Jesse Jackson (2015 Event) One of the best-respected and most formidable civil rights activists of the 20th century, the Reverend Jesse Jackson worked for Martin Luther King in the 1960s… Nina Stibbe (2016 Event) Already a wildly popular author thanks to her memoir Love, Nina and bestselling debut novel, Man at the Helm, Nina Stibbe returns with Paradise Lodge. Set in a 1970s ramshackle old people's home, this lovingly created story of chaos, love and elderly peop… Melvin Burgess (teen event) Well known for producing controversial, demanding and prize-winning teen fiction, Melvin Burgess is now regarded as one of the best writers of contemporary children's literature. In this 2005 schools event he talks about the significance of myth in his ne… Sophie Hughes & Fernanda Melchor: Another Mexico (2020 Event) Celebrated Mexican author Fernanda Melchor’s first book translated into English, Hurricane Season, has been shortlisted for the International Booker Prize. In a piece for Granta, the book’s translator Sophie Hughes reflected: ‘Melchor goes with h… Margaret Atwood Canadian novelist, poet, critic and essayist of global renown and influence, Margaret Atwood's Book Festival events always sell out in a matter of days and her visits to Edinburgh are much anticipated. In this 2005 event she reads some of her short storie… Adam Kay (2018 Event) Working a 97 hour week doesn’t sound much fun for anyone, but when we’re talking about an NHS doctor, such a schedule could become a matter of life and death. In This is Going to Hurt, comedian and ex-junior doctor Adam Kay reflects on the oft… Bonnie Greer (2014 event) Best known in the UK as a dispassionate commentator on BBC Newsnight Review and Question Time, even when sitting beside the leader of the BNP, Bonnie Greer has now written the first volume of her memoirs, A Parallel Life. In this event, recorded live at t… Robert Macfarlane (2012 event) In The Old Ways, shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson prize, the celebrated author Robert Macfarlane sets off from his Cambridge home… Xiaolu Guo Xiaolu Guo has won international praise for her work as both writer and filmmaker. In this 2008 event she discusses her latest novel 20 Fragments of a Ravenous Youth, which draws on her experiences as a filmmaker in Beijing… Alex Gray and Denise Mina A fantastic hour of crime fiction with two leading ladies of the Scottish crime writing world. Alex Gray's third installment from DCI Lorimer sees him searching for missing school girls and Denise Mina's new book involves a kidnapping and dark secrets in …