Minecraft Building Club: come and try this new club – it just started last week! 3.30-4.30pm, Moredun Library, 92 Moredun Park Road. Also at same time on Mondays.
Sofi’s Clothes Swap: bring your unwanted clothes and swap them for something else. Upcycling at its most fun! No money involved – the more you bring, the more you swap. 7-10pm, Sofi’s, 65 Henderson Street.
Economics with Jim and Margaret Cuthbert: Jim and Margaret are both economists and statisticians. Jim was formerly Scottish Office Chief Statisician, Margaret lectured in econometrics at Glasgow University; both are now retired and pursue research interests. Area C Coffee House, 239 Leith Walk. Organised by Common Weal Edinburgh North and Leith.
Whale Snappers: a monthly session for anyone with an interest in taking photos, learning about portraits, and printing in a dark room. Lead by a friendly professional photographer, all levels of experience welcome. Try it out! 6-9pm, WHALE Arts, 30 Westburn Grove. £4 per session.
Pauline Detective: Pauline, a talented and gorgeous woman working for a criminal investigation’s newspaper, is going through a midlife crisis. Her younger sister Jeanne takes her to a famous hotel in the Italian Riviera – where Pauline believes a crime has been committed and starts to play detective. Dir: Marc Fitoussi. The film is in French with English subtitles. 1-2.30pm, Institut francais d’Ecosse, 13 Randolph Crescent. Free: no booking required.
Zoo Arts: sessions for young people aged 9-14 years who are interested in the visual arts. Activities are usually project-based and last around 2-4 weeks; they include creating temporary public art installations, with group exhibitions at the end of each term – and a party!. The group also goes on inspiring trips to places like the National Galleries and Museums. 4-5.30pm today and every Wednesday (breaks for school holidays), North Edinburgh Arts, 15a Pennywell Court. 50p per session, healthy snack provided. Pop in any Wednesday to see why everyone loves Zoo Arts so much!
Stockbridge and Inverleith Community Council: all members of the community are welcome to attend and participate – see website for minutes of past meetings and future agendas. 7pm, Stockbridge Parish Church, Saxe Coburg Street.
January Open Spoken Word and Music Night: featuring Irish Flyte Champion, comedian and poet Sean O’Dee. Please bring along a poem or a song. 7.30-10pm, The Red Room, Constitution Bar, Constitution Street. Free: please indicate your attendance on the event’s Facebook page. For more details contact rose.fraser@yahoo.co.uk.
Lunchtime Concert: Piano Speak. Improvisations, requests and repartee with Will Pickvance. 12.15pm, St Giles Cathedral, High Street. Free.
Chatterbooks: if you like books and reading, come along to meet new friends,, chat about books and join in games and competitions. For children aged 8-12 years. 3.45-4.45pm, Fountainbridge Library, 137 Dundee Street. Free. For more information call in at the library or email Mohammed.boussabou@edinburgh.gov.uk.
Blackwell’s Edinburgh Presents Sue Lieberman: After Genocide – How Ordinary Jews Face The Holocaust. Edinburgh author and psychotherapist Sue Lieberman explores the neglected world of ‘ordinary Jews’, those who have no direct family lineage to the Holocaust but are nevertheless deeply affected by its memory. Drawing on interviews with Jews across the age spectrum, After Genocide focuses on the complex psychological legacy for a community of such a devastating history; in addressing the question of what constitutes collective trauma, it will speak to many communities with comparable collective histories. 6.30-7.30pm Blackwell’s, South Bridge. Free tickets can be collected from Blackwell’s front desk or reserved by calling 0131 622 8218 or emailing events.edinburgh@blackwell.co.uk.
Visually impaired tour and workshop – The Two Roberts: Robert Colquhoun and Robert MacBryde. A free descriptive tour and practical workshop for the visually impaired, focusing on The Two Roberts: Robert Colquhoun and Robert MacBryde. 10am-3.30pm, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art TWO, Belford Road. Free: to book a place please call 0131 624 6560.
Blackwell’s Edinburgh Presents Christopher Brookmyre: Dead Girl Walking. Celebrate the return of Jack Parblane in the much-awaited new book. Jack Parblane has lost everything; his journalism career, his marriage, his self-respect. A call for help from an old friend offers a chance for redemption – but only if he can find out what has happened to Heike Gunn, a famous, beautiful and talented woman who has simply vanished. From Berlin to Barcelona, form the streets of Milan to remote Scottish islands, Parblane must find out what happened before it’s too late. 7-9pm, The Caves, Niddry Street South. This event is ticketed but tickets are free, and can be collected from Blackwell’s (South Bridge) front desk or reserved by calling 0131 622 8218 or emailing events.edinburgh@blackwell.co.uk.
Bi & Beyond Edinburgh: a fortnightly social gathering for people who identify as bisexual and non-monosexual. ‘With organised social activities and refreshments provided, whatever your label or lack of label we welcome you’. 7-9pm, LGBT Health & Wellbeing, 9 Howe Street. For more information contact biandbeyondedinburgh@gmail.com.
Crufts and Other Adventures: local author LJB Fraser will read from and talk about her book Cavalier Chronicles, which documents life through the eyes of Rufus, her King Charles spaniel. Possibly including an appearance by Rufus himself! 6.30-7.30pm, Colinton Library, 14 Thorburn Road. To book a place please call 0131 529 5603 or email colinton,library@edinburgh.gov.uk. Free.
Scottish Society of Architect Artists: Art4X. An exhibition and sale of art works organised jointly by the SSAA and the University of Edinburgh, in support of the University’s Patrick Wild Centre. The Centre’s mission is to understand the neuronal basis of, and test new therapies for, autism, fragile X syndrome and intellectual disabilities by fostering collaborations between world class basic science and clinical research at the University of Edinburgh. A selection of guest artists and Ligne et Couleur (Ligne et Couleur is the name of the SSAA’s counterpoint associations in other European countries) colleagues from France, Germany, Italy and Poland who have exhibited with SSAA over the last three decades have been invited to contribute works for the exhibition and auction as part of Art4X. 10am-4pm today, Thursday 22nd and Friday 23rd January, 10am-12 noon Saturday 24th January, Sculpture Hall, Edinburgh College of Art, Lauriston Place.
Morningside Justice and Peace Group: Professor David Bell, University of Stirling, talks on Growth, deficit, austerity and other macroeconomic considerations in the run-up to May 2015. The Morningside Justice and Peace Group exists to promote informed opinion on matters of concern to the community at large: meetings are open to all and consist of a short talk followed by questions and discussion. 10.30-11.30am, The Open Door, 420 Morningside Road. £1 per person. For more information please contact Barbara Darcy at b.darcy20@gmail.com.
