There’s a big decision looming this Thursday……. just where will you go first when Leith Late opens? Edinburgh Printmakers? Rhubaba? Out of the Blue? Gayfield? You’re going to be busy (so don’t forget to deal with that other tricky issue early in the day…) Whether you’re 2 or 92, there’s lots for you to enjoy every day this week, from celebrating midsummer at the Botanics, the Institut français, The Queen’s Hall or LGBT Health & Wellbeing to taking your Teddy Bear to a picnic in Duddingston. And if all that’s a little bit too outdoors for you, why not take yourself down to the cosy confines of the Jazz Bar to hear the Vein Trio, or the equally darkened depths of Henry’s for the Cellar Bar Folk Club? Never say we don’t cover all bases. Whatever you decide to do, have a fabulous week – and please check details of all events with the organisers before setting out.
MONDAY 20th JUNE 2016
Eric Liddell Centre Ca(i)re Programme: delivering yoga and tai chi classes free to all carers living in Edinburgh. Today: Yoga with Rona Nussey – a new 8 week course. 10.30am, Eric Liddell Centre, 15 Morningside Road. To register please email flora@ericliddell.org or call 0131 446 3321. Tai chi begins on Thursday – please see separate listing.
Picturehouses Toddler Time: exclusive short screenings for pre-school children and their parents and carers. Today: Q Pootle 5 Programme 11 (U): join the stars of the hit CBeebies show as Q Pootle 5, Oopsy, Eddi, Stella, Ray, Groobie, Bud-D and Planet Dave tackle the everyday problems of the final frontier. With friendship at the heart of the series, Q Pootle 5 and his friends find fun and adventure wherever they go. Set in outer space on the wonderful planet Okidoki, this series, created by best-selling children’s author and illustrator Nick Butterworth, is of the highest quality. 11am, Cameo, Home Street. Tickets cost £3 per child, accompanying adult free.
Magritte and Dali in London: Keith Hartley, Deputy Director of the Gallery of Modern Art, will look at the work of Magritte and Dalí and their circle in London in the 1930s. 12.45-1.30pm, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art ONE, Belford Road. Free to Surreal Encounters exhibition ticket holders. No booking required.
LGBT Age Edinburgh Summer Solstice Picnic: enjoy the summer solstice with a picnic in the garden at LGBT Health & Wellbeing’s office. Snacks and drinks provided, along with some optional picnic games. 1-3.30pm, LGBT Health & Wellbeing, 9 Howe Street. Free but booking is required; please call LGBT Age on 0141 271 2330 or email beverley@lgbthealth.org.uk. LGBT Age is a project run by LGBT Health and Wellbeing for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people aged 50 and over in Greater Glasgow, Edinburgh and the Lothians. 
The project aims to promote health and wellbeing and create social opportunities. It offers a befriending service, social programme and information sessions. If you or someone you know is interested in finding out more about what LGBT Age can offer, please get in touch by calling 0141 271 2330 or emailing lgbtage@lgbthealth.org.uk.
Crapitalism: A Rubbish Exhibition by Leithers Don’t Litter. ‘There are three groups responsible for litter in Leith: You and me. The city council. And the companies who make the stuff whose packaging ends up on our streets. This exhibition is about them, the big brands. With all their money they could be doing much more to solve the problem’. 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday, Edinburgh Creative Exchange, 29 Constitution Street. Ends 1st July.
Blackwell’s Edinburgh Book Group: join Blackwell’s Book Group for lively, friendly book chatter – no previous experience required! The group meets monthly to discuss a wide range of books – fiction and non-fiction, classic and contemporary, prizewinners and cult heroes – in short, whatever you fancy! Currently reading Miles Franklin’s My Brilliant Career. 6pm, Blackwell’s, South Bridge. To join just email your details to events.edinburgh@blackwell.co.uk.
Jane Couroussopoulos: Small Things. Jane has been teaching for Edinburgh City Council since 2002 and at Leith School of Art since 2003. This year she has taken over as a leader of the two-day drawing course at LSA. She also has a studio space in Coburg House, where she continues to draw and paint alongside teaching. ‘The title refers to the small size of most of the drawings themselves, the smallness of the objects depicted in them, and their quiet significance. 
The shrines and churches in this body of work are born of a fascination with the way these religious structures, individual and communal, punctuate our environment. Kandylakia is the Greek name for these roadside shrines seen along many winding roads in Greece – ostensible markers of lives lost, they also mark lives spared. Lasting memorials to lost relatives are an essential part of Greek culture and these shrines are, as far as I know, unique to Greece.’ Preview tonight 6-8pm, then 11am-5pm Tuesday to Saturday, McNaughtan’s Bookshop & Gallery, Haddington Place (top of Leith Walk). Ends 30th July.
Edinburgh Acting School Junior Showcase: The Importance of Being Earnest. What’s in a name? Everything, according to these larger than life characters! 
The Edinburgh Acting School teenage class presents an adapted version of Oscar Wilde’s classic play of identity, status and wit. Come ready to laugh until you cry with this farcical delight, and don’t forget your haaandbaaag! Join the talents of the future in their performance of one of the world’s most loved plays. 7pm, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 45 High Street. Tickets cost £6/£4 and are available from the Box Office in person, by calling 0131 556 9579 or online here.
