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Hundreds of events for adults, teenagers and children feature authors, illustrators, musicians, poets, policians, thinkers, prize-winners and rising stars every August.

Showing events on Thu 18 Aug.

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    Passion Projects

    Thursday 18 August 10:00 - 10:15

    Passion Projects Book
    • Attend in person
    Each day, a Festival author shares an unexpected inspiration or passion. Join them to crack open the curiosity cabinet, revealing the stories behind their books or side projects.
     

    Kate Molleson: Rewriting the Musical Canon

    Thursday 18 August 10:00 - 11:00

    Kate Molleson: Rewriting the Musical Canon Book
    • Attend in person
    • Watch online
    BBC Radio 3 listeners know Kate Molleson as one of Britain’s best-respected voices on contemporary classical music. Her new book demonstrates that she is equally at ease with the written word. Sound Within Sound is a brave, brilliant and rollicking...
     

    Are You Sitting Comfortably?

    All Ages

    Thursday 18 August 10:00 - 10:30

    Are You Sitting Comfortably? Book
    • Attend in person
    Start your day off with a magical half hour of stories for children and families. Appearing today: Edinburgh for Under Fives.
     

    Rhymetime: Songs and Rhymes for Little Ones

    Age 0-3

    Thursday 18 August 10:00 - 10:30

    Rhymetime: Songs and Rhymes for Little Ones Book
    Why not try? It's Busy Party Time! It's Busy Party Time! Age 1-3 Tue 23 Aug 14:00 - 14:30
     

    Simon Mawer: Who Do You Think You Are?

    Thursday 18 August 10:15 - 11:15

    Simon Mawer: Who Do You Think You Are? Book
    • Attend in person
    Family history can confront us with the strangest sensations. Who are these people who share our noses in photographs yet lived such unimaginable lives? In Ancestry, the New York Times bestselling author Simon Mawer portrays characters from his family...
     

    Patrick Gale: The Word That Speaks the Man

    Thursday 18 August 10:30 - 11:30

    Patrick Gale: The Word That Speaks the Man Book
    • Attend in person
    • Watch online
    Generations of children have been enchanted by Charles Causley’s bittersweet verses; there was even a campaign to make him Poet Laureate. Mother’s Boy, by bestselling novelist Patrick Gale, illuminates the life behind the poems. Brought up by an...
     

    Workshop: Andy West on The Morality Clause

    Thursday 18 August 10:30 - 12:00

    Workshop: Andy West on The Morality Clause Book
    • Attend in person
    Is having a morality clause in an author’s contract a step forward or back? As publishers currently debate the pros and cons, author and philosopher Andy West looks at the relationship between art and morality throughout history. In this fascinating,...
     

    Rhymetime: Songs and Rhymes for Little Ones

    Age 0-3

    Thursday 18 August 11:00 - 11:30

    Rhymetime: Songs and Rhymes for Little Ones Book
    Why not try? Planting Creative Seeds with Tracey Corderoy Planting Creative Seeds with Tracey Corderoy Age 3-6 Mon 15 Aug 11:30 - 12:30
     

    Kate McLelland: Scottish Rhymes for Book-loving Bairns

    Age 3-6

    Thursday 18 August 11:30 - 12:30

    Kate McLelland: Scottish Rhymes for Book-loving Bairns Book
    • Attend in person
    Kate McLelland is the queen of Scottish board books. Today she gives you a hands-on exploration of her new book, There’s a Hole in My Bagpipes, Wee Hamish, Wee Hamish. Listen to a reading of this joyous retelling of the traditional song where wee...
     

    Devi Sridhar: How to Prevent (Another) Pandemic

    Thursday 18 August 11:30 - 12:30

    Devi Sridhar: How to Prevent (Another) Pandemic Book
    • Attend in person
    • Watch online
    • Captioned
    As both chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh and a highly effective social media communicator, Professor Devi Sridhar became an invaluable resource for many in the early days of the pandemic, and a household name across the...