Monday 18 August 14:15 - 15:15
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Join two authors unpicking the grand narratives that have birthed the image of the British Isles. Helen Carr uncovers the untold stories of the 14th-century Plantagenet era in Sceptred Isle, while Lorna Hutson's England's Insular Imagining: The…
Monday 18 August 15:00 - 16:00
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Has the ultra-connected nature of modern life left humanity more lonely? Are some connections better severed? In Colum McCann's Twist, a journalist is sent to report on the repair of the undersea cables that make modern communication possible when the……
Monday 18 August 15:00 - 16:00
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- BSL interpreted
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Mushrooms can be misunderstood, even feared, so when Margaret Atwood said at last year's Festival, 'mushrooms are going to be big in the future', we knew we needed to go deeper. They're used as food, building material, positive environmental disrupters……
Monday 18 August 15:30 - 16:30
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Whatever our journey since, we were all born into this world. But have we ever considered the ancient nature of birth, and how it connects us? In Born: A History of Childbirth, cultural historian Lucy Inglis charts the battle for control over…
Monday 18 August 15:45 - 16:45
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Cultural experiences are a proven springboard for positive change and rehabilitation in the criminal justice system. Yet, despite numerous interventions over the last 50 years, arts provision in UK prisons remains inconsistent. Join Dr Kirstin Anderson…
Monday 18 August 16:00 - 17:00
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Henry McLeish (former Scottish first minister and leader of the Labour Party in Scotland) and James Mitchell (director of the Academy of Government at the University of Edinburgh): two authors with heavyweight viewpoints on Scottish politics and…
Monday 18 August 16:45 - 17:45
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Witness the fusion of poetry and film, through a collaboration between WritersMosaic and the Adrian Brinkerhoff Poetry Foundation. This live event features readings and screenings, showcasing the power of spoken word through a cinematic lens. Prepare to…
Monday 18 August 17:00 - 18:00
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Leading US commentator Derek Thompson is an author, podcaster, and journalist at the Atlantic, and a self-described progressive. His first book, Hit Makers: How to Succeed in an Age of Distraction was a bestseller, and in Abundance - co-authored with…
Monday 18 August 17:30 - 18:30
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Winner of the BBC National Short Story Award, Saba Sams joins us with Gunk, her pacey debut novel about love, family, and messily complex relationships. Joining her is Alessandra Thom, winner of 2023's Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award. Thom's…
Monday 18 August 17:45 - 18:45
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We all have characters that stay with us long after we stop reading. So how does it feel when you've spent a decade writing characters, and the time comes to put that last full stop on the page? Dan Jones is finding out. Join the bestselling historian…
Monday 18 August 18:00 - 19:00
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The worlds of words and music coalesce in this special family affair featuring award-winning poet and novelist Angus Peter Campbell and his daughters, Brìghde, Ciorstaidh, and Steaphanaidh Chaimbeul, all professional musicians. Expect tales drawn from…
Monday 18 August 18:30 - 19:30
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Ranging from communist Hungary to the London of the super-rich, David Szalay's Flesh unravels a man via a story collection hiding inside a novel. Today, meet an already garlanded writer; one blessed with rare authority when dealing with the most…
Monday 18 August 18:45 - 19:45
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- BSL interpreted
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Mark Haddon, who gave us the genre-defying The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, has always thought outside the box. That's especially true of his latest collection of stories, Dogs and Monsters: eclectic retellings of Greek myths wherein…
Monday 18 August 19:15 - 20:15
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We believe that everyone has a story to tell and that stories help us make sense of our world. We've challenged local writers and poets, this year, to respond to 202S's Festival theme: Repair. Join us as we bring them together to perform their work: a……
Monday 18 August 19:30 - 20:30
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Following her recent books Twilight of Democracy and Autocracy Inc, this is an essential hour with a writer whose turned an urgently-needed spotlight on a new kind of 21st century dictatorship and how to resist it…
Monday 18 August 20:15 - 21:15
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Take a journey into the darkness with two authors whose latest books explore the way the nocturnal hours shape us. In Wolf Moon, by Guardian theatre critic and Consumed author Arifa Akbar, and Overnight, by Dan Richards, this hinterland of nightmares and…
Monday 18 August 20:30 - 21:30
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How Britain has gone wrong is a frequent conversational gambit, but it's seldom followed up with concrete solutions. These are just what political economist and former Observer editor-in-chief, Will Hutton, offers in This Time No Mistakes…
Tuesday 19 August 10:00 - 11:00
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Start your day with the facts. High quality, thorough, and trustworthy journalism has never been more important in helping us understand the world as it really is, so in our First Edition events you can join leading journalists from across the media (and…
Tuesday 19 August 11:00 - 12:00
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Daughters, lovers, sisters, friends - relationships take many forms, but perhaps most important are the ones women have with themselves. To the Women is the latest inspirational poetry collection from Donna Ashworth, a writer who took the internet by…
Tuesday 19 August 11:30 - 12:30
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This event brings together two powerful writers, Abigail Dean (whose Girl A was a New York Times bestseller) and T.S. Eliot Prize winner Polly Clark: both masters of taut, thrillingly emotive writing. They join us today for a thought-provoking discussion…
Full 2025 Book Festival programme is announced with key theme of Repair 