Refugee Festival Scotland 2016: ArtRipples Collective Presents Strings – A Human Library. This exhibition aims to generate a strong sense of solidarity within the community and a genuine human approach to the topic. Local and international artists will contribute by creating art with a social purpose that will help participants to see the situation from different angles. Additional events will include a Human Library, a Short Films Screening event, and a workshop inspired by the book Come Ali di Farfalla (Like Butterfly Wings). (Booking is required for workshops and films as space is limited).
The exhibition is in partnership with The Image Collective, Fotomovimiento, Syn Festival, and Cinema dal Basso. All events will be free, with donations invited for organisations working directly with refugees. 11.30am-4pm daily, The Image Collective, Ocean Terminal (2nd Floor), Ocean Drive, Leith. Ends 26th June. For more information, programme details and booking information please see the event’s Facebook page here.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream: St Mary’s Music School Orchestra, String Ensemble, Senior Choir and the Choristers of St Mary’s Cathedral, with guest conductor David Watkin, present choral, orchestral, traditional music and jazz with a Shakespearian theme at its heart. 7.30pm, The Queen’s Hall, 85-89 Clerk Street. Tickets £10/£7/£3 from the Box Office on 0131 668 2019 or online here.
Grassmarket Community Cinema: Magnolia (18). With Magnolia, Paul Thomas Anderson establishes himself as one of the most exciting and distinctive directors around. Magnolia contains the convulsive emotional hurt and sweeping visual style that characterised Hard Eight and Boogie Nights and is an anthology of broken lives – each interleaving with the other in a lattice of ill omen and disquiet. It is an ensemble picture like Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction or Altman’s Short Cuts but, with the device of a deadpan prologue about the nature of coincidence, makes manifest the curious nature of its own very individual world. It is an excursion into the universe of Ripley’s Believe-It-Or-Not urban myth that prepares us – just about – for the uproarious biblical finale with which Anderson spectacularly discharges the unbearable tension and anxiety which has built up over the preceding three hours. Magnolia is a sprawling, howling miasma of strangeness, and some may find incontinence and indiscipline in its sheer length and Anderson’s love of bringing the soundtrack up to ear-bashing levels over the dialogue – particularly in the opening 10-15 minutes. But there is a compelling darkness in Anderson’s film, a Mood Indigo of desperation. 
7pm, Grassmarket Community Project, 86 Candlemaker Row. All welcome, free admission: donations very welcome! The Grassmarket Community Project is a charity providing mentoring, training and education to participants, many of whom are amongst the most vulnerable of Edinburgh’s citizens, in a nurturing environment. It operates a community cafe, woodwork and tartan social enterprises, and a range of social integration and educational activities for members, aimed at enhancing life skills and developing confidence. To read about The Edinburgh Reporter’s afternoon at the Project, click here.
TUESDAY 21st JUNE 2016
Odeon Silver Cinema: if you are 55+ come along to these special screenings for only £3 per person, and enjoy a free tea or coffee and biscuits before the show. Today’s films are Hail, Caesar (12A) at 11am and My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (12A) at 2pm, Odeon Lothian Road, 118 Lothian Road.
Café Ceilidh Old Town Celebration: join Linten Adie and friends from the Scots Music Group in the relaxed setting 
of the Storytelling Court for a free afternoon of songs and music celebrating Edinburgh’s Old Town. 2pm, Storytelling Court, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 45 High Street. No booking required.
Harpies, Fechters and Quines Festival: The Henna Tradition. Come along to learn about the story of henna, have your hand decorated and hear about the traditional sari. 2-3.30pm, Boardroom, Central Library, George IV Bridge. Free but please book via Eventbrite here. Please note that all events in this festival are for women only.
Craigentinny and Duddingston Community Get Together: with a Teddy Bears’ Picnic, guided field tours, apple juice making, refreshments and a Night Garden story tent! 6pm, Duddingston Field (opposite the Sheep Heid Inn, The Causeway, Duddingston). For more information please contact mary.dunbar@edinburgh.gov.uk. Organised by Craigentinny and Duddingston Neighbourhood Partnership.
Golden Hare Books and Bloomsbury present Emily Mackenzie: an afternoon of storytelling and artsy activities with the wonderful author and illustrator (Wanted! Ralfy Rabbit, Book Burglar), who will be reading from her fantastic new picture book, Stanley the Amazing Knitting Cat and will also be encouraging children to draw and create their own stories in an arts & crafts session. Stanley LOVES to knit. He knocks up pom-poms at breakfast time, whips up bobble hats at bath time. 
He even knits in his sleep! And what does Stanley do with his wonderful woollies? He gives them to his friends of course – balaclavas for bunnies, neckwarmers for giraffes and much more besides. But when Stanley gets carried away with his dream of winning the Woolly Wonders competition, he has to decide what’s more important – his knitting or his friends? For children aged 3-7 – all children must be supervised by an adult. 4pm, Golden Hare Books, St Stephen Street, Stockbridge. Free but as places are very limited, booking is essential and may be made via Eventbrite here.
