EVENT
An impressive work “of high artistic ambition that’s “filled with roaring life” is how Herald reviewer, Rosemary Goring, described Andrew O’Hagan’s sixth novel, Mayflies: a poignant book about the exuberance and follies of youth, set in Ayrshire, where the Glasgow-born author grew up. You can meet Andrew O'Hagan at a special Zoom event hosted by Waterstones, on July 27 at 7.30pm. Tickets cost £5.
Ticketlink: eventbrite.co.uk/e/andrew-ohagan-mayflies-tickets-162039595793
Mayflies by Andrew O’Hagan is now available in paperback (Faber&Faber, £8.99)
BOOK NOW:
Scottish literature, screen, stage and music are all celebrated at this year's Edinburgh International Book Festival (EIBF), with two innovative series of events that combine the talents of local authors with those of film and theatre-makers and musicians. Opening three weeks today on Saturday, August 14, the festival's highlights include the premieres of six specially commissioned short films, each evoking the spirit of a new Scottish-set novel. Supported by the Scottish Government’s Edinburgh Festival’s Expo Fund, Reading Scotland teams six writers with with six young Scottish filmmakers. The authors include James Robertson, who launches his new novel News of the Dead with a film by Anthony Baxter; Graeme Armstrong, whose debut novel The Young Team has been interpreted by James Price. The films premiere at the start of each partner author’s event.
The EIBF's Playing with Books partnership with the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh will also see special one-off stage interpretations of recent Scottish books including Sea State by Tabitha Lasley, The Long Drop by Denise Mina and a new writing commission, The Yellow Door by Kathleen Jamie. Former Scots Makar Jackie Kay, who brings blues singer Bessie Smith to life with her new biography, will be joined by acclaimed jazz and blues vocalist Suzanne Bonnar to sing some of Bessie’s best loved songs.
Another musical highlight will celebrate the poetry of Edwin Morgan in a choral arrangement composed by Gavin Bryars, co-commissioned by the Book Festival and Celtic Connections, and premiered by Glasgow ensemble Capella Nova.
Full details at edbookfest.co.uk
AWARD:
Ian Rankin OBE has won the Theakston Old Peculier Outstanding Contribution to Crime Fiction Award 2021. The Fife-born, Edinburgh-based author, whose celebrated Inspector Rebus novels are set in his home city, is programming chair of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate, Yorkshire.
“It’s such a privilege and an honour to receive this award, and especially to be in Harrogate to receive it in person," he said on receiving his award last Thursday, on the event's opening night. "I’ve been a published writer for over 30 years but this past year has been uniquely challenging - for writers, readers and booksellers. It’s heartening to see the Theakston Festival rise like a phoenix. Books continue to provide us with that wonderful mix of food for thought and escapism. I couldn’t be prouder to be a crime writer.”
The festival continues until tomorrow (Sunday, July 25). https://harrogateinternationalfestivals.com/crime-writing-festival
DEMENTIA SUPPORT:
A new partnership between the Scottish Book Trust and McCarthy Stone Foundation aims to help people with dementia continue to reap the benefits of reading. The Scottish Book Trust’s Reading is Caring initiative teaches carers how to share stories and create a "life story book box". Through online workshops, they are helped to select and tailor reading material to enjoy together with the person they care for, and to gather pictures, objects and other sensory triggers to complement the reading.
Carer Colin Tate said of the programme: “Reading is Caring opened up a whole new line of ideas and techniques for me to help support my mother, who is living with dementia in a care home setting. The programme will help her have better, positive, emotional memories.”
The charities say the programme benefits carers as well as those with dementia, and that "the life story book boxes can help relieve stress, evoke positive memories, and maintain the relationship between carer and those with dementia".
The McCarthy Stone Foundation's support for the programme includes a £2,000 grant. Scottish Book Trust CEO Marc Lambert, said: “We are grateful for the experience that McCarthy Stone employers and homeowners will bring to this programme, and we look forward to spreading the joy of shared reading.”
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