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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.

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    Reading the World

    Friday 19 August 15:00 - 15:30

    Reading the World Book
    • Attend in person
    Can writers give us a fresh perspective on global and local issues? Each afternoon a leading writer discusses books, research and ideas confronting this time of uncertainty and change.
     

    Katherine Webber: Can a Cursed Friendship Survive?

    Age 14+

    Friday 19 August 15:00 - 16:00

    Katherine Webber: Can a Cursed Friendship Survive? Book
    • Attend in person
    Katherine Webber’s The Revelry is the story of best friends, questionable decisions, bad luck and secrets. When Bitsy and Amy sneak into an off-limits party in the woods, everything starts to unravel, taking their friendship down a murky path. Join...
     

    Jason Allen-Paisant & Samuel Tongue: Natural Connection

    Friday 19 August 15:30 - 16:30

    Jason Allen-Paisant & Samuel Tongue: Natural Connection Book
    • Attend in person
    Award-winning poet Jason Allen-Paisant was raised in central Jamaica and now lives in Leeds. In Thinking with Trees he explores his shifting relationship with the natural world and the way he moves through it. Poet Samuel Tongue’s debut poetry...
     

    Mary Gaitskill with Anne Enright: Shades of Grey

    Friday 19 August 16:00 - 17:00

    Mary Gaitskill with Anne Enright: Shades of Grey Book
    • Attend in person
    • Watch online
    Since her 1988 debut Bad Behaviour, the dark allure and rigorous intelligence of Mary Gaitskill’s writing has fascinated readers. We welcome her to the Festival to introduce Oppositions, a collection of essays that spans 30 years of writing. With her...
     

    Wendy Erskine: Stories of Belfast

    Friday 19 August 16:15 - 17:15

    Wendy Erskine: Stories of Belfast Book
    • Attend in person
    Wendy Erskine’s award-winning debut appeared on multiple prize shortlists and was optioned for TV. Her second book, Dance Move, packs a similar emotional punch: a housewife recalls a teenage love affair; a pop singer accepts a compromising gig; a...
     

    Leave the Land of the Living with Melinda Salisbury & V E Schwab

    Age 12+

    Friday 19 August 16:30 - 17:30

    Leave the Land of the Living with Melinda Salisbury & V E Schwab Book
    • Attend in person
    • Watch online
    In her number one Sunday Times bestseller, Gallant, V E Schwab tells the darkly magical tale of a young woman caught between the world and its shadows. In Her Dark Wings, three-time Carnegie-nominated author Melinda Salisbury takes us to the edge of the...
     

    Songwriting Workshop with Christine Pillainayagam

    Age 12+

    Friday 19 August 17:00 - 18:00

    Songwriting Workshop with Christine Pillainayagam Book
    • Attend in person
    Singer-songwriter Christine Pillainayagam introduces her hilarious YA debut novel, Ellie Pillai is Brown. Hear about Ellie’s disastrous experiences navigating first love, strict parents, friendships and a dramatic personality. Bring a notebook and...
     

    Scotland’s Stories Now: On This Day

    Friday 19 August 17:00 - 17:45

    Scotland’s Stories Now: On This Day Book
    • Attend in person
    This year, we asked people across Scotland – of any age, background or ability – to submit their own stories responding to the prompt ‘On This Day’, to build a fascinating portrait of Scotland today. Every day at 17:00 different storytellers...
     

    Workshop: Andy West on Writing the Self

    Friday 19 August 17:00 - 19:30

    Workshop: Andy West on Writing the Self Book
    Why not try? Celebrating Inclusion Celebrating Inclusion Thu 25 Aug 19:00 - 20:15
     

    C A Fletcher & Ewan Morrison: Great Pandemic Novels

    Friday 19 August 17:30 - 18:30

    C A Fletcher & Ewan Morrison: Great Pandemic Novels Book
    • Attend in person
    With lockdown not long lifted, already we have two masterful pandemic-inspired, Scottish novels. The residents of a Scottish island are stranded by a mysterious illness in C A Fletcher’s Dead Water and the community descends into mass hysteria....