Denise Mina will appear alongside Jack McConnell and James Kelman at the Wigtown Book Festival
Great expectations
Programme announced at Wigtown Book Festival. Words: Anna Millar
ook lovers have little reason to be B disappointed following the launch of this year’s sizeable Wigtown Book Festival programme. Taking place over ten days. the event will boast over 130 talks. debates. theatre. film and activities. organiser’s revealed last week. Fast becoming one of Scotland most popular book festival’s. this year’s roster of names includes Fay Weldon. James Kelman, AL Kennedy. Bill Paterson. Bernard MacLaverty. Denise Mina. Sandra Howard. Louis de Bernieres. Janice Galloway and Hardeep Singh Kohli. Hot topics ranging from the war on terror to the credit crunch will pave the way for appearances from such high profile figures as Daniel Johnson. Rosie Millard. Brian Keenan and Jack McConnell. Poetry continues to be high on the agenda. with Donald Dunn launching the
Festival’s Poetry Competition at the end of
September; so too. the incorporation of the Children’s Book Festival into proceedings; an addition which this year boasts talks
_$:__;.~
m,
.n
8 THE LIST 4—18 880 2008
from Anne Fine and Michael Morpurgo.
A right royal endorsement comes from HRH The Princess Royal. who plans to visit the festival on Mon 29 Sep.
Elsewhere. this year's theatre programme has been expanded. including performances of The Play of St Ninian by Brian Hayward. Scottish Opera will also be on site hitting the high notes with their production of The Merry Widow.
‘To the urban population of Scotland. Northern Ireland and northern England, the Wigtown Festival provides high culture amidst breathtaking scenery: somewhere to get away from it all. but take all the good things with you’. said Festival Director. Finn McCreath.
Fay Weldon who will be discussing her new book. The Stepmotlzer's Diary. added: ‘Readers are known to be dedicated. writers bring back glowing reports. Word soon gets round in the Festival world. The word is ‘yes' if it’s Wigtown — so Wigtown is the one you choose.’
See www.wigtown bookfestival.com
J ocroaanresr
‘ __ ‘l I Look out next issue for full
details of the Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival which launches next week, with an acoustic set from Idlewild. The upcoming festival is set to run from 1-19 Oct in venues throughout Scotland, and aims to engage audiences and tackle stigma by exploring the relationship between mental health and creativity.
GLASGOW LORD
Visit www.llst.co.uk for daily arts & entertainment news
PROVOST Bob Winter accepted the prestigious City of Music title for Glasgow at a special ceremony held at the City Halls last week.
The award follows
a successful bid to join UNESCO’s worldwide Creative Cities Network as a City of Music, and follows Edinburgh’s
prestigious City of
Literature award in 2004.
GLASGOW'S GALLERY of Modern Art has bought Alison Watt’s ‘Phantom’ work for £45,000. The work, a large abstract oil painting of moving fabric, will go on show at the gallery in November.
P
CHANNEL 4's 4Talent Scotland initiative is working with four Scottish games companies to deliver Talent Arcade: The Brief - a new talent scheme to discover, train, and develop new gaming talent in Scotland, which was launched at this year’s Edinburgh Interactive Festival. Gaming wizards only have until Monday 15 September to submit their brilliant ideas. Tp find out more information and competition guidelines visit: www.channel4.co m/4talentscotland
THE FRINGE TOOK A DOUBLE knock last week when fi ures revealed ticket 5 es were down by almost 10% this year - the first fall in eight years. Corn etition from the O ym ics, box office prob ems and bad weather were all noted as factors. Fringe1 director Ion organ - who resigned amidst the furore - admitted it had been a ‘difficult year’ but he was still ‘delighted’ with the figures.
BEYOND THE BOOK FEST
I Following their success this summer, The Edinburgh International Book Festival will present a special autumn event with award-winning Australian author David Malouf. Winner of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, his book Remembering Babylon was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and won the first ever IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. His latest collection of stories is Every Move You Make. Malouf will appear at the Traverse Theatre on Tue 23 Sep. Tickets are available through the Book Festival box office on 0845 373 5888 or online at www.edbookfest.co.uk. Festival director, Catherine Lockerbie, said of this year’s festival, which featured an array of big names from Salman Rushdie to Sir Sean Connery, ‘This festival has surpassed all my expectations.’