The West Port Book Festival is running from Thursday 13 to Sunday 16 October 2011. Boasting a range of interesting venues and events, the full programme has now been announced and we have made our choices from the varied schedule. Tickets for the events can be bought from Peter Bell Books on Wednesday 12 October after 4pm and throughout the festival.
Emily Dodd (13 October, 8.30pm at Edinburgh Books): Storyteller, podcast/film maker, scientist, entertainer, singer and poet, there’s no-one quite like puffin-loving banana fan Emily Dodd and her magical blend of song, story and poem. Edward Lear, Dr Seuss and A. A. Milne collide in what promises to be a joyous hour for the young and young at heart alike.
William Letford and Luke Williams (14 October, 9pm at Edinburgh Books): Roofer and award-winning poet William Letford has been felling audiences across Scotland with his matchless performances, while Luke Williams’ first novel, The Echo Chamber, was hailed as ‘Original, brilliant, inconceivable’ by West Port favourite Ali Smith, and shortlisted for the Newton First Book Award. What do you get when you cross two stylish young writers and put them in the splendid surrounds of Edinburgh Books of a Friday eve? An unmissable show.
Rob Shearman (15 October, 12pm at Pulp Fiction): Rob may be best-known as a writer for Doctor Who – his Doctor Who episode ‘Dalek’ was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form in 2006 – but he’s also a theatrical playwright, having worked with Alan Ayckbourn, had a play produced by Francis Ford Coppola, and received several international awards for his work in theatre. We’re thrilled he’s here to read from his latest short story collection, Everyone’s Just So So Special, and to have a blether with Stuart Kelly.
Traverse Playwrights (15 October, 9pm at the Traverse Bar): David Greig, Peter Arnott, Linda McLean and many more will reveal their secret poems; ones they’ve been penning themselves or their favourites. Open Mic slots available for audience members.
Copyright: What’s it all about? (16 October, 3:15-6pm at the Scottish Poetry Library – some tickets the the door): Monks fought battles over it, fraudsters broke it and some online sites don’t give a toss about it: copyright has been an explosive issue for more than 1500 years. This afternoon event invites legal eagles and enthusiastic academics, including West Port favourite Ronan Sheehan and University of Stirling lecturer Padmini Ray Murray, to talk about copyright, past, present and future.
Photo of the West Port Book Launch courtesy of Chrisdonia
Join up here for a daily email of all our recent articles straight to your inbox:-
Comments are closed.