list.co.uk/books
Trongate, 552 4267. 7.30pm. £9 (£7). See Tue 27. Edinburgh FREE Nick Holdstock: The Tree That Bleeds Waterstone’s West End, 128 Princes Street, 226 2666. 6–7.30pm. Launch of a book about the bloody put- down of protests in the remote Chinese region of Uighur in 2009, an event still wreathed in mystery. FREE The Secret of East German Censorship National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge, 623 3918. 6pm. Dr Laura Bradley of the University of Edinburgh’s German department gives a talk on the content of her new book, Cooperation and Conflict: GDR Theatre Censorship, 1961–1989, which explores why socialist East German authorities refused to acknowledge their censorship of the arts, and how artists responded. The Scotsman Literary Dinner The Hilton Edinburgh Grosvenor Hotel, 5–22 Grosvenor Street; booking via Blackwells book shop: 620 8359. 7pm. £70; premium tickets £85. Prestigious dinner event with special guests Ian Rankin and Denise Mina in conversation with Scotland on Sunday literary editor Stuart Kelly, plus a four-course meal and bubbly for all.
Wigtown ✽✽ Wigtown Book Festival Various venues, 01988 403222. Times and
prices vary. Today’s must-see is a charity auction with literary services donated by the likes of Diana Athill, Allan Massie and Allan Little.
Friday 30
Glasgow ✽✽ Glasgow Poetry Week Various Venues, wordfactory.org.uk/
Glasgow_Poetry_Week Times and prices vary. A week of readings, discussions and slams to celebrate National Poetry Day on Thu 6 Oct. See individual listings below.
✽✽ FREE Derek Read: Anniversary Dance Kudos Bar
Restaurant, 29 Waterloo Street, 221 1066. 7.30pm. Kicking off Glasgow Poetry Week, Derek Read talks through the poems in his new collection, Anniversary Dance, and gives a reading of some of them. Part of Glasgow Poetry Week. Elegies From Angels, Punks and Raging Queens Tron Theatre, 63 Trongate, 552 4267. 7.30pm. £9 (£7). See Tue 27.
Wigtown ✽✽ Wigtown Book Festival Various venues, 01988 403222. Times and
prices vary. Catch a poetry double bill of Bashabi Fraser and Chris Agee or stay up late for a literary cabaret from edgy Scottish journal Gutter.
Saturday 1
Glasgow ✽✽ FREE Bards in the Park Tollcross Park, 254 b Wellshot
Road, 763 2345. 1.30–3.30pm. Relaxed poetry and storytelling in the great outdoors (or in the Winter Gardens if wet). Part of Glasgow Poetry Week. Elegies From Angels, Punks and Raging Queens Tron Theatre, 63 Trongate, 552 4267. 2.30pm & 7.30pm. £9 (£7). See Tue 27.
✽✽ FREE Big Huge Massive Poetry Bash Pivo Pivo, 15
Waterloo Street, 07944 217938. 7.30–11.30pm. A huge bill of spoken word performers including Loki, Viv Gee, Eastborn, Young Dawkins, Tickle and Texture (both of the Chemical Poets), Jenny Lindsay, Sophia Walker, Andy Fleming and Solareye. There’s also an open mic hour – email ettadunn@hotmail.com to sign up for a spot. Part of Glasgow Poetry Week.
Wigtown ✽✽ Wigtown Book Festival Various venues, 01988 403222. Times and
prices vary. The weekend arrives and
EVENTS Books
North Lanarkshire ✽✽ Words: North Lanarkshire Festival of Books and Writing North Lanarkshire, 01698 372325. Times and prices vary. Four weeks of bustling literary activity in North Lanarkshire kick off today with a thought-provoking event featuring Julian Baggini at Cumbernauld Library.
Tuesday 4
Glasgow ✽✽ Reading the Waves Street Level Photo Works, Trongate 103, 552 2151. 7pm. £3. A networking event for new and budding writers, with organisers and performers from the Word Factory, Monosyllabic, DiScOmBoBuLaTe, the Scottish Writers’ Federation and more in attendance. With live music from the Linda Jaxson Band. Part of Glasgow Poetry Week.
North Lanarkshire ✽✽ Words: North Lanarkshire Festival of Books and Writing North Lanarkshire, 01698 372325. Times and prices vary. Today Dennis Canavan discusses his autobiography, Let the People Decide, at Kilsyth Library.
Wednesday 5
Glasgow ✽✽ FREE Writers’ Workshop The Bridge, 1000 Westerhouse Road,
Easterhouse, 276 9696. 1–4pm. The Word Factory and Write Attitude host a workout for the imagination along the theme of ‘Games People Play’. Part of Glasgow Poetry Week. FREE Anne Scott: 18 Bookshops Waterstone’s, 153–157 Sauchiehall Street, 332 9105. 5.30–7pm. Scott discusses her new biography, a journey through a life in books and bookshops.
