Books
Alexander McCall Smith’s Thursday festive conversation
NOVELIST Alexander McCall Smith will take part in an online festive conversation on Thursday night hosted by the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Centre. The author, who is also a Scottish Field columnist, will speak to Lance Butler, the centre’s new chair, via Zoom. The pair will discuss Christmas themes, including “compassion, altruism and hope” and…
Read MoreLidl gets ready to mark ‘daft days’ with poetry
SUPERMARKET chain Lidl has brought together a group of poets to celebrate the “daft days” between Christmas and Epiphany. Poets who have penned verses for the project include Len Pennie, Stuart Paterson, Jo Gilbert, Gary Robertson, and Anne Frater. The German discounter is also running a series of virtual poetry workshops for schools, so pupils…
Read MoreAlexander McCall Smith blends whisky with words
AUTHOR Alexander McCall Smith will host a reading tomorrow on The Malt Whisky Trail Instagram channel as part of Book Week Scotland. The writer, who is also a columnist for Scottish Field magazine, will team up with The Glenlivet distillery for the event at 1pm. He will read stories and poetry from his home in…
Read MoreOnline bookshop helps local stores
AN ONLINE bookshop has raised more than £122,000 for local bookshops. Bookshop.org donates most of its profits to bookshops, authors, and other groups involved in literature. “By design, we give away over 75% of our profit margin to stores, publications, authors and others who make up the thriving, inspirational culture around books,” it said. The…
Read MoreA crime thriller on a Scottish island
We didn’t have to wait long for the next instalment of Inspector Angus Blue’s whodunnits, and it doesn’t disappoint. Called to Jura after an attempted assassination on a Cabinet Minister, the inspector finds himself in a series of fantastically eerie landscapes and is forced to overcome several unexpected hurdles. As with The Pead Dead, the…
Read More‘Frank – get the book!’
COMEDIAN Janey Godley is among presenter Damian Barr’s guests in the first episode of The Big Scottish Book Club, which returns to the BBC Scotland channel on Sunday. Godley, who has become an internet sensation during the pandemic thanks to her satirical voiceovers of First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s daily briefings, will discuss her memoir, Handstands in…
Read MoreWinners of writing awards unveiled
A POET based in Newcastle was last night named as the winner of the £1,500 Wigtown Prize. Anna Woodford, whose work was entitled Portrait of My Grandparents as Souvenirs, said: “My poem is concerned with my family history, specifically my grandfather’s experiences of having to flee wartime Poland to make a new life in Nottingham,…
Read MoreAlexander McCall Smith shares writing secrets online
AUTHOR and Scottish Field columnist Alexander McCall Smith will lead the second in a series of free online workshops hosted by James MacMillan for The Cumnock Tryst. He will share his literary expertise with 50 participants on 7 October from 7.30pm. “Not ever writer writes in the same way,” he explained. “For some it is…
Read MoreWider audience for Wigtown young adult books
WIGTOWN YA, the UK’s largest young adult literature festival, continues this week as part of the wider online Wigtown Book Festival. This week’s virtual speakers include Dean Atta talking about The Black Flamingo, Catherine Bruton presenting No Ballet Shoes in Syria and Michelle Thomas explaining My Sh*t Therapist. Previous online events can also be watched…
Read MoreLiterature plan for John Knox House
JOHN Knox House in Edinburgh could be turned into a “Literature House for Scotland”. The Edinburgh Unesco City of Literature Trust is looking for architects and designers to help it come up with plans for the site. The trust also wants to develop the neighbouring Scottish Storytelling Centre as part of ambitions to enhance the…
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