Thursday in Edinburgh – What’s On Today

Waterstones West End Presents An Evening with Richard Happer: the Edinburgh-based author launches Abandoned Places: 60 Stories of Places Where Time Stopped, in which he reveals the history behind eerie ghost towns, empty streets, crumbling ruins and lost empires around the world. From St Kilda and Chernobyl to Six Flags Jazzland – abandoned after Hurricane Katrina – many of the places featured were once populated and now lie unoccupied, modern day ruins, sitting in decay. 6pm, Waterstones West End, 128 Princes Street. Free tickets are available from the shop or by calling 0131 226 2666.

Poetry and Coffee: Eleanor Livingstone, Angus Reid and Sheila Templeton will be reading selections from their poetry. 10.30-11.30am, Henderson’s Cafe, 94 Hanover Street. Free, drop-in. For more information please contact henry.e.marsh@gmail.com.

Edinburgh World Justice Festival continues this week. Today’s events are:

(1) Does The Pope Speak For Us All On Ecology and Justice? In Laudato Si Pope Francis calls for ecology and social justice. Does he speak for us all? Pope Francis’s recent publication on the environment and sustainable development bears directly on issues the United Nations is set to tackle with the upcoming Sustainable Development Goals. Should we think of the Pope’s message as representing only people of his faith, or more broadly as a voice of the Global South? 6-7.30pm, Faculty Room North, David Hume Tower, University of Edinburgh, George Square. Organised by the Ethics Forum of the University of Edinburgh; for more information please call 07583 246 926 or email Christina.dineen@ed.ac.uk.

(2) VSO: Still Sharing Skills and Making A Difference. VSO has been recruiting people to share skills in the Global South for more than 50 years. They have made many changes both in the people they have sent and the roles the volunteers have played. This evening aims to examine if there is still a contribution to be made by volunteers. 7.30-9pm, Augustine United Church, George IV Bridge. Organised by Edinburgh VSO Supporters Group; for more information please contact Cathy Crawford at crawfordcathy@hotmail.com or Joan Nadeau at kjoannadeau@yahoo.co.uk.

National Poetry Day at the National Library: staff from the Library and guests will lead an informal session of poetry readings on this year’s theme, light. Celebrate National Poetry Day by bringing along a favourite poem or submit one in advance by emailing Literature and the Arts Curator Andrew Martin at a.martin@nls.uk. 2pm, National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge. Free but booking is required and may be made by calling 0131 623 3734 or online here.

Mayfield-Salisbury Thursday Club: John Graham talks about Calcutta and West Bengal. 2pm, Upper Hall, Mayfield Salisbury Parish Church, 18 West Mayfield. The club meets weekly from October to May, with an attractive programme of music, slides, talks and demonstrations. New members warmly welcomed; annual membership costs £4 and there is a 50p charge for tea at each meeting. For more information please contact Florence Smith on 0131 663 1234.

Dr Simon Zagorski-Thomas: Classical Music ‘Hyper-Production’. Simon is Course Leader for MA Record Production /MMus Electronic Music Composition and Reader at the London College of Music. 5.15pm, Lecture Room A, Floor 2, Alison House, Reid School of Music, University of Edinburgh. Free and open to all; if you have any queries, please contact the organise, Dr Benedict Taylor, at B.Taylor@ed.ac.uk.

Golden Hare Books Presents An Evening with Justin Cartwright. One of Britain’s most acclaimed novelists, Justin Cartwright’s previous work has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize and awarded, among others, the Whitbread Novel Award, the Commonwealth Writers Prize, the South African M-Net Literary Award, the Hawthornden Prize and the Sunday Times Fiction Prize of South Africa. He will be discussing his latest novel, Up Against the Night, an intimate and unflinching portrait of one man’s troubled relationships with South Africa’s tumultuous history and his own chaotic family. 7pm, St Stephen’s Centre, St Stephen Street, Stockbridge. Free tickets are available via eventbrite here.

Cameo Big Scream: screenings exclusively for parents/carers and their babies under the age of one year. Today: East of Eden (PG): notable mainly for the electrically emotional scenes between Raymone Massey as the stiff, stern patriarch and James Dean as the rejected ‘bad son’, this is Elia Kazan’s classic adaptation of Steinbeck’s novel about the rivalry between two teenage boys for the love of their father. It’s a film of great performances, atmospheric photography and a sure sense of period and place. 10.30am, Cameo, Home Street. Tickets may be purchased from the Box Office in person, by calling 0871 902 5723 or online here.

Portrait Gallery Curator’s Talk: an opportunity to chat to Portrait Gallery curators about current exhibitions. This month Librarian Sarah Jeffcott leads an introduction to the research resources at the Portrait Gallery. 5.30-6pm, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, 1 Queen Street. No booking required: free, unticketed.