Fête de la Musique: open the doors and the windows, let the summer breeze in and carry all the songs, music and dance from the Institut français. Et oui, c’est la fête de la musique and everyone is in a festive mood! Come along and enjoy an amazing line-up of bands, including Djana Gabrielle, Adrian, Fuzzystar, Jack and The’ and The New Beans, who will perform throughout this first day of Summer. 
From 4 to 5pm there will be a harp workshop with Emeline for children aged 6-12 (booking is essential); music will begin at 5.30pm. What’s more, the bistro will be open, with staff from Pâtisserie Maxime behind the bar! Institut Français d’Ecosse, 13 Randolph Crescent. Free but booking is required and may be made by contacting the Box Office on 0131 225 53 66 or emailing info@ifecosse.org.uk. For the full programme see the Institut’s website here.
New Voices: discover the brightest debut literary talents, and be the first to hear future prize-winning and bestselling authors, in the Museum’s new regular showcase. Chaired by Jenny Brown, four writers – Dorothy Alexander, Shelley Day, Lesley Kelly and Allyson Stack – read from their work and talk inspiringly about their road to publication. 6pm, National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge. Free but booking is required and may be made by calling 0131 623 3734 or via Eventbrite here.
Botanics Midsummer’s Eve Late Opening: enjoy the Garden, Glasshouses, Inverleith House, Botanics Shop and Terrace Café until dusk as part of RBGE’s annual special late-night opening. There will be half price entry to the Glasshouses between 6pm and 9.30pm. Food and refreshments available at the Terrace Cafe and East Gate Lodge. 6-10.30pm, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Inverleith Row. Admission to the Botanics is free – no booking required.
Palcrafts AGM and Open Meeting: the AGM will be followed by a talk by Sarah Burns, Retail Manager of Hadeel Fair Trade Shop, and Nick Evans, supporter of Palcrafts, Town Planner & Geographer, who took part in the recent Palcrafts/Hadeel study tour to Israel/Palestine. Sarah and Nick were both first time visitors to the area and will give their impressions of the trip, the region and the people they met. 7-9pm, The Melting Pot, 5 Rose Street.
Picturehouses Discover Tuesdays: cult classics, art-house gems and riveting documentaries – there’s always a chance to see something different and brilliant in the Cameo’s weekly slot. Today’s film is Chicken (15). Based on Freddie Machin’s acclaimed play, UK director Joe Stephenson’s debut feature follows Richard (Scott Chambers) a young boy with learning difficulties living with his troubled brother Polly (Morgan Watkins) in a remote caravan in the Norfolk countryside. At once tough and bleak, Stephenson’s assured film teases out the lyricism and optimism in the source material, bringing a distinctive visual sensibility to the film’s remote settings. Chambers and Watkins bring chemistry and pathos to the fraught drama and the film stands out from traditional British kitchen sink realism in its heightened, cinematic style. 6pm, Cameo, Home Street. Tickets may be purchased from the Box Office in person, by calling 0871 902 5723 or online.
Renew Trident? You Must Be Joking! An Edinburgh CND fundraising night of comedy with Keir McAllister, Daisy Earl, Robin Grainger, Danny Bhoy and Phil O’Shea, hosted by Liam Withnail. 8.30pm (doors open 7.30pm), The Stand Comedy Club, 
5 York Place. Tickets cost £7/£5 and may be reserved by calling the Stand Box Office on 0131 558 7272, CND on 0131 538 7298 or via Eventbrite here. CND campaigns for Britain to give up nuclear weapons, bases and alliances and work towards a worldwide ban on nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.
Hannah Aldridge and Lilly Hiatt: with sounds ranging from blues in the Mississippi Delta to the dusty, Dixieland jazz of New Orleans, the musical stylings of Muscle Shoals on up to the primitive roots of American Country music, Hannah Aldridge (daughter of Alabama Music Hall of Famer Walt Aldridge) leaves no inspiration or influence untapped. East Nashville firebrand Lilly Hiatt (daughter of famously eclectic singer-songwriter John Hiatt) describes her music as ‘the majesty of melancholy accepting the sadder aspects of life and finding some peace in them’. Over 18s only. 8pm, The Voodoo Rooms, West Register Street. Tickets £10 + booking fee from Brown Paper Tickets here.
Captain Chaos: Chris Clavin, legendary founding member of Ghost Mice and Plan-It-X Records, returns to Edinburgh for one night. Captain Chaos started as a song-a-day project, in which Chris tried to write and record a song every day. The idea was to write and record the most honest version of the song; this turned into eight full length albums. Plus support from Edinburgh singer/songwriter Hailey Beavis, Glaswegian singer/songwriter – and member of Joyce Delaney – Chrissy Barnacle and exciting newcomers Princess Cat. 7pm, Banshee Labyrinth, Niddry Street. Tickets £5 in advance here or £7 on the door. Hosted by Massive Nights Collective. All profits go to the performers.
WEDNESDAY 22nd JUNE 2016
Harpies, Fechters and Quines Festival: Edinburgh Story Café. Come and discover the work of powerful women writers from Glasgow Women’s Library’s Commonwealth Writers’ collection. 1-2.30pm, Boardroom, Central Library, George IV Bridge. Free but please book via Eventbrite here. Please note that all events in this festival are for women only.