✽✽ Word Play Tron Theatre, 63 Trongate, 552 4267. 8pm. £2. Open mic night with acoustic music, poetry and prose. Hosts The Word Factory are also performing together as a group. Part of Glasgow Poetry Week.
North Lanarkshire ✽✽ Words: North Lanarkshire Festival of Books and Writing North Lanarkshire, 01698 372325. Times and prices vary. Attend a writers’ workshop with Moi Ali, or a storytelling event with well-known author from the traveling community Jess Smith.
Thursday 6
Glasgow ✽✽ FREE Federation of Writers Open Mic Gallery of Modern Art,
Royal Exchange Square, 287 3050. 2–6.30pm. Event where members of the public get the chance perform a selection of their work on stage in celebration of National Poetry Day. Part of Glasgow Poetry Week.
✽✽ FREE Poetry Discussion Group Mitchell Library, North Street, 287 2999. 6–7pm. Lively and informal discussions of poetry take place at the Mitchell on the first Thursday of every month. With marvellous serendipity, the October edition falls on National Poetry Day, which this year has a theme of games. Part of Glasgow Poetry Week. FREE Rhyme for a Reason Glasgow Women’s Library, Mitchell Library, 15 Berkeley Street, 248 9969. 6pm. Celebrate National Poetry Day with some poetry by women that will lift the spirits, raise a chuckle and generally improve your life.
Check out the GreatOffers on page 6 22 Sep–20 Oct 2011 THE LIST 45
PREVIEW FESTIVAL WORDS 2011 Various venues, North Lanarkshire, Mon 3–31Oct
At locales in places such as Cumbernauld, Kilsyth, Bellshill and Wishaw, the sixth annual North Lanarkshire Festival of Books and Writing unveils a raft of top authors and events for the family which will have the area buzzing for a full month. From the world of politics, Dennis Canavan discusses his long career in that arena from his election in 1974 as MP for West Stirlingshire to his retirement in 2007, and in comics, Mark Millar will be chatting about his own fresh take on icons such as Superman, Captain America and Spider-Man. Julian Baggini will be talking about egos, Ken MacTaggart tackles
those who believe the moon landings were an elaborate hoax and Roddy Martine pokes about spooky Scotland. Among the top bracket of contemporary novelists are Jane Harris, whose Gillespie and I was described by this very organ as a book which ‘dazzles in every possible way’ while our admiration for James Robertson (pictured) has been constant since his breakthrough in 2000 with The Fanatic. He’ll be at Motherwell Library to chew some fat over the relationship between fiction and history.
For kids and parents, top events include a Halloween puppet workshop with Flotsam & Jetsam, some Tales from an Enchanted Forest with Allison Galbraith and Maggi Gibson reads from her Seriously Sassy series. (Brian Donaldson)
with it an explosion of activity on the festival site, as myriad talks run through the day from Nick Thorpe on the new life of a former Urban Worrier at 10.30am to the festival ceilidh into the evening, via Sally Magnusson on the uses of urine, Jane Owen on The Erotic Garden and Tom Devine on Scottish history. Sunday 2
Glasgow ✽✽ Stories for Health St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art,
2 Castle Street, 556 9579. 10am–5pm. Suggested donation £20. Workshop in storytelling after bereavement or other disruptive life changes, showing how it can prompt healing. Part of Glasgow Poetry Week.
Edinburgh FREE Monsters, Ink Cabaret Voltaire, 36–38 Blair Street, 220 6176. 7.30pm. A spoken word celebration of all things monster, from Nessie to Monster Munch, with organisers Illicit Ink providing cookies in honour of a certain lovably mental Muppet.
Wigtown ✽✽ Wigtown Book Festival Various venues, 01988 403222. Times and
prices vary. The final day of the festival’s delights are many and varied, including Peter MacKay on Gaelic bard Sorley MacLean, Christopher Brookmyre on the first installment in his new crime series, Janice Galloway on her autobiography and Julian Baggini on The Ego Trick.
Monday 3
Glasgow ✽✽ Words and Music Samuel Dow’s, 67–71 Nithsdale Road, 423 0107.
7.30pm. £0.50. The regular spoken word open mic night welcomes Marc Sherland as its guest poet, plus there’s live music from singer and guitarist Jim King and a book table where participating poets and writers can sell their wares. Part of Glasgow Poetry Week.
Edinburgh FREE Blackwell Book Quiz Blackwells, 53–59 South Bridge, 622 8201. 6pm. Test your literary credentials in teams of up to five members. Please arrive for 5.45pm.