King Arthur in Edinburgh: author, storyteller, lecturer poet and musician Stuart McHardy investigates of the deep rootedness of Arthurian tradition in Edinburgh and Scotland. Stuart’s three dozen published books reflect many aspects of Scottish tradition and history inspired by his love of his native land and its multifarious stories, and include works on history, folklore and, purely out of a sense of public service, The Edinburgh and Leith Pub Guide. 10.30am, Museum of Edinburgh, Huntly House, 142 Canongate. Tickets cost £5/£3.50 and must be booked in advance via the Usher Hall Box Office, Lothian Road, in person, by calling 0131 228 1155 or online here.

The Hidden Theatres of the Marche: author Ian Arnott RSA, RIBA, FRIAS examines the origins of the theatre boom in Le Marche, and analyses the historic, social and architectural significance of a remarkable theatre heritage which stretches from the Renaissance to the nineteenth century. How did a tiny, isolated area of Italy come to have over 100 theatres, many of which are architectural gems and still in working order today? The event will be chaired by Professor Joseph Farrell (University of Strathclyde). 6pm, Italian Cultural Institute, 82 Nicolson Street.

Spark Greyfriars Lunchtime Concert: Greyfriars Organist and Choirmaster Henry Wallace will play JS Bach Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor, BWV582, Felix Mendelssohn Sonata in D Minor Op.65 No.6 and Maurice Durufle, Suite pour Orgue Op.5. 12 noon, Greyfriars Kirk, Greyfriars Place. Free.

LGBT Language Cafe: after the success of the LGBT Language Café pilot in August, LGBT Health & Wellbeing continues to provide a safe, sociable and supportive space for LGBT people whose first language is not English. If you would like to improve your spoken English and socialise with other LGBT people, these fortnightly sessions will provide fun and inclusive ways to practice speaking English and find out more about the LGBT community in Edinburgh. For ages 16+. 6.30-8.30pm, LGBT Health & Wellbeing, 9 Howe Street. Booking is preferred: for more information and to register, please contact Jules on 0131 523 1104 or email jules@lgbthealth.org.uk. Free.

Blackwell’s Edinburgh and Capercaillie Publishing Present Christopher Harvie: Dalriada. Set at the beginning of WWI, Christopher Harvie’s debut novel weaves together the literary, scientific, military and political worlds of this turbulent era, mingling real figures like Lloyd George and John Buchan with the author’s own actors and other peoples’ creations, such as Hitchcock’s Mister Memory and Lawrence’s Constance Chatterley, as they grapple with the new ideas that will help end the war and shape the twentieth century. 6.30pm, Blackwell’s, South Bridge. Free tickets are available from the shop’s front desk, by calling 0131 622 8229 or emailing events.edinburgh@blackwell.co.uk or via eventbrite here.

The Drawing Room – October: an informal, artist-led drawing session. Each session is developed by a contemporary artist and reflects concerns within that artist’s own work. The Drawing Room examines the range of possibilities within contemporary drawing practice and explores how mark-making can also be conceived as sculpture, installation, video, performance, writing, sound, textiles and animation. All materials are supplied and no experience necessary. 5.30-6.45pm, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art ONE, Belford Road. Free but booking is required: to book a place, please contact the Education Department on 0131 624 6410 or email education@nationalgalleries.org.

Jonathan Chung’s Glasshopper Trio: Ex-Glasgow, now London–based, sax player Jonathan Chung has teamed up with another ex-Glasgow colleague, drummer Corrie Dick, and London bassist James Kitchman, to form Glasshopper, an exciting young trio born out of a love for melody and improvisation. Influenced by free-improv, modern jazz, rock and folk worlds, the band performs Jonathan’s original compositions, weaving together sonic bliss and euphoric rock-outs. 9pm (entry from 8pm), The Jazz Bar, Chambers Street. £5/£4 on the door: please note this venue is cash only.

Edinburgh Spanish Film Festival: films for all tastes (‘from the foodies to the fanatics!’), primary and secondary school screenings, a gastronomic evening and opening and closing events. Today’s films, both showing at Filmhouse, Lothian Road, are;

(1) at 6pm: 5 Days to Dance/5 Dias para bailar (U) (in Spanish with English subtitles) (see listing for Sunday 4th October)

(2) at 8.15pm: 7th Floor/Septimo (18) (in Spanish with English subtitles). A father becomes involved in a desperate search to find his children, who disappeared while going down stairs from their apartment on the seventh floor.

Tickets may be purchased from the Filmhouse box office in person, by calling 0131 228 2688 or online; prices vary.