Passengers on Edinburgh Trams are in for a literary treat tomorrow lunchtime 27 November when two acclaimed authors jump on board for a special reading.
Cathy Renztenbrink (The Last Act of Love) and Douglas Lindsay (The Legend of Barney Thomson) will be sharing selected passages from ‘Journeys’ – featuring stories from writers across Scotland.
As well as the readings, which take place on a tram travelling from the airport to the city centre between 1pm and 2pm, passengers will be able to get a free copy of the book, which has been published by the Scottish Book Trust. The free event is part of celebrations taking place all over the city for Book Week Scotland 2015 and has been set up by The City of Edinburgh Council in partnership with Edinburgh Trams.
Councillor Lesley Hinds, Transport and Environment Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, will also be attending the event. She said: “We are delighted to support Book Week Scotland, and the chance to combine reading with a tram journey is a great way to promote it. This week, Craigmillar Library was announced as one of Scotland’s four new Reading Communities, and I’d encourage people to pop into their local library and find out just how much they’ve got to offer.”
‘Journeys’ is a collection of short stories from budding writers across Scotland that tell the tales about a journey – physical or emotional – in the authors’ lives, of a day they stepped out into the unknown.
Ian Craig, Chief Executive of Transport for Edinburgh, said: “As a smooth, quiet, comfortable way of travelling around the city, trams are also perfect for catching up on a good book. And it’s very fitting that the authors should be sharing a collection of stories about journeys, given that we help many thousands of people get around Edinburgh every day. We look forward to welcoming Cathy and Douglas on board and hope they, and our passengers, enjoy this special trip.”
Book Week Scotland is a week-long celebration of books and reading that takes place every November. During Book Week, people of all ages and walks of life will come together in libraries, schools, community venues and workplaces to share and enjoy books and reading. They will be joined in this celebration by Scotland’s authors, poets, playwrights, storytellers and illustrators to bring a packed programme of events and projects to life.
Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said: “To truly embed a love of books in people right across the country, we need to create a culture of reading at every level in society. That is why Book Week Scotland events like this are so fantastic – by bringing books and authors to places where people least expect to see them, we can challenge traditional perceptions of reading and, crucially, encourage people to try something new.”
To see more Edinburgh Library free events during Book Week Scotland, go to www.edinburghreads.eventbrite.co.uk
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
