IT’S February 2020 and the scene is Paisley Arts Centre. The place has been abuzz all week with book-loving audiences keen to hear from literary legends including John Byrne, Jackie Kay and Janice Galloway, whilst local pubs have played host to some of Scotland’s best talent – Chris McQueer, Alan Bissett and Kevin P Gilday. We have laughed, we have cried, we have danced in the aisles to the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers on the final night.
But as we emerge from the haze of 10 exhilarating days, during which a new iteration of the Paisley Book Festival has been born, the world around us is changing fast. As lockdown sweeps across the country, and other festivals fall victim to the early weeks of the pandemic, we can’t believe our luck that we managed to stage this inaugural event in completely normal circumstances.
Setting the blueprint for a new festival of any kind is an extraordinary and at the same time daunting thing to do – especially when it feels like it has been brooding in a place for a long time. Paisley Book Festival had been stirring under the surface through its enthusiastic reading and writing communities, and was now ready - with the support of Future Paisley – to harness this enthusiasm and be hatched into life.
As 2020 progresses however, we look ahead to the 2021 festival with increasing levels of anxiety. Having initially been optimistic that the pandemic might bypass us entirely, we eventually have to accept we need a plan B. By January 2021, even our hopes to have local authors live stream their events from Paisley Arts Centre are dashed. The irony of our chosen theme for the upcoming festival – Radical New Futures – is clear.
One of the good things about being such a young festival, as well as being in a location where people are instinctively ready to embrace new ideas and opportunities, is that our mould remains malleable and able to take advantage of changing circumstances. Designing a digital festival that maintains all the popular elements established in 2020 – a focus on radical themes and ideas, an emphasis on interactive workshops, and a strong line up of Scottish voices – whilst also adapting to reach new audiences, has opened our minds to the advantages of the digital stage.
Not only can you take part in this year’s festival from wherever you are, but you’ll be able to catch up on events for up to a month after they have been aired. What’s more, we’re offering the majority of this year’s programme for free, asking audiences to donate to support our future work. While working with care homes to ensure that older audiences have access, our schools programme involves flexible video content which can be engaged with in the classroom or at home. Our digital Writer in Residence programme meanwhile, has allowed us to draw on the talents of local performer Imogen Stirling to continue working closely with Paisley communities.
Who knows what the future holds? This is a question we are hoping our authors and audiences will help us answer. One thing is clear however: whether digital, in person, or a cocktail of both, the future is paved with possibilities that we might not yet have imagined.
Jess Orr, Co-Producer, Paisley Book Festival
Paisley Book Festival runs online from Thursday 18 to Saturday 27 February. Festival programme: www.paisleybookfest.com
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