Music Box @ Colinton Library – Inaugural Event: An audience with Benny Tetteh-Lartey. A unique chance to meet and listen to the award-winning singer-songwriter and Afro-Scot Beat pioneer, following on his community appearances for Black History Month. See some of the instruments Benny has created himself, hear some acoustic variations and find out how Benny’s background has informed his music and songwriting. Refreshments provided! 4-5pm, Colinton Library, 14 Thorburn Road. Free and unticketed.
An Evening with Graeme Macrae Burnet and Michael J Malone: two distinguished Scottish writers talk about the influence on their work of France, its people, its history and its culture. Graeme is the author of The Disappearance of Adele Bedeau ‘a captivating psychological thriller’ (The Herald) in the tradition of Georges Simenon. Michael co-authored The Guillotine Choice with Bashir Saoudi, the son of the book’s subject Kaci Mohand Saoudi, who was sent from French Algeria to Devil’s Island for a crime he did not commit. 6.30pm, Golden Hare Books, 68 St Stephen Street. Read The Edinburgh Reporter’s article on the launch of The Guillotine Choice earlier this year here.
Metre by Meter: Exploring Poetry in the Trenches. Learn about Siegfried Sassoon, Rupert Brooke and Wilfred Owen and discuss some of their World War One poetry. 6.30-7.30pm, Currie Library, 210 Lanark Road. Free: to book a place please call 0131 529 5609 or call into the library.
Play Poland: New Horizons and New Europe Film Sales. Special screenings of Trash, Fragmenty, Incredibly Flexible Man, Island, Moonshine, The Big Leap and Game. 6.30pm, Meow Photography Studios, 86-92 Causewayside. Free. Shown as part of Play Poland 2014 Film Festival.
The British Heart Foundation Collection: Piershill Library will be collecting clothes, bric a brac, toys, books, etc for this charity today. If you need a bag, just ask in the library. Piershill Library, 30 Piersfield Terrace.
Guided Tour of the National Library: guided tour of the building and an introduction to the Library’s collections and history. 10.30am, National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge. Booking essential as numbers are limited: call 0131 623 3734 or book online. Please inform the library of any special access requirements.
Health In Mind Coffee Morning: are you 65+? Want to find out what’s going on in your local community? Pop in and join others for a cup of tea and a chat. 10.30am-12 noon today and every Wednesday, Community Room 1 (upstairs, lift available), Morningside Library, 184 Morningside Road
Leaving It All: Scottish soldiers’ wills and appeals against military service. A remarkable archive of wills of Scottish soldiers is held by National Records Scotland. Dr Tristram Clarke led the project to catalogue the surviving wills; personal stories can also be found in the records of the Military Appeals Tribunals in NRS. Dr Clarke’s talk will focus on what these often poignant documents can tells us about the lives of individual men and their families during the Great War. 2-3pm, General Register House, 2 Princes Street. Free tickets should be booked via eventbrite. Part of Previously….Scotland’s History Festival.
Edinburgh Napier University Undergraduate Webchat: if you are a UK student thinking about studying with Napier, this is the chat for you! Join in online and speak to staff and other prospective students – about courses, the UCAS process and even about living in Edinburgh. 4-6pm; please register here. For more information contact studentrecruitment@napier.ac.uk.
Bookbug: 30 minutes of rhymes and songs for very young children. 10.30-11.15am, Leith Library, 28-30 Ferry Road.
Tollcross Community Council: monthly meeting. Come along and share your views! The Community Council addresses issues such as litter, street cleaning, graffiti, road repairs, recycling, policing matters, changes to social care arrangements, planning applications and new licensing proposals. 6.45-8.45pm, Tolcross Community Centre, Fountainbridge. More information here.
Make It: an informal get together for people interested in any form of hand crafting, be it sewing, card-making, knitting, patchwork, quilting, crochet…Drop in, swap hints and tips, learn something new or just enjoy a chat and a cup of tea with like-minded people. If you can carry it in, you can bring it! 6.30-7.45pm tonight and every Wednesday, Morningside Library, 184 Morningside Road.
Everyone Kens Everyone: a showcase of documentary-style photographs taken of local people from Muirhouse over a 3-4 year period. Borja Prada’s sensitive portrayal is a celebration of the diverse community that lives in the area. Opening 4.30pm today, then 10am-7pm Monday to Friday, 10am-12 noon Saturdays, North Edinburgh Arts, 15a Pennywell Road. Call 0131 315 2151 for more information.
Grow Your Own Garden Workshops. A course of six-structured ‘grow your own’ workshops for beginners. Workshop 2: Getting Growing – sowing seeds and creating new plants from cuttings, bulbs and other plant parts. For ages 16+. 6-8pm tonight or 10am-12 noon on Saturday 15th November (session is repeated, so you should attend one or the other), North Edinburgh Arts, 15a Pennywell Road. Free, no booking required, but you are requested to stay for the whole two hour session, as the workshops are structured. Creche is available for the Wednesday evening workshops, but must be booked in advance. Call 0131 315 2151 for more information.
Lunchtime Concert: singers from Edinburgh Napier University accompanied by pianist Chris Harding. 12.15pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street. Free.
Edinburgh Newman Circle: Michael TRB Turnball, lecturer and author (including Scotland: The Facts, and a biography of Cardinal Gordon Joseph Gray) will speak on St Andrew – Myth, Legend and Reality. 7.30pm, St Catherine’s Convent, Lauriston Gardens. For more information contact Dan Cronin on 0131 667 5270 or danjcronin@btinternet.com. All welcome.
