Tag: Creative Scotland

Scotland hosts global cultural leaders for festival hub of international exchange

The Momentum Delegate Programme kicks off in Edinburgh today, Wednesday 7 August, acting as a central hub from the world-leading Festival City to connect key cultural players from across the world with the wider Scottish and international cultural sector.  

Every August during the Edinburgh Festivals the capital of Scotland becomes a global celebration of culture and creativity, with citizens of the city and the country joined by artists and audiences from all over the world. 

At Momentum, a cohort of producers, government agencies, funders, stakeholders and programmers from invited countries will join a tailored programme of networking and meetings with creative practitioners, policymakers and educators in Scotland.

The collaborations established will enable long-term relationships, platforming Scotland and its artists and art organisations on the world stage and further cementing Scotland’s international cultural reputation.  

Led by Festivals Edinburgh, in partnership with Creative Scotland and British Council Scotland, with additional support from City of Edinburgh Council and Event Scotland, the hub will open its doors from Creative Scotland’s Edinburgh headquarters at Waverley Gate. 

On behalf of Momentum partners, Julia Amour, Director of Festivals Edinburgh said: “The Edinburgh Festivals are distinctively Scottish yet profoundly international, and we’re delighted to welcome cultural representatives from around the globe to our Momentum programme, where we will help them build relationships with our festivals and the wider Scottish cultural sector.” 

The 36 delegates arriving are from Viet Nam, Sweden, South Korea, the MENA region (Middle East & North Africa), Türkiye, Mexico and Poland – as well as two artform delegations for Literature and Visual Arts. Information on each area, its delegates and sessions are available on the Momentum website.  

Since 2011, Momentum has brought over 700 international delegates to Edinburgh during the buzz of the city’s August festivals. These have contributed to multiple collaborations, most recently:  

Scottish Dance Theatre (SDT) connected with Ciało/Umysł, an international contemporary dance festival in Warsaw, developed from a meeting set up by the Momentum team last year. After the initial introduction, with support from the Momentum follow-up fund, SDT Artistic Director Joan Clevillé visited Poland for Ciało’s dance platform.   

SDT’s Senior Producer, Robyn Jancovich-Brown said: “The visit enabled SDT to get a sense of the scene, visit venues, make more connections in the area, and, critically, really understand the cultural and political context in which the artists and organisations are working.

“We’re now talking about next steps and exploring plans for an artistic exchange programme in autumn 2025, in which Scottish and Polish dancers will be able to work together.” 

Stanza Poetry Festival Artistic Director Ryan Van Winkle met Manuela Moser from the Cúirt International Festival of Literature from Ireland at Momentum 2023. 

Ryan said: “Initially Manuela and I had some great chats just about being new in our roles and the challenges of directing festivals. We stayed in touch, sharing ideas about poets and writers, and then agreed to partner on a grant application.

“That enabled us to have an extra event at Stanza last year, in collaboration with Cúirt International Festival of Literature, called Companion Planting. An artist and an author visited from Ireland to talk about strategies of support and examined ‘care’ within collaborative artistic working practices.

“This was a perfect fit with Stanza’s theme last year. It’s rare to see a project happen that fast; I felt lucky to encounter Manuela, and get something going so quickly.”  

International exchange funding for Scottish creative organisations

Creative Scotland and partners* have confirmed continued funding of a unique International cultural exchange programme, to a total of £730,000 over two years. 

Celebrating social arts practice by supporting the development of new and existing partnerships between Germany and the UK, Cultural Bridge was established in 2021 as an innovative investment partnership between all UK arts councils and leading German cultural institutions.   

So far Cultural Bridge has supported 35 partnerships and over 70 organisations committed to exchanging and collaborating on artistic practices that explore themes faced by communities in both countries.  

The fund supports organisations working across various themes and artforms including youth work, inclusion, health and wellbeing, socio-political, rural and environment-based arts. 

By enabling new and existing connections, Cultural Bridge supports a growing network of organisations committed to sharing expertise and skills, exchanging ideas and collaborating on artistic practices and projects that explore themes and issues faced by communities across both countries. 

Feminism and Migrant activism from Stellar Quines and Mpower explores socially engaged and co-created work with young women with refugee and migration experiences from Berlin and Fife. The Invisible City from Tortoise in a Nutshell and TheaterGrueneSosse engages young people from both cities to come together to learn, share and discover the similarities and differences in their local communities and artistic practices.  

Tortoise in a Nutshell and TheaterGrueneSosse are partnered on their project The Invisible City. They said: “Cultural bridge will enable us to partner with like-minded artists to produce outstanding art for people of all ages. It is so important to be able to go into a process like this with time, space and openness, which the program will provide.  

“Together, Theatergruenesosse and Tortoise in a Nutshell will explore the invisible cities and perspectives in the places that surround us. The funding allows us to collaborate and bring together young people from both Frankfurt and Edinburgh to learn and share with one another and discover the similarities and differences in our local communities and artistic practices.” 

The programme launched in 2021 and has supported 35 new and existing partnerships through 42 awards, benefitting 73 organisations and providing opportunities to 591 artists and cultural practitioners across the UK and Germany. Nine of these partnerships through ten awards were from Scotland.  

To date, Cultural Bridge has awarded £662,000 in grants and has today confirmed a commitment to two further funding rounds of £360,000 and £370,000 respectively, totalling £730,000.  

Cultural Bridge is supported by The National Lottery through Creative Scotland.

 

Dana MacLeod, Executive Director of Arts, Communities and Inclusion of Creative Scotland said: “Creative Scotland’s continued commitment to the Cultural Bridge programme is another example of our important work with the four UK nations’ arts councils to strengthen and deepen international links.  

