Monday 11 August 15:00 - 16:00
- Attend in person
- Captioned
Rachel Cockerell (Melting Point) and Joe Dunthorne (Children of Radium) have written two of the most surprising and inventive family memoirs in memory, through resourcing and reference, eyewitness testimony, and following their noses…
Monday 11 August 15:00 - 16:00
- Attend in person
- Watch online
- Captioned
With the US Capitol attack, the Charlottesville riots, and far-right ideology infiltrating the media, should we - indeed, could we - have seen things coming? Today we interrogate this far-reaching topic with authors Deborah Baker, Gabriel Gatehouse, and…
Monday 11 August 15:30 - 16:30
- Attend in person
- Captioned
Prepare to be enchanted with debut author Lauryn Hamilton Murray and the bestselling author of Where the Dark Stands Still, A B Poranek…
Monday 11 August 15:45 - 16:45
- Attend in person
- Captioned
Sometimes writers share a commonality of genre or style and a passion for one another's work. So it is with James Rebanks (The Place of Tides) and Rachel Kushner (Creation Lake), who come together today to discuss being inspired by their unconventional…
Suitable for age 9 - 11
Monday 11 August 16:00 - 17:00
- Attend in person
- Captioned
Join bestselling author Abi Elphinstone with her new book, Ember Spark and the Unicorn’s Secret, as she reveals where she finds her ideas – from shower gel bottles and street signposts to adventures in Mongolia – as well as tips for how to dream up your…
Monday 11 August 16:45 - 17:45
- Attend in person
- Captioned
Author and Inklusion Guide cofounder, Julie Farrell, senior Publishing lecturer at the University of Derby, Cat Mitchell, and Elizabeth Kellingley, access manager at Bloomsbury discuss the impact of their collective disability activism on authors…
Monday 11 August 17:00 - 18:00
- Attend in person
- Watch online
- Captioned
Mahmoud Muna and Matthew Teller join us to discuss Daybreak in Gaza, an anthology they have co-edited which illuminates in vivid detail the extraordinary individuals, meaningful places, and incredible richness of a people, culture, and heritage…
Monday 11 August 17:30 - 18:30
- Attend in person
- Captioned
Join When We Ruled author Paula Akpan as she shares the gripping stories of twelve African queens and warriors. Some were brave and noble, others unpredictable and volatile, but all shaped the African continent - so why don't we all know their names?…
Monday 11 August 17:45 - 18:45
- Attend in person
- Captioned
If corporations can have legal rights, why shouldn't nature? Meet the pioneering British-Peruvian lawyer at the forefront of the climate justice movement: Monica Feria-Tinta…
Monday 11 August 18:00 - 19:00
- Attend in person
- Captioned
To celebrate his inaugural year as Makar, Peter Mackay brings together poets working in Scotland today who showcase the range of languages being spoken and written in across the country…
Monday 11 August 18:30 - 19:30
- Attend in person
- Captioned
In this energising conversation, we bring together the authors of two fascinating books on Scotland's radical music past…
Monday 11 August 18:45 - 19:45
- Attend in person
- Watch online
- Captioned
Conspiracy theories are a scourge of online life, but how have they been weaponised to distort reality for political gain? BBC Newsnight’s former international editor, Gabriel Gatehouse, talks to Festival director Jenny Niven about the threat technology…
Monday 11 August 19:15 - 20:15
- Attend in person
- Captioned
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 2025’s Festival theme: Repair. Join us as we bring them together to perform their work: a……
Monday 11 August 19:30 - 20:30
- Attend in person
- Captioned
Is justice possible when war crimes have been committed? Should retribution, reconciliation, or something else be the goal? Two leading authors discuss this tense subject from their own experience…
Monday 11 August 20:15 - 21:30
- Attend in person
- Captioned
Stories and Scran celebrates the dynamic and thought-provoking work created by communities across Edinburgh and beyond. Expect diverse and creative talent from the Book Festival’s own Adults Writing Group and Citizen Collective, plus a special……
Monday 11 August 20:30 - 21:30
- Attend in person
- Watch online
- Captioned
Best known for his Ibis trilogy, Amitav Ghosh is a colossus of postcolonial literature. Today, the venerated writer joins us to discuss Wild Fictions, an extraordinary collection of his writing from the last 25 years…
Tuesday 12 August 10:00 - 11:00
- Attend in person
- Captioned
Start your day with the facts. Today’s guests include Palestinian journalist Ahmed Alnaouq, co-founder and director of We Are Not Numbers…
Tuesday 12 August 10:30 - 11:30
- Attend in person
- Captioned
We’re delighted to welcome prolific cookery writer, novelist, and journalist Sue Lawrence back with her latest enthralling historical novel, Whispers in the Glen…
Tuesday 12 August 11:00 - 12:00
- Attend in person
- Watch online
- Captioned
Growing up in Guernsey had a deep impact on Sunday Times bestseller Dawn O’Porter, with island life seeping into her writing…
Tuesday 12 August 11:30 - 12:30
- Attend in person
- Captioned
Two authors compare notes today on the act of writing. What does this human desire to put words down tell us about ourselves?…
Full 2025 Book Festival programme is announced with key theme of Repair 
