can expect from this year's Book Festival events.' The Glasgow Times reported last month that Sturgeon has announced she will not seek re-election as an MSP next year bringing an end to a parliamentary career that started with her election to the newly reconvened Scottish Parliament in 1999 as a Glasgow MSP. She became deputy first minister to Alex Salmond in 2007 when the SNP won its first Holyrood election and had been in government ever since until she announced her resignation as first minister in 2023. She served as first minister and SNP leader between 2014 and 2023, overseeing a hugely successful election period at Holyrood and Westminster for the SNP. Sturgeon has been the SNP MSP for Glasgow Southside since 2011 and before that for Govan since 2007. She was a list MSP for the Glasgow region between 1999 and 2007. Tickets for The Front List events go on sale to the public at 10am on Tuesday, May 6 and are available at
Edinburgh Live
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
Nicola Sturgeon is due to release memoirs at Edinburgh International Book Festival
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Former first minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon will launch her memoir at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. She will launch her memoir, Frankly, at the festival on August 14. The festival has revealed a line-up for an expanded series, The Front List, between August 12 and August 24, at McEwan Hall, next to the main venue, the Edinburgh Futures Institute. Included in the line-up are Maggie O'Farrell and Ian McEwan, and also Gavin And Stacey co-creator and writer, Ruth Jones, who will discuss her new novel, By Your Side. Writers RF Kuang; Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie; and Asako Yuzuki, winner of 2024 Waterstones Book of the Year; will also appear, along with Ally McCoist, who will discuss Dear Scotland: On The Road With The Tartan Army. Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sentstraight to your messages. Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of the late Russian dissident, Alexei Navalny, will offer political insights, along with a-Nehisi Coates, Anne Applebaum, and Edward Wong, diplomatic correspondent at the New York Times. More than 600 events will be announced on June 10, with participants from the United States, Japan, Russia, and Nigeria as well as the UK. A spokesperson said: "We are thrilled to be launching Frankly, the highly anticipated memoir from Scotland's first female - and longest-serving - first minister, as Nicola Sturgeon shares the story of her journey from shy, working-class child to one of our country's most significant political leaders. "We're joined by acclaimed and international writers, speaking about their careers and works. The luminous Maggie O'Farrell celebrates 25 years of creativity since her debut publication, and Ian McEwan looks back over his remarkable body of work and forward to what comes next. "With the Trump administration continuing to unravel the last 70 years of established world order with breathtaking speed, essential political insight comes from The Atlantic columnist and author, Anne Applebaum, and New York Times diplomatic correspondent, Edward Wong, who together take on recent seismic political shifts and explore whether democracy can ever be truly protected. "Poignantly, Yulia Navalnaya, 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." Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox Jenny Niven, book festival director and chief executive, 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 the many flavours and perspectives you can expect from this year's Book Festival events." Tickets for The Front List events go on sale to the public at 10am on Tuesday May 6 and are available here.
STV News
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- STV News
Sturgeon to launch memoir at Edinburgh International Book Festival
Former first minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon will launch her memoir at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. She will launch her memoir, Frankly, at the festival on August 14. The festival has revealed a line-up for an expanded series, The Front List, between August 12 and August 24, at McEwan Hall, next to the main venue, the Edinburgh Futures Institute. Included in the line-up are Maggie O'Farrell and Ian McEwan, and also Gavin And Stacey co-creator and writer, Ruth Jones, who will discuss her new novel, By Your Side. Writers RF Kuang; Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie; and Asako Yuzuki, winner of 2024 Waterstones Book of the Year; will also appear, along with Ally McCoist, who will discuss Dear Scotland: On The Road With The Tartan Army. Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of the late Russian dissident, Alexei Navalny, will offer political insights, along with a-Nehisi Coates, Anne Applebaum, and Edward Wong, diplomatic correspondent at the New York Times. More than 600 events will be announced on June 10, with participants from the United States, Japan, Russia, and Nigeria as well as the UK. A spokesperson said: 'We are thrilled to be launching Frankly, the highly anticipated memoir from Scotland's first female – and longest-serving – first minister, as Nicola Sturgeon shares the story of her journey from shy, working-class child to one of our country's most significant political leaders. 'We're joined by acclaimed and international writers, speaking about their careers and works. The luminous Maggie O'Farrell celebrates 25 years of creativity since her debut publication, and Ian McEwan looks back over his remarkable body of work and forward to what comes next. 'With the Trump administration continuing to unravel the last 70 years of established world order with breathtaking speed, essential political insight comes from The Atlantic columnist and author, Anne Applebaum, and New York Times diplomatic correspondent, Edward Wong, who together take on recent seismic political shifts and explore whether democracy can ever be truly protected. 'Poignantly, Yulia Navalnaya, 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.' Jenny Niven, book festival director and chief executive, 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 the many flavours and perspectives you can expect from this year's Book Festival events.' Tickets for The Front List events go on sale to the public at 10am on Tuesday May 6 and are available at Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