Eighteenth Century People: Edinburgh Living History are a multi award-winning team who interpret the history of Edinburgh museums in a variety of ways. Each performance is carefully scripted with intrigue, drama and humour. Today you are invited to meet some upper-class people who lived and worked in Edinburgh and who helped shape the city, including James Craig, designer of Edinburgh’s New Town, who talks about his past and his plans; a local harridan who gossips about the tough conditions of her life in the Old Town; silversmith James Kerr enjoying the wealth and prominence he’s gained – while the Dowager Duchess of Gordon has come down in the world and describes the hardships of her life. Watch the stories unfold… 2-3pm, Museum of Edinburgh, Huntly House, 142 Canongate. Drop in event – no need to book; suggested donation £3.
Leith School of Art Short Courses Summer Exhibition. Leith School of Art’s ethos is to encourage and welcome all those who want to learn about art and design, irrespective of age, ability or personal circumstances, The School wants its high quality teaching to be available to everyone and achieves this by running a full programme, ranging from one-year courses to part-time day and evening classes. This exhibition showcases the work of students from full year courses in Painting, Drawing, Art & Spirituality, Critical & Professional Development, Figurative Art, Landscape Art, Printmaking and the full-time Foundation Course. Private view 6.30-8.30pm tonight, then 10am-4pm daily, Leith School of Art St James’s Campus, 11a John’s Place. Ends 25th June.
Wiff Waff Wednesday: a monthly ping pong night for all ages with music, drink and great food at the Drill Hall Arts Cafe. ‘Friendship 1st, competition 2nd’. 6-10.30pm, Out of the Blue, 36 Dalmeny Street. Free entry and all are welcome!
Songs from the Musicals: Dunfermline Gilbert & Sullivan Society visits to perform hits from Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, Oliver! and more. 7pm, St Andrew’s Church, Clermiston View. Tickets cost £8 and are available from Society members, by phoning 07703 483083 or at the door. All welcome at this wonderful evening of song and entertainment!
Blackwell’s Edinburgh Presents Scottish History and Scotland’s Empire with Sir Tom Devine. Join Scotland’s leading historian in a discussion of his career and the future directions of Scottish history, at an event to launch Angela McCarthy and John MacKenzie’s Global Migrations: The Scottish Diaspora Since 1600, which is dedicated to Tom. From the seventeenth century to the current day, more than 2.5 million Scots have sought new lives elsewhere. Tom has been at the forefront of showing how Scotland shaped the world and how the wider world formed Scotland. On this occasion, the book’s editors place Tom in the hot seat and quiz him about the distinctive aspects of this migrant flow, as well as broader aspects of his career and the future of Scottish history. 6pm, Blackwell’s, South Bridge. Free tickets may be obtained from the shop’s front desk, by calling 0131 622 8222, emailing events.edinburgh@blackwell.co.uk or via Eventbrite here.
Edinburgh Gay Men’s Book Group: an inclusive group where you can meet new people and read and discuss interesting books. 7-9pm, LGBT Health & Wellbeing, 9 Howe Street. For more information please email info@gaybookgroup.co.uk
Robin Gillanders and Henry Gough-Cooper: A Lover’s Complaint. The launch of photographic artist Robin Gillanders’ limited edition ‘artist’s book’, with haikus by the writer Henry Gough-Cooper. The book takes as its inspiration Roland Barthes’ 1977 book A Lover’s Discourse. 6.30-8pm, Stills, Cockburn Street. Free but booking is required and may be made via Eventbrite here. Image: A Lovers Complaint (2016) Robin Gillanders, courtesy the artist.
Edinburgh Acting School – Shorts: an evening of short scenes and plays performed by the EAS actors-in-training. The performers have worked hard in developing their skills, culminating in this performance to showcase their talents, so if you would like to see some up-and-coming actors, or simply enjoy an evening of short pieces, come join us! 7.30pm, Netherbow Theatre, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 45 High Street. Tickets cost £8/£6 and are available from the Box Office in person, by calling 0131 556 9579 or online here.
Brodie Jarvie German/Scottish Jazz Collective: a wonderful mix of music from the realms of Jazz, Scottish Folk and World Music from a 7-piece led by Glasgow bassist Brodie Jarvie (currently studying in Amsterdam Conservatoire), with original compositions by the group members. Lyrical melodies that are catchy and go right under your skin meet pulsating and electrifying rhythms, German poetry meets English lyrics as the expressive voice of Anja Ritterbusch merges with dynamic instrumental sounds. The band’s explosive play is full of all kinds of nuances, guaranteeing very special listening pleasure. 9pm (Entry from 8pm) The Jazz Bar, 1a Chambers Street. £5/£4; please note that this venue is strictly cash only.
THURSDAY 23rd JUNE 2016
Odeon Silver Cinema: if you are 55+ come along to these special screenings for only £3 per person, and enjoy a free tea or coffee and biscuits before the show. Today’s films are My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (12A) at 11am and Hail, Caesar (12A) at 2pm, Odeon Lothian Road, 118 Lothian Road.