“The impactful partnership with Fonds Soziokultur, the British Council and the Goethe Institut in London supports exchange between socially engaged artists and creative practitioners across Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales, and our close neighbour Germany. This opens doors to nuanced and thought-provoking connections between the local communities with which they work.” 

Creative Scotland announces latest round of Open Fund awards

Across Scotland, 54 culture projects have received £1,245,021 from The National Lottery in the latest round of Creative Scotland’s Open Fund awards. 

This round of awards spans a wide range of exciting projects from all genres, including a selection of musical projects taking direct inspiration from Scotland’s unique culture and landscapes.  

Video game director Kyle Banks has received funding for the composition of two modern renditions of Robert Burns’ song, My Heart’s in the Highlands, composed by Jon Konsolakis and with vocals performed by four-time BBC Alba Scots Trad Music Awards’ Scots Singer of the Year award winner, Siobhan Miller. 

The tracks will be released worldwide on all streaming platforms and featured on the soundtrack of Farewell North, a new Edinburgh-produced video game exploring the Orkney islands, available on 15 August. The game, named after the song, draws focus on Scotland’s rich culture and landscapes as your character embarks on a mental and physical journey to restore colour to the islands and her world. 

Director Kyle Banks commented: “With the support of the Open Fund we have the opportunity to take a beloved song segment from our game, Farewell North, and compose a pair of full-length singles for our audience to enjoy as a standalone piece of art.

“As a small team this is something that would not have been a viable option for us without this funding and it’s allowed us to share our love of Scotland worldwide.” 

Composer Ruta Vitkauskaite is collaborating with Founder and Director of the Illuminate Women’s Music Project Angela Slater to bring the project series to Scotland. Founded in 2017, Illuminate is a commissioning and touring series celebrating the creativity of women both as composers and performers.

Illuminate will tour newly commissioned works by diverse Scottish composers with each piece inspired by Scottish folklore reimagined through a contemporary music lens.  

Angela Slater and Ruta Vitkauskaite, photography by Ilmė Vyšniauskaitė and Adam Whittaker PR Gloo

Ruta Vitkauskaite says: “We are absolutely delighted to receive funding from Creative Scotland’s Open Fund. The support will allow us to introduce the Illuminate Women’s Music concert series to Scotland for the very first time, bringing some of the most vibrant female musical talents to audiences across Scotland.” 

The series will see concerts, workshops and talks taking place in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Dundee, Linlithgow, Kinlochard and onwards to Vilnius, Lithuania, providing creators with international exposure.

The first public in-person concert be held on Thursday 12 December at The Old Hairdresser’s in Glasgow and tickets will be available on the Illuminate Women’s Music website. 

Musician and composer Kate Young will release her second studio album, Umbelliferæ: A Musical Journey Through Plantlore in September 2024, accompanied by UK-wide album launch tour.

Originally commissioned by Celtic Connections, the album features a repertoire of songs inspired by Scotland’s natural heritage, with special focus on plant lore and traditional remedies made from native plants. The music is arranged for string quintet, double bass, harp and percussion.  

Kate Young photography by Somhairle MacDonald PR Gloo

Kate Young commented: “This is the release project of an album inspired by the world of traditional plant lore and medicinal uses from around the UK, which looks to spread awareness about such dying traditions through music.

“We look forward to taking this string quintet performance to a number of venues this Autumn.”  

For full tour details please visit Kate Young’s website.  

Further awards in this round of the Open Fund include: 

The full list of awards in this round of the Open Fund can be found on our website. 

Paul Burns, Interim Director of Arts at Creative Scotland commented: “Exploring the rich landscapes and vibrant cultural heritage of Scotland provides immense value to our communities.

“The latest initiatives supported by our Open Fund will offer invaluable opportunities for people across the country to engage with Scotland’s unique culture, made possible with the support of the National Lottery.” 

Starcatchers take award-winning Little Top show to France

Starcatchers, Scotland’s arts and early years organisation based in Wester Hailes, have travelled to France this week to present their acclaimed co-production with SUPERFAN, “Little Top” at Les p’tites tommettes festival in Creil, France. 

The show launches the Scottish showcase for the British Council’s UK-France, ‘Together We Imagine’, Spotlight on Culture, which is building artistic collaborations and celebrating the cultural links between the UK and France throughout this year.

Set in a specially designed ‘little top’ circus tent the show is designed to create a magical first circus experience for babies aged 0-18 months. At a time in their development when young children are discovering their own physicality, and the pleasures and perils of gravity, Little Top invites babies to experience all the fun of the circus.

Rhona Matheson, CEO of Starcatchers, is delighted to bring Little Top to France: “Little Top will transport you to a playful, joyous, upside down, topsy-turvy world where people can fly, patterns fill the air, and anything is possible.

“We are excited to present our award-winning show, a co-production with SUPERFAN, at Festival Premières Rencontres.”

The festival appearance strengthens Starcatchers’ partnership with French arts company Compagnie ACTA, following their recent Erasmus+ collaboration exploring topics around artistic awakening in early childhood.

The two organisations have already collaborated to share research findings and exchange best practices in arts for early years. Starcatchers and Compagnie ACTA presented research at PREMIERES RENCONTRES festival 2024’s European Forum in March. The Early Childhood Principles were developed by Starcatchers, Compagnie ACTA, 2turvenhoog and LaSala Teatre.

Rhona Matheson continues: “We are very grateful to the British Council’s UK-France Spotlight Fund for this invaluable opportunity to strengthen our international connections.

“It’s a huge privilege to showcase Scottish work on this platform as we deepen our understanding of what artistic experiences can mean for very young audiences.”

Starcatchers is one of six Scottish-based awardees to receive over £100,000 