list.co.uk/books Wednesday 11
Glasgow Drew Taylor: Time After Time The Arches, 253 Argyle Street, 565 1000. 7pm. £5 (£4). The performance poet examines what we can all learn from Cyndi Lauper in this new work. Poetry @ the Ivory Ivory Bar & Restaurant, 2–4 Camphill Avenue, jacqueline.smith99@talktalk.net. 7pm. £2. The regular poetry night is headlined by the Makar herself, Liz Lochhead. FREE Graphic Novel Book Group Lauries Bar, 34 King Street, 552 7123. 7.30pm. Newish book group for comic fans. This time it’s Mister Wonderful by Ghost World creator Dan Clowes.
Edinburgh FREE Andrew Nicoll Blackwells, 53–59 South Bridge, 622 8222. 6.30pm. Free (ticketed). The winner of a Saltire First Book Award for The Good Mayor, Andrew Nicoll launches his new novel, The Love and Death of Caterina. Café Voices Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43–45 High Street, 556 9579. 7–9pm. £4. Relaxed evening of poetry, song and story on the theme of nature.
Thursday 12 Glasgow Drew Taylor: Time After Time The Arches, 253 Argyle Street, 565 1000. 7pm. £5 (£4). See Wed 11. Scottish Writers’ Centre Discussion Series CCA, 350 Sauchiehall Street, 352 4900. 7pm. By donation. Satya Dunning from Dance House gives a talk entitled ‘Words and Movement’.
Edinburgh FREE Bottled Tears: Scottish War Brides of World War Two National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge, 623 3918. 6pm. See Thu 5.
✽✽ Lin Anderson Waterstone’s West End, 128 Princes Street, 226 2666.
6pm. £2. Lin Anderson presents the seventh installment in the Rhona MacLeod series. Nothing But . . . Poems by Carol Ann Duffy Scottish Poetry Library, 5 Crichton’s Close, Canongate, 557 2876. 6–7.30pm. £5 (£3). Relaxed poetry discussion group. FREE Mark Beaumont Blackwells, 53–59 South Bridge, 622 8222. 6.30pm. The Man Who Cycled the Americas pedals into town to tell his tales.
Friday 13
Glasgow Reading Allowed Tchai-Ovna House of Tea, 42 Otago Lane, 357 4524. 8pm. £2. Storytelling and poetry. Edinburgh Storytelling for Conscious Reading Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43–45 High Street, 556 9579. 10am–4pm. £48. A day- long workshop on using storytelling to aid group work.
Sunday 15
Glasgow ✽✽ FREE The Road North: a matsuri festival The Hidden
Gardens, Tramway 25 Albert Drive, 0845 330 3501. 3pm. Scottish poets Alec Finlay and Ken Cockburn, freshly returned from touring Scotland inspired and guided by Japanese poet Basho for the past year. Expect haikus, music and teas from Japan and China, served by the Hidden Gardens’ cultural cookery group.
Edinburgh FREE John Connolly Blackwells, 53–59 South Bridge, 622 8222. 2pm. Connolly speaks about his latest novel, Hell’s Bells, the sequel to The Gates. FREE Spark! Creativity Showcase The Jazz Bar, 1 Chambers Street, 220 4298. 6pm. Open session for musicians, songwriters, poets and storytellers.
EVENTS Books
Lane, 357 4524. 8pm. Storytelling club for adults. Edinburgh FREE Reel Festival Poetry Reading Scottish Poetry Library, 5 Crichton’s Close, Canongate, reelfestivals.org 6.30pm. See The Golden Hour, Wed 18, for line-up.
Cumnock ✽✽ Boswell Book Festival Auchinleck House, Auchinleck,
01563 554900. Times and prices vary. A new book festival inspired by the 18th- century biographer James Boswell. The opening night show is a dramatic monologue in which David McKail depicts Boswell and his thoughts on wine, women and his most famous subject, Dr Johnson.
Saturday 21
Edinburgh ✽✽ FREE Mark Radcliffe Waterstone’s West End, 128 Princes
Street, 226 2666. 1–2pm. DJ Mark Radcliffe signs copies of his new book, Reelin’ in the Years. See preview, left.
Cumnock ✽✽ Boswell Book Festival Auchinleck House, Auchinleck, 01563 554900. Times and prices vary. Today’s guests at the festival are Diana Athill, Bill Paterson, Alistair Urquhart, Selina Hastings, James Knox, Allan Burnett, David McClay and Kate Adie.
Sunday 22
Edinburgh FREE Spark! Creativity Showcase The Jazz Bar, 1 Chambers Street, 220 4298. 6pm. See Sun 15. Performance Poetry Night The Jazz Bar, 1 Chambers Street, 220 4298. 8pm. £4 (£3). Featuring Jem Rolls, Jenny Lindsay and more.
Cumnock ✽✽ Boswell Book Festival Auchinleck House, Auchinleck, 01563 554900. Times and prices vary. The festival closes with appearances from Alistair Moffat, Gordon Turnbull, Candia McWilliam and Lynne Truss.