Greyfriars at 12: A Tour of European Music. An apposite organ recital with Henry Wallace (Organist and Choirmaster, Greyfriars Kirk), including works by Dietrich Buxtehude, Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Max Reger, César Franck, Charles Villiers Stanford, Herbert Howells, Paul Müller-Zürich and Jean Langlais. 12 noon, Greyfriars Kirk, Greyfriars Place. Free.
Lunchtime Concert: Lakewood Area Choral Society, Michigan. A cappella sacred and popular singing, featuring traditional American spiritual music such as Deep River and Standing in the Need of Prayer, plus Welsh Lullaby, Old Irish Blessing and An Old English Prayer. 12.15pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street. Free.
Eric Liddell Centre Ca(i)re Programme: delivering yoga and tai chi classes free to all carers living in Edinburgh. Today: tai chi with Ann Richards – a new 8 week course. 1.30pm, Eric Liddell Centre, 15 Morningside Road. To register please email flora@ericliddell.org or call 0131 446 3321.
Justin Cronin: The City of Mirrors. The author will sign copies of the highly-anticipated third and final part of his The Passage trilogy. ‘Justin Cronin’s Passage trilogy is remarkable for the unremitting drive of its narrative, for the breathtaking sweep of its imagined future, and for the clear lucidity of its language. The City of Mirrors is a thrilling finale to a trilogy that will stand as one of the great achievements in American fantasy fiction.’ (Stephen King). 12.30pm, Waterstones West End, 128 Princes Street.
The Elizabeth Project: Oxpen Writing Group invites everybody to come and listen to readings from its most recent short story collection. 1-2pm, Oxgangs Library, 343 Oxgangs Road North.
Get Online: free help with computing. Bring along your iPad: we will cover all the basics and then help you get the most out of the internet. 2-4pm, Newington Library, Fountainhall Road. Free but please phone 0131 529 5336 to book a place.
Scotland’s Gardens: Humbie Dean. A two acre ornamental and woodland garden at 600 feet, under single-handed renovation and major extension since 2008. The aim is to provide interest throughout a long season. 
A limited palette of plants with hosta, primula, meconopsis and spring bulbs; herbaceous and shrubaceous planting; bluebell meadow; mature and recent azalea and rhododendron planting. A short woodland walk has been created. 2-6pm, Humbie Dean, Humbie, East Lothian EH36 5PW (for detailed directions click here). Admission £5 of which 40% goes to the Trellis Scotland, a charity supporting therapeutic gardening through a range of easy to access services, and the net remainder to SG charities.
Scotland’s Gardens: Guided Walk at Inveresk Lodge Garden (National Trust for Scotland). 
Tucked away behind stone walls in the charming village of Inveresk, this delightful hillside garden offers an oasis of calm and a year-round feast for the senses.The garden is split into two main areas – sloping lawns and borders at the top of the hill, and the wilder woodland and ponds 
below, both alive with birdsong and wildlife. You’ll also be drawn to the beautiful restored Edwardian conservatory which is home to an aviary. The garden is a true treat for the senses with scented plants and birdsong. Garden open 10am-5pm daily, special woodland walk today 11am-12 noon, Inveresk Lodge Garden, 23 Inveresk Village, East Lothian EH21 7TE. (for detailed directions click here). Standard admission to garden £3.50/£2.50 (NTS members free), guided walk an extra £2. A donation from the proceeds of the walk will be made to SG charities.
SJI Holliday: Willow Walk. The author discusses Book Two in the Banktoun Trilogy and celebrates its publication. When a woman is brutally attacked on a lonely country road by an escaped inmate from a nearby psychiatric hospital, Sergeant Davie Gray must track him down before he strikes again. But Gray is already facing a series of deaths connected to legal highs and a local fairground, as well as dealing with his girlfriend Marie’s bizarre behaviour. As Gray investigates the crimes, he suspects a horrifying link between Marie and the man on the run – but how can he confront her when she’s pushing him away? 6pm, Waterstones West End, 128 Princes Street. Free tickets are available from the shop; for further details please call 0131 226 2666.
LGBT Language Café: a safe, sociable and supportive space for LGBT people whose first language is not English. Improve your spoken English and your confidence and socialise with other LGBT people at these fun and inclusive sessions. Facilitators Sophie and Clare will provide fun and inclusive ways to practice speaking English, build your vocabulary and help you to find out more about the LGBT community in Edinburgh. 6.30-8.30pm, LGBT Health & Wellbeing, 9 Howe Street. For more information please contact Jules Stapleton Barnes on 0131 523 1104 or email jules@lgbthealth.org.uk.
Live Music Now: Jeana Leslie and Siobhan Miller. Jeana Leslie and Siobhan Miller perform together as singers and musicians; their concert will feature a mixture of traditional, contemporary and self-penned songs. ‘Saying that Leslie and Miller are wonderful singers with an amazing talent for arranging and harmonies, is a complete understatement. They seem to have an uncanny sense of what will sound beautiful.’ (The Living Tradition Magazine.) 6-6.30pm, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, 1 Queen Street. Free and unticketed.
