Stewart Bremner: The Early Days of a Better Nation (or How we laid the foundation for the campaign that will win an independent Scotland). The freelance graphic designer and official artist for the YES campaign discusses his new book, a collection of political posters and other designs (some only previously seen in digital form) created for the Yes campaign. ‘Stewart created an iconic image that the whole Yes campaign could rally around and identify with’ (Lesley Riddoch). 6.30pm, Word Power Books, West Nicolson Street. Free; all welcome – donations also welcome!
Tiny Tales: Peek-a-Boo! Where Are You? Join Ann Pitcher on a journey round the world with Baby Jay and his magic Peek-a-Boo blanket. Helping Ann tell her stories and sing her songs will be some of her menagerie of puppets, and the session will be rounded off with a chance for a ceilidh dance with your child. For children aged 1-3 years and their parents and carers. 10am or 11.30am (40 minute sessions), Storytelling Bothy, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street. Tickets cost £5 per child, accompanying adult free, and may be purchased online here or by calling the Box Office on 0131 556 9579. Please remember to book a free adult ticket as well as your child’s ticket.
Lunchtime Concert: Svetoslav Todorov (piano). 12.15pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street. Free.
Cameo Silver Screen: if you are over 60, join the Silver Screen Club and enjoy free tea, coffee and biscuits at these special weekly screenings, for which your ticket will cost just £5 (others are welcome to attend these screenings but will need to pay standard ticket prices) – membership of the Silver Screen Club is free; ask at the Box Office. This week’s films are Girlhood (Bande de Filles) (15) showing at 12.45 and 3.30pm, Far From the Madding Crowd (12A) showing at 12 noon and 3pm, The Falling (15) showing at 3.20pm and Marvel Avengers Assemble 2D (12A) showing at 12.10pm, Cameo, Home Street. Tickets for all screenings may be purchased online or by calling the Box Office on 0871 902 5723.
Alternatives Never Found: a new group show of works by Helen Booth, Martyna Borowiecka, Jill Cope, John Franzen, Alastair Gordon, Charlotte Keates, Paul Kessling, Cathy Lewis, Allie Macdonald, Emma Pratt and Rachel Ann Stevenson. Open preview tonight 6-9pm, then 10am-5pm Monday to Saturday, 1-5pm Sundays, Arusha Gallery, 13a Dundas Street. Ends 25th May 2015.
Jennifer Klinec: The Temporary Bride. Jennifer Klinec abandoned a corporate job to launch a cooking school from her London flat; her search for ancient recipes and her desire to explore the links between food and culture eventually led her to Iran. There she not only learned the secrets of the Persian kitchen but also fell in love with an Iranian man; Iranian laws and customs meant the pair had to take huge risks to spend any time together ‘A soaring story of being loved, being fed, and the struggle to belong’. 7-8pm, Central Library, George IV Bridge. Free tickets may be obtained via eventbrite here.
Oxgangs Library: find out about health, social care and other services in your local area. 12 noon-4pm (drop-in) Oxgangs Library, 343 Oxgangs Road North. For more information please call 0131 529 6552 or email rachel.howe@edinburgh.gov.uk.
A Calendar of Memories: a monthly session of stories, songs, laughter and reminiscence in the relaxed setting of the Storytelling Court, hosted by the Life Stories project, whose staff specialise in sharing stories with older people to rekindle imagination, trigger memories and increase communication. 2pm, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street. Tickets cost £3 and may be purchased online here or by calling the Box Office on 0131 556 9579.
Just for Men: a relaxed social opportunity for men who would like to get to know other gay, bisexual or transgender men in one of Edinburgh’s newest LGBT-friendly bars. For ages 18+. 6.30-8.30pm, Woodland Creatures, 260 Leith Walk. For more information please contact Alison Wren on 0131 652 3283 or at alison@lgbthealth.org.uk.
The Speakeasy: the Speakeasy returns with a cross-section of exciting performances. An evening of insightful humour and storytelling, mixed with theatre, music, song and poetry – ‘a truly enjoyable night out’. This month: comedy from Stuart Mitchell, poetry from Doug Garry, a true story from Gareth Mutch, an extract from Ross Hepburn’s Bettlejuice’d, poetry from Lewis Brown – and Impro FX: Men with Coconuts. Hosted by Jo Caulfield. For ages 16+. 8pm, Netherbow Theatre, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street. Tickets cost £7 and may be purchased online here or by calling the Box Office on 0131 556 9579.
Picturehouse Documentaries: Heaven Adores You (15). An intimate, meditative enquiry into the life and music of Elliott Smith, who died in 2003 at the age of just 34. Threading his music through the dense yet often isolating landscapes of the three cities – Portland, New York City and Los Angeles – in which he lived, the film presents a visual journey and reviews the singer’s prolific songwriting and its continuing impact on fans, friends and fellow musicians. 9pm, Cameo, Home Street. Tickets may be purchased online here or by calling the Box Office on 0871 902 5723.
Unlocked: Magna Carta or Abroath? Do Scotland and and the rest of the UK share a constitutional past – or future? This debate will seek to chart the next steps in Scottish constitutional and political future, looking back at the Declaration, charting the Independence Referendum and looking forward to what the future holds for Scotland and the rest of the UK. Presentations by Professor Charlie Jeffery (Centre for Constitutional Change), Alastair Stoddart (Democratic Society), Juliet Swann (Electoral Reform Society Scotland) and Adam Ramsay (openDemocracy) will be followed by an open public debate and the creation of a new document expressing the aims and values of Scotland for 2015. 7-9pm, St John’s Church Hall, Princes Street. Free: please register via eventbrite here. This event is organised by Unlock Democracy.
‘For the Inspection of the Public’: the Story of Dulwich Picture Gallery. Ian Dejardin, Sackler Director of the Dulwich Picture Gallery, delves into the story behind England’s first public art gallery, founded in 1811 but with a history that stretches back much further. The story links Queen Elizabeth I’s favourite actor with a French art dealer, his Welsh heiress wife, a half-Swiss artist, England’s greatest Regency architect and Stanislaw Poniatowski, the last king of Poland. Four of these six characters are buried on the site of what has been described as ‘the most beautiful small art gallery in the world’. 12.45-1.30pm, Hawthornden Lecture Theatre, Scottish National Gallery, The Mound. Free and unticketed.
Bookbug: songs, rhymes and stories for pre-school children and their parents and carers. 10.30am today and every Tuesday (and Friday), Muirhouse Library, Pennywell Court. All welcome: free.
Leith Folk Club: Sarah McQuaid with support Trish Santer. ‘McQuaid’s genre-spanning tastes in traditional song, together with her own songwriting, make this a genuine must-see show’. 7.30pm, Leith Folk Club, Victoria Park House Hotel, 221 Ferry Road. Tickets cost £9 and may be purchased online here or via the club’s text booking line on 07502 024 852.
