THE ROYAL College of Surgeons enjoyed its biggest Edinburgh Fringe season this year, with a 25 per cent increase in year-on-year ticket sales.

Total attendances exceeded 75,000 and, in and a fruitful relationship with Fringe promoter TheSpaceUK, more than 170 different acts were housed at RCS venues.

During the Fringe TheSpaceUK comprised 16 theatres, located at two performance "hubs" in the city.

rcsed.ac.uk

AUTHORS Keith Gray, Claire McFall and Joan Lennon have made it onto the shortlist for the first Scottish Teenage Book Prize. The prize, set up to celebrate the most popular teen books by Scottish authors, is run by Scottish Book Trust with support from Creative Scotland. The winning author will receive £3,000.

The shortlisted books are The Last Soldier by Keith Gray (Barrington Stoke), Black Cairn Point by Claire McFall (Hot Key Books), and Silver Skin by Joan Lennon (Birlinn).

Children aged 12-16 across the country can now vote for the winner by submitting a class vote online via the Scottish Book Trust website. The winning book will be announced on March 1, 2017.

scottishbooktrust.com.

ILLUSTRATOR Kate Timney has been selected as this year’s Spring Fling artist-in-residence at the Wigtown Book Festival. She will have her own studio in Wigtown during the festival where she will work on a portable etching press, and visitors are invited to drop in for a chat. Timney, who is founder of the Beaumont Printshop, will also run woodcut and pattern painting workshops and public will be able create their own prints, remembering or reinterpreting covers of books that have had an impact on them.

Spring Fling, Scotland’s premier visual art and craft open studios event, has an ongoing collaboration with Wigtown Book Festival.

Adrian Turpin, director of the festival, said: “We are very excited to be welcoming Kate Timney to Wigtown Book Festival. Kate's work will give people the chance to consider moments in life where books have been significant to them."

facebook.com/beaumontprintshop.co

JANICE Parker Projects has announced a new Dance Artist Development Bursary to support an emerging artist as part of The Saltire Society’s Inspiring Scotland programme and 80th anniversary celebrations. The bursary recipient will be awarded £2,500, enabling them to undertake a project over the course of a year. In addition, the artist will be offered a one-year membership to the Saltire Society and regular support from Janice Parker Projects.

The award will be made to an emerging dance artist, of any age, who offers an imaginative and searching enquiry and can demonstrate how the award and working with Janice Parker Projects can benefit their artistic development. The Bursary for Dance Artist Development in partnership with Janice Parker Projects is the latest and final bursary to be announced as part of the society's anniversary programme.

janiceparker.co.uk