Refugee Festival Scotland 2016: No Strings Attached. This community wind band invites you to an informal end of term concert to raise funds for the Scottish Refugee Council. The band will play a range of easy listening music, followed by refreshments. 7.45pm, Broughton St Mary’s Church, Bellevue Crescent. Admission by donation at the door. All welcome – raffle and cake from 8.30pm!
Blackwell’s Edinburgh Presents Hazel McHaffie: Inside of Me. Victor Grayson adores his 8-year-old daughter, India, so why does he vanish leaving only a neatly folded pile of clothes on a windy beach? India is devastated and bargains with God: I’ll stop eating chocolate if you send my Daddy back to me. Now 15 and seriously anorexic, she’s convinced she heard his voice on a crowded London station, and sets out to track him down. Isolated and overwhelmed, her mother, Tonya, succumbs to gnawing doubts about the man she thought she knew. Who exactly was he? What dark secrets were haunting him? Could he be involved in the disappearance of three teenage girls? The revelation when it comes is much more challenging than Tonya ever dreamed of. Hazel McHaffie has extensive clinical and academic experience in the world of medical ethics. Widely published in medical journals, she won the BMA Medical Book of the Year prize in 2002, and her fifth novel Right to Die was shortlisted for the BMA Popular Medicine prize in 2008. 6pm, Blackwell’s, South Bridge. Free tickets may be obtained from the shop’s front desk, by calling 0131 622 8222, emailing events.edinburgh@blackwell.co.uk or via Eventbrite here.
The Cellar Bar Folk Club: with The Deadly Winters (folk rock/Americana), Note to Self (indie-folk) + more to be announced shortly. Henry’s Cellar Bar, Morrison Street. £5 on the door. Please contact venue for times.
Leith School of Art Year Long Courses Summer Exhibition. Leith School of Art’s ethos is to encourage and welcome all those who want to learn about art and design, irrespective of age, ability or personal circumstances, The School wants its high quality teaching to be available to everyone and achieves this by running a full programme, ranging from one-year courses to part-time day and evening classes. This exhibition showcases the work of students from short courses. Private view 7.30-9.30pm tonight, then 10am-4pm daily, Leith School of Art, North Junction Street. Ends 26th June.
Men’s Comedy Film and Games Night: a fun social gathering for gay, bi and trans men (inclusive of non binary people). Come along for a coffee and an old fashioned board game at 7pm, followed by a screening of I Love You Philip Morris at 8. Starring Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor, the movie follows the hard-to-believe and hilarious true story of Steven Russell, an American con man who stopped at nothing to be with the man he loved. Optional local drinks afterwards. 7pm, LGBT Health & Wellbeing, 9 Howe Street. For more information please contact Stephen McCabe on 0131 652 3287 or email stephen@lgbthealth.org.uk.
Donna Lewis Brand New Day UK Tour: Welsh-born singer Donna Lewis is famous for many hits, especially her I Love You Always Forever – the 90s dance-pop classic was the first song ever to get a million spins on US radio and the third best-selling tune in the history of Atlantic Records, a worldwide chart sensation. An artist of many dimensions, she has recorded many Billboard successes but always had an affinity for the jazz connection, and her latest album features players from jazz supergroup The Bad Plus, with originals and songs from Neil Young to David Bowie to Damien Rice:. ‘The album
has a strong jazz component, but the expansive nature of the musicians means the arrangements stretch far beyond those boundaries’. Donna’s UK tour features a stellar group of A-list musicians, who have individually worked with The Rolling Stones to Shirley Horn to Quincy Jones to Billy Cobham: Konrad Wiszniewski (sax), Michael Janisch (bass), Steve Hamilton (piano) and Andrew Bain (drums) 7-8.30pm, The Jazz Bar, 1a Chambers Street. £5/£4; please note that this venue is strictly cash only.
All Women Poetry Slam 2016: whether you are new to poetry slams or a seasoned performer, this is a chance for women of all ages and levels of experience to perform and compete for the title of Harpies, Fechters and Quines 2016 Slam Champion. Featuring live music and hosted by poet Jenny Lindsay, this is a don’t miss event. Last year’s slam was oversubscribed so make sure you book well in advance. 6-9pm, Out of the Blue, 36 Dalmeny Street. If you want to perform, contact Morag Smith at Glasgow Women’s Library (0141 550 2267) or if you want to just come along and enjoy the show, you can book tickets via Eventbrite here. This event is run in partnership by Glasgow Women’s Library, The Bonnie Fechters & Edinburgh City Libraries and is part of this year’s LeithLate programme.
Aaron King Live: come and see one of Edinburgh’s most charismatic young musicians, who’ll get everyone dancing with his big voice and big personality – big fun! 7pm, Boda Bar, 229 Leith Walk.
LeithLate 2016 starts today! A jam-packed programme of exhibitions and events taking place over a four-day period, LeithLate16 will be based at Out of the Blue Drill Hall this year, with a host of activities taking place in and around the building over the four days of the festival. Numerous exhibitions, plus events such as art crawls, panel discussions, mural tours and Art Mart. Participants include Edinburgh Printmakers, Gayfield Creative Spaces, Settlement Projects, Woodland Creatures, McDonald Road library, Rhubaba, Leith Depot and many more. Supported for a second year by Creative Scotland, and welcoming new supporters the Goethe-Institut Glasgow and Edinburgh City of Literature Trust. All events are free to attend, with the exception of the LeithLate16 Afterparty tonight and the Closing Party on Sunday 26th June. The full programme may be seen here. To book for tonight’s Afterparty (tickets £7 + booking fee) click here.
LeithLate at Joseph Pearce’s: with live music set by country singing duo Bear Necessities and guests. 7-10pm, Joseph Pearce’s, Elm Row.
Vein Trio (Basel, Switzerland!): on a large-scale European tour, Vein Trio – Michael Arbenz (piano), Thomas Lähns (bass) and Florian Arbenz (drums) – are ‘driving tradition forward with great curiosity, a passion for anything different, highest improvisational finesse and superb interplay‘ (Jazz Zeitung) and have recently been touring and recording with jazz names Greg Osby and David Leibman. 
Their recent album Vote for Vein is ‘solid, bizarre, feisty, with a frenetic sense of humour – so standard for this trio’ (Fidelity Magazin), and many critics believe that young pianist Michael Arbenz is on the threshold of becoming an international star. His brother Florian is ‘arguably one of the best drummers in Europe and winner of the European Culture Award for his dedication in the field of jazz and classical music. His solos tell soft, loud and incredibly exciting stories, often with equal prodigy bassist Thomas Lähns’. (Augsburger Allgemeine) 9pm (Entry from 8pm), The Jazz Bar, 1a Chambers Street. £7/£5; please note that this venue is strictly cash only.
FRIDAY 24th JUNE 2016
Gallery Social: Paolozzi. A relaxed and informal guided tour with refreshments for anyone affected by dementia and their relatives, friends and supporters. 10.30-12 noon, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art TWO, Belford Road. Free but please book by contacting the Information Desk on 0131 624 6560. Image: Vulcan, Eduardo Paolozzi, 1998 − © Trustees of the Paolozzi Foundation, Licensed by DACS 2015.
North Edinburgh Childcare: if you are interested in a career in childcare, come along to the library today and find out more. All ages welcome. 1-2pm, Muirhouse Library, Pennywell Court.
Scots Music Group Live Performance: the Scots Music Group is a community-based Edinburgh charity that plays a significant role in Scotland’s lively, diverse, traditional music scene. It runs traditional music classes for adults, informal sessions, monthly ceilidhs and other social events. Today students and members of SMG will be performing live – come along to hear the music, enjoy the craic and find out more about the group and its work. 1-3pm, Central Library, George IV Bridge. Free, all welcome, no booking required.
Sparkiving: Loitering with Intent to Catalogue. With the recent acquisition of the final instalment of the Dame Muriel Spark archive, the Library holds one of the broadest records of a writer’s life ever assembled. Muriel Spark Project Curator Dr Colin McIlroy journeys through newly discovered highlights of the collection – come and learn more about the fascinating life of one of Scotland’s literary greats. 6pm, National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge. Free but booking is required and may be made by calling 0131 623 3734 or via Eventbrite here.
Blackwell’s Edinburgh Presents The Nightmare Stacks. Charles Stross launches the latest addition to his brilliant Laundry Files series. Alex Schwartz had a great job and a promising future – until he caught an unfortunate bout of vampirism, and agreed (on pain of death) to join the Laundry, Britain’s only counter-occult secret intelligence agency. His first assignment is in Leeds – his old hometown. 
But the thought of telling his parents he’s lost his job, let alone their discovering his ‘condition’, is causing Alex almost as much anxiety as his new lifestyle of supernatural espionage. His only saving grace is Cassie Brewer, a student from the local Goth Festival who flirts with him despite his fear of sunlight (and girls). But Cassie has secrets of her own – secrets that make Alex’s night life seem positively normal… James Bond meets HP Lovecraft in the latest occult in a series where British spies take on the supernatural. Edinburgh resident Charles Stross is a full-time science fiction writer, the author of six Hugo-nominated novels and winner of the 2005, 2010, and 2014 Hugo awards for best novella; he has won numerous other awards and been translated into at least 12 other languages. 6.30pm, Blackwell’s, South Bridge. Free tickets may be obtained from the shop’s front desk, by calling 0131 622 8222, emailing events.edinburgh@blackwell.co.uk or via Eventbrite here.
Mary, Mary quite contrary – an exhibition of garden related work by Nicola Macartney and Martin Hill. Nicola Macartney is a botanical artist who lives in Linlithgow whilst Martin Hill, painter in oil and currently based in Dundee, grew up and went to school in the town. Each will bring their own perspective to the idea of the garden. This exhibition is the gallery’s contribution to Burgh Beautiful’s Inviting Gardens, when 20 local gardens will be open over the weekend of 25th-26th June. Programmes for Inviting Gardens cost just £5 per adult and may be purchased from The Line Gallery and Far From the Madding Crowd bookshop, 20 High Street. Exhibition opens tonight 7-9pm, then 10am-5pm Tuesday to Friday, 9am-5pm Saturdays, 1-4pm Sundays, The Line Gallery, High Street Linlithgow. Ends 26th July 2016.
Jack Hinks Band: the young Edinburgh based singer-songwriter, working once again with producer Garry Boyle (Broken Records, Stanley Odd), returns with a new, refreshingly potent selection of songs around the themes of loss and the trials of youth – creating a broad array of sounds from singer-songwriter to alternative rock. Plus Hugh Kelly, The Dan Collins Band and Angus Munro. Over 18s only. 7pm, The Voodoo Rooms, West Register Street. Tickets £5 + booking fee from Tickets Scotland here.
The Laramie Project. This show is based on a true story. It is October 1998; Matthew Sheppard is savagely beaten and left to die overlooking the town of Laramie, Wyoming. Two locals are accused of the crime. This play documents the town’s response to the attack whilst exploring themes of hope, love, hate and sexuality. In this production by Edinburgh Acting School, the actors work as an ensemble to take on this sad event and shed some light on what really happened that fateful night and how attitudes have changed since. For ages 16+. 7.30pm, Netherbow Theatre, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 45 High Street. Tickets cost £10/£8 and are available from the Box Office in person, by calling 0131 556 9579 or online here. Also at same time on Saturday 25th June.
The Bad Touch (Live): after a sold out gig at The Voodoo Rooms in April, with people turned away at the door, The Bad Touch make their Bongo Club debut. ‘The Bad Touch are a new Alt-Sleaze Edinburgh Five-Piece. Greasy baritone vocals over emphatic beats. Think of an Evil Elvis orchestrating a dirty Doors. A torrid symphony of guitar, bass, organ and drums’. 7pm, The Bongo Club, 66 Cowgate. Tickets £6 in advance here, £7 on the door (sta).
Anatomy #12: Swamp Beasts and Sludge Magic. Anatomy is a quarterly live art cabaret based in Summerhall, making multi-artform performance for many age groups. Smog Beasts and Sludge Magick is a special double-bill of events, with both an evening cabaret for adults and an early years matinée for 0 to 5-year-olds and their families. Both events are British Sign Language interpreted. Tonight sees Anatomy’s regular cabaret for adults, featuring strange performances to delight, disrupt and dream about, including lions, smartphones, dance, poetry, meditation, weird ecology, the revenge of Gaia, ritual, fear, love and laughter, with the talents of Ding & Sich, Rebecca Green, Charlotte Hastings and co., Mamoru Iriguchi, Calum MacAskill, Public Service Announcement (Katy Dye and Aby Watson), and the swamp-dripping nonsense of your beastly hosts, Ali Maloney and Harry Giles. For ages 16+. 8-11pm, Anatomy Lecture Theatre, Summerhall, 1 Summerhall. Tickets cost £7 and may be purchased from the Box Office in person, by calling 0131 560 1580 or online here. Advance booking is strongly recommended. The early years matinée will take place at 2pm on June 26th; details here.
Guid Crack: Around the World. Come with storyteller Anne Pitcher on a journey round the world, as she shares stories and legends in her vibrant and unique style, gathered from recent and past world travels, at Edinburgh’s monthly storytelling night. 7.30pm, Circus Café, St Mary’s Street. Entry by suggested donation of £5/£4.
CinemaAttic Productions Presents Kimuak: Best Shorts from the Basque Country. Every spring, Basque leader distribution platform KIMUAK selects the best from the Basque short film scene to create a DVD of the most talented and original proposals. 
This year’s selection showcases cutting edge productions going far beyond Basque badlands and cottages, as we are taken from the darkness of Reykjavik streets to a revenge story in New York. A unique overview of what is happening in one of the most prolific and well-cared-for cinemas in Spain today. For ages 15+. 8pm, Red Lecture Theatre, Summerhall, 1 Summerhall. Tickets cost £5 and may be purchased from the Box Office in person, by calling 0131 560 1580 or online here.
Weekend Escapes!
The Isle of Gigha Music Festival: your first chance to get out of the city this weekend will take a little bit of planning. Gigha is a small island off the Kintyre peninsula with a population of about 160 people; it has sandy beaches, abundant wildlife, a golf course, and the famous Achamore Gardens – and this weekend it hosts its annual music festival.
The line-up 
includes Shooglenifty, Daimh, Lorne MacDougall Band and Siobhan Miller Band, plus informal sessions and a ceilidh, so if you fancy a few days of traditional music in spectacular scenery, visit the festival’s Facebook page for more details. Gigha’s very own website also has lots of information about transport, accommodation and things to do. Festival music starts on Friday evening (24th June) and ends with a Pipers’ Picnic on the beach on Sunday (26th). Tickets cost £20 for Friday and £27 for Saturday; call Jayne at the Box Office on 01583 505 160 to book.
Wildfire Festival: just a short trip down the A702 and a world away from Gigha, the Wildfire Festival is Scotland’s only 3 day annual, Classic Rock and Heavy Metal Festival. Taking place on the 53 acre Wiston Estate, acts include Screaming Eagles, Black Nevada, The Jokers, The Deep, Dorje, Inglorious, Tim Ripper Owens, Die No More, Forever Never and lots more. For full details of tickets, accommodation (lodges/cabins/camping), directions and transport options (a shuttle bus is available from Lanark), see the Festival’s website here. 24th-26th June, Wiston Lodge, Millrigg Road, Wiston by Biggar ML12 6HT.