Monday 23
Edinburgh FREE The Sons of Rissouli Waterstone’s West End, 128 Princes Street, 226 2666. 6–7.30pm. Launch of a new book for teens by Matt Cartney.
Tuesday 24
Edinburgh FREE Inky Fingers Open Mic The Forest Café, 3 Bristo Place, 220 4538. 8–11pm. To perform, email ahead (inkyfingersedinburgh@gmail.com), or just watch and admire. Featured performers this month are Catherine Brogan and Morag Edward. Wednesday 25
Glasgow Word Play Tron Theatre, 63 Trongate, 552 4267. 8.30pm. £2. Open mic night with acoustic music, poetry and prose hosted by The Word Factory. Edinburgh FREE David Hume: Philosopher and Historian National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge, 623 3918. 6pm. Nicholas Phillipson explores Hume’s reputation as a historian and a philosopher.
Thursday 26 Glasgow Irish Writers’ Centre Event CCA, 350 Sauchiehall Street, 352 4900. 7pm. By donation. Writers from the Scottish Writers’ Centre’s counterpart in Dublin showcase their works.
28 Apr–26 May 2011 THE LIST 39
PREVIEW BOOK TOUR MARK RADCLIFFE Waterstone’s, Edinburgh, Sat 21 May
When David Bowie implores the public to indulge in thieving, you know it must be for a very good reason. His call to serious felony was raised on the publication of Mark Radcliffe’s Thank You for the Days: A Boy’s Own Adventure in Radio and Beyond, in which the stalwart BBC broadcaster recalls his rise through the ranks from working with Mark ‘Lard’ Riley in their iconic pre-‘graveyard slot’ show through to the ill- fated period taking over from Chris Evans in the morning to the more sober time zones he now has on Radio 2 and 6 Music. Along the way he reported on the starry encounters with Kate Bush (she fed him cheese flan), Mick Jagger (who stood on tippy toes for a photo to exaggerate his ‘height’) and the aforementioned Mr Jones (once he’d left the room, Radcliffe claimed to have taken a photo of the Thin White Duke’s sandwich). All of it is done in an honest, amiable, intelligent and northern manner.
Now, Radcliffe is back on the book tour trail to publicise Reelin’ in the
Years: The Soundtrack of a Northern Life. Here, he reflects on his 52 years on the planet, choosing a single song released in each of them, using it to pull in memories and reflections of British music, fashion, trends and culture across a half century. Among his choices are tracks from the Kinks, Pink Floyd, Bob Marley, The Prodigy, Elbow and Fleet Foxes. Strangely, though, there’s nothing from The Shirehorses. (Brian Donaldson)
Words for Sale Axo Gallery, 59 Queen Charlotte Street, 557 1460. 7–10pm. By donation. Spoken word performers showcase their wares then auction off a bespoke piece of writing. In aid of Inky Fingers and the Forest Cafe. Monday 16
Edinburgh FREE Blackwell Book Group Blackwells, 53–59 South Bridge, 622 8222. 6pm. The group discusses The End of Mr Y by Scarlett Thomas. Wednesday 18
Glasgow FREE Weegie Wednesdays The Universal, 57–59 Sauchiehall Lane, 332 8899. 7.30pm. Monthly forum offering those with a literary interest to get together socially to talk about books and publishing. Edinburgh FREE Mark Douglas-Home Waterstone’s West End, 128 Princes Street, 226 2666. 6.30–7.30pm. The author and former editor of The Herald launches his book The Sea Detective. FREE The Golden Hour The Forest Café, 3 Bristo Place, reelfestivals.org 8pm–midnight. This month’s Golden Hour is taken over by the multi-cultural Reel Festivals, featuring short film, music, and a line-up of poets performing translations of their own and each other’s work in Arabic
and English. Appearing are Golan Haji, Rasha Omran, Mazen Maarouf, Yehia Jaber, Emily Ballou, William Letford, Tom Pow and host Ryan van Winkle. See preview, page 35. Part of Reel Festivals.
Thursday 19
Glasgow Ryan van Winkle with Poets from Lebanon, Syria and Scotland CCA, 350 Sauchiehall Street, reelfestivals.org 7pm. By donation. Reel Festival crosses the Central Belt with the same multi- national line-up as The Golden Hour, see Wed 18, above. Edinburgh Stone Soup Maggie’s Chamber, Three Sisters, 139 Cowgate, 622 6801. 7.30pm. £6 (£5). Live music and poetry from Davesnewbike and friends.
Dundee ✽✽ FREE Denise Mina Central Library, The Wellgate, 01382
200322. 7–8.30pm. The popular Scottish crime writer and playwright talks about her work, including new book, The End of the Wasp Season (see review, page 37). Tickets available from Waterstone’s Dundee.
Friday 20 Glasgow FREE The Better Crack Club Tchai-Ovna House of Tea, 42 Otago