There will be a real sense of celebration in June when independent bookshops take part in a range of events all making up Independent Bookshop Week.
Independent Bookshop Week from 19-26 June 2021 is part of the Books Are My Bag campaign and run by the Booksellers Association, and seeks to celebrate independent bookshops all over the UK and Ireland. There will be events, celebrations, reading groups, storytelling, author signings, literary lunches and face painting.
Local bookshops will have their own way of celebrating, and you are urged to support them if you can.Some of the events will be in store and others will be online, depending on individual circumstances, but rest assured that as many Edinburgh independents will be taking part as possible.
In Edinburgh these will include:
Comma Press who will join forces with Lighthouse Bookshop to launch their forthcoming anthology The American Way. They’ll be holding a virtual event featuring co-editors Ra Page and Orsola Casagrande in conversation with Lighthouse bookseller Noor Hemani on Wednesday 23 June from 7-8pm.
Saraband Books are twinning specific books with bookshops, and will be dedicating a day to each bookshop throughout the week. Far from the Madding Crowd x How to Survive Everything by Ewan Morrison: the bookshop will be featuring How to Survive Everything as a Book of the Day during Independent Book Week.
Sarah Winman, author of Still Life, said: “Independent booksellers are the gatekeepers of infinite possibility and of thousands of journeys yet to be taken. As readers, we love them. As writers, we love them. To be supported and championed by them is an incredible privilege.”
Emma Bradshaw, Head of Campaigns at the Booksellers Association, commented: “It’s been a joy to see customers going back into their local bookshops as restrictions started to ease over the last few weeks. We’re excited to continue the celebrations into Independent Bookshop Week, marking its 15th anniversary this year. Over the past year, there’s been a refreshed appreciation for independent booksellers and the place they hold at the heart of their high streets and communities. With virtual as well as in-person celebrations taking place across the UK and Ireland, we hope everyone will join us in supporting independent bookshops, and in celebrating their resilience, creativity and indefatigable commitment.”
Find more information about Independent Bookshop Week activities here.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
