Outreach Progamme

There are many reasons (including financial and geographical restrictions) why some groups may find it difficult to visit Charlotte Square in August. To make sure that everyone has the chance to experience the Festival, we organise for some of our visiting authors to take their Book Festival events out into the community, visiting a variety of schools, libraries, community centres and care homes across Scotland.

Outreach events are produced in conjunction with the Scottish Book Trust and Edinburgh City Libraries and take place during the Festival. The events are tailored to age and ability and can include various elements; author interviews and book readings, Q&A sessions, dramatisations, interactive prop and costume workshops.

Highlight events from past Outreach Programmes:

• Malcolm Rose helped pupils of Edinburgh-based Primary Schools, Victoria and Trinity, to look for clues at the scene of a gruesome murder; examining DNA finger printing, impressions analysis and blood and saliva tests. CSI eat your heart out!
• In a pilot project Catherine Forde introduced at risk and vulnerable young people, under the care of the local authority in both Howdenhall and St Katherine's Secure Units, to the creative writing process.
• Roald Dahl Funny Prize-nominee Frank Cottrell Boyce made pupils in East Dunbartonshire laugh as he read from his immensely entertaining books Millions, Framed and Cosmic.
• Our Illustrator in Residence, Catherine Rayner, met youngsters in Dalry to demonstrate her fabulously idiosyncratic drawing technique.
• Other participating authors included graphic novelist Tony Lee and Australian teen author Lili Wilkinson.

The 2011 Outreach programme is now over. If you would like to register interest in the 2012 programme please email Janet Smyth, Children & Education Programme Director, at janet@edbookfest.co.uk for further details. Our Outreach programme is only eligible to groups who have not experienced a Book Festival event before, either at Charlotte Square Gardens or as part of our previous Outreach programme.