Enjoy Christmas with the queen of romantic comedies

The festive season is on the way, and that can only mean one thing – there’s a Jenny Colgan book on the way. Scotland’s queen of the romantic comedy, originally from Prestwick in Ayrshire, is back with An Island Christmas, which is published on 31 October in paperback. The beautiful island of Mure takes centre…

Read More

Why 9 to 5 is as relevant as it ever was

9 to 5 is without a doubt a musical that’s hugely relevant in society today. It’s hard to believe that the original movie was released in 1980, as its core message, about equality for women, is as relevent now as it ever was. In an age when we’re hearing horrifying stories of inequality – in…

Read More

Two exhibitions coming to the Open Eye Gallery

Edinburgh’s Open Eye Gallery is staging two exhibitions next month. The first is Impressions: Two Centuries of Printmaking, a wide-ranging exhibition featuring examples from some of the most prominent British printmakers in the last two centuries. In association with John Anderson, this show will include works by Robert Austin, Sandra Blow, Sir Muirhead Bone, Gerald…

Read More

The Exorcist can still provide its share of shocks

On its original cinematic release, The Exorcist became one of the most shocking films of the 1970s. Whilst it’s hard to replicate 1973 sensibilities in 2019, The Excorcist stage production, currently at the Theatre Royal in Glasgow, still manages to pull of a few moments that make it uncomfortable viewing. But let’s rewind a little.…

Read More

Scots language poem wins international poetry prize

A poem in Scots has won the annual £1,500 international Wigtown Prize for poetry for the first time. Shiftin, by Mhairi Owens, was among entries from poets from as far afield as the USA, China, Canada and Ecuador, writing in English, Scots and Scottish Gaelic. This year, the Wigtown Prize was opened up to entries…

Read More

Step back to the 1930s at New Lanark this weekend

Put your 1930s glad rags on, step back in time and join all the fun at New Lanark this weekend. Experience the changes which were beginning to take place at New Lanark in the 1930s. New Lanark’s Back To The 1930s will be open from noon-4pm on Sunday, 1 September. It’s a chance to enjoy…

Read More

Hints to protect your home from housebreaking

Property crime is one of the most recorded crimes there is in most countries. In the year 2017 to 2018, Scotland recorded no less than 418,000 crimes. These crimes involved property theft, damage to household property, and housebreaking. This only means that there are a lot of homeowners in Scotland have unreliable home security system…

Read More

New bid to urge S1-S3 pupils to read for pleasure

A new app to get youngsters reading has been launched by the Scottish Book Trust. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon joined Portobello High School students from S1-S3 to launch a new app, Bookzilla, at Portobello Library. Developed by Scottish Book Trust, the national charity transforming lives through reading and writing, and digital agency Dubit, Bookzilla is…

Read More

Angus Munro – for one night only at the Fringe

Scottish chamber pop star and quadruple-octave singer-songwriter Angus Munro is coming to the Fringe for one night only. He will bring his band to The Jazz Bar, Edinburgh on 20 August at 7pm. Angus, who lives in Scotland, was born in Sidcup, in 1987 to an Italian father and Scottish mother, like his contemporary Paolo…

Read More

Fringe: Bringing prohibition USA to Edinburgh

For those that don’t know the work of Damon Runyon he was a short story writer that encapsulated the prohibition era in America. His colourful characters were gangster and hustlers with wonderful 1930’s names such as Harry The Horse and Good Time Charlie. Runyon’s work is best known as the basis to the musical Guys…

Read More