Thursday 17 August 13:30 - 14:30
- Attend in person
- Watch online
When Humza Yousaf became the sixth First Minister of Scotland, he promised, "new leadership, a fresh start for Scotland" – but amid the enquiries and intrigue, what does that really mean? Join our panel including former Leader of Scottish Labour,...
Thursday 17 August 15:15 - 16:15
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- Watch online
- Captioned
Where did power really lie in Fascist Italy? Not just with Benito Mussolini, according to Caroline Moorehead, but also with his favourite daughter. In the engrossing Edda Mussolini Moorehead the rise and fall of a woman whose husband, Galeazzo Ciano,...
Thursday 17 August 18:45 - 19:45
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- Watch online
- BSL interpreted
- Captioned
‘The suffering of others was my daily bread.’ This brutally honest, heartfelt assessment of the job of a war reporter is central to Fergal Keane’s memoir, The Madness: a riveting account of how he survived war, fear, and PTSD, against a backdrop...
Friday 18 August 10:00 - 11:00
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- Watch online
- Captioned
How fragile is peace, even 25 years after the Good Friday Agreement? Three Irish writers discuss their perspectives. Jan Carson is a community arts worker and writer of The Raptures and east Belfast-set The Fire Starters; Fergal Keane was the BBC’s...
Friday 18 August 13:30 - 14:30
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- Watch online
- Captioned
James Naughtie has witnessed much political skulduggery as a special correspondent for BBC News, and he’s put this knowledge to use in his gripping spy thriller series. Today, Naughtie introduces The Spy Across the Water: the third outing for the...
Age 12+
Friday 18 August 15:15 - 16:15
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- Watch online
No one twists a tale like Frances Hardinge. Her latest book, Unraveller, is a deliciously dark fairytale about trauma and recovery, and rage and redemption. In a world where anyone can create a life-destroying curse, only one person has the power to...
Friday 18 August 20:30 - 21:30
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- Watch online
- Captioned
Prolific poet and activist Eileen Myles is back with a “Working Life”, a new collection which captures the many dualities of human life: loneliness and companionship, travel and stasis, fear and wonder. Join us to hear Myles discuss the immense...
Saturday 19 August 11:45 - 12:45
- Attend in person
- Watch online
- BSL interpreted
- Captioned
Much loved comedian, actor, TV personality, and writer Sara Pascoe has enlightened readers – and made them howl with laughter – with her reflections on femininity and sexuality in non-fiction books Animal and Sex Power Money. Now, she turns her...
Sunday 20 August 17:00 - 18:00
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- Watch online
Newlywed PhD student Maggie is in her late 20s with her whole life ahead of her – and then her husband asks for a divorce, moves out, and takes the cat with him. Really Good, Actually is as hilarious and heartfelt as you’d expect from Monica...
Sunday 20 August 18:45 - 19:45
- Attend in person
- Watch online
- Captioned
It’s impossible to overstate the importance of James Kelman and his landmark 1994 Booker Prize win for Scottish literature. Nearly 30 years on, we welcome Kelman back to the Festival to speak with writer Graeme Armstrong on God's Teeth and Other...
Jenny Niven in The List ‘Hot 100’