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Yasmin Sulaiman selects highlights from the final ten days of a packed Book Festival programme THURSDAY 20
Janice Galloway The author of the acclaimed The Trick is to Keep Breathing talks about the themes of her latest collection, Jellyfish: sex and having children. See preview, page 31. 11.45am, £10 (£8). Don Paterson The celebrated Scottish poet reveals his follow up to 2009’s acclaimed Rain, 40 Sonnets. Chaired by Stuart Kelly. 7.15pm, £10 (£8). Nick Robinson Freshly recovered from an operation to have a tumour removed, the outgoing BBC political editor pops up to talk about his General Election diary, Election Notebook. There were plenty of, let’s say ‘interesting’ reactions to Robinson’s indyref coverage, so we’re anticipating the Q&A section of this event to be particularly lively. 8.15pm, £10 (£8).
FRIDAY 21
Joanna Blythman The acclaimed writer provoked plenty of debate earlier this year, with the publication of her book Swallow This: Serving Up the Food Industry’s Darkest Secrets. Expect that discussion to continue in earnest here, at her Book Festival appearance. 2.15pm, £10 (£8). George the Poet 24-year-old George Mpanga is fast becoming the poet of his generation. See preview, page 32. 8.15pm, £10 (£8).
Jonathan Edwards and Ryan van Winkle If you’re an Edinburgh-based poetry-lover, you’ll already know Ryan van Winkle. Here, he talks about his latest collection, The Good Dark, which features work performed in his acclaimed 2012 Fringe show, Red, Like Our Room Used to Feel. Alongside him is Welsh poet Jonathan Edwards, who won last year’s Costa Prize for My Family and Other Superheroes. 8.45pm, £7 (£5). SATURDAY 22
Sean Michaels & Anna Smaill New Zealander Anna Smaill’s impressive debut novel, The Chimes, has been Booker-longlisted, so don’t miss this chance to hear her talk about it here at Charlotte Square. Part of the festival’s First Book Award series of events, she’s appearing with Sean Michaels, author of the Giller Prize-winning Us Conductors. 7pm, £7 (£5). Paul Kingsnorth, Mark Rylance & Martin Shaw If – like everyone who watched it – you loved Mark Rylance’s turn as Thomas Cromwell in Wolf Hall, here’s your chance to see the great actor in the flesh. He’s appearing here alongside Paul Kingsnorth (whose novel, The Wake, Rylance has acquired the film rights for) and storyteller Martin Shaw. 5pm, £12 (£10). Jesse Jackson The Book Festival’s keynote event, legendary civil rights activist and one-time US presidential hopeful Reverend Jesse Jackson comes to Edinburgh. It’s long been sold out, but even if you don’t have a ticket, Charlotte Square will be abuzz tonight. 8.15pm, £10 (£8).
MR Carey & Louise Welsh One of Scotland’s foremost thriller writers, Welsh just released the second novel in her Plague Times trilogy, Death is a Welcome guest. Here, she talks alongside The Girl with all the Gifts author MR Carey. See preview, page 29. 8.45pm, £10 (£8). Jura Unbound: Fight for Your Right Bethnal Green’s Homework collective pitch up in Edinburgh for a night of dazzling spoken word. See preview, page 31. 9pm, free. Limmy The offbeat funnyman and creator of BBC2’s Limmy’s Show talks about his new book of short fiction, Daft Wee Stories. See interview, page 14. 9.45pm, £10 (£8). SUNDAY 23
The Poems of Iain Banks The verse of the much-missed Iain Banks is celebrated in a collection compiled by his friend Ken MacLeod, published earlier this year. Here, MacLeod reads some of Banks’ best early poems, as well as some of his own. 2.15pm, £10 (£8). Peter May May’s The Lewis Trilogy is one of the biggest Scottish crime success stories of recent years – and it was almost never published in English. In this event, May talks about his latest standalone novel, Runaway, which is loosely based on a real episode from his childhood, when he and a friend ran away to London in the 1960s. 6.45pm, £10 (£8). MONDAY 24
Mark Fisher & Joyce Macmillan Two of Scotland’s foremost theatre critics
Day Planner | FESTIVAL BOOKS
discuss whether arts journalism is in crisis. With the world’s arts journalists in town for the festival season, the audience is likely to have plenty to say in this event. 2.15pm, £10 (£8). Catherine Chanter & Emily St John Mandel Emily St John Mandel’s Station Eleven has been a publishing sensation since its publication last autumn. Here, she appears alongside Catherine Chanter, author of gripping literary mystery The Well. See preview, page 31. 8.45pm, £7 (£5). TUESDAY 25
Edwyn Collins & Grace Maxwell with Ian Rankin In the excellent 2014 documentary The Possibilities are Endless, Edwyn Collins and his wife Grace Maxwell offer a heartbreaking, candid and ultimately uplifting look at the Orange Juice singer’s battle to recover from two massive strokes. In this event, they talk to crime writer and devoted Collins fan, Ian Rankin. 3.15pm, £10 (£8). Andrea Bennett & Emma Hooper Emma Hooper’s Etta and Otto and Russell and James tells a decades-long love story set in rural Canada, and is one of this year’s biggest debuts. Part of the festival’s First Book Award series of events, she’s appearing alongside Andrea Bennett, author of Galina Petrovna’s Three-Legged Dog Story. 5pm, £7 (£5). Patrick Ness The Rest of Us Just Live Here is Ness’ brilliant new novel, featuring a bunch of intelligent kids who happen not to be the Chosen Ones this time. See preview, page 32. 5pm, £4.50. Celia Imrie One of Britain’s most cherished actors talks about her debut
COMIC VERSE Part of Babble On, the series of spoken word events at this year’s Book Festival, who says poetry always has to be serious? At this event, four of the funniest poets working today – Rob Auton, Elvis McGonagall (pictured), Katie Fox and John Osborne – perform some of their comic verses. An enticing mash up of poetry, comedy and theatre. ■ 22 Aug, 5.30pm, £10 (£8).
20–31 Aug 2015 THE LIST FESTIVAL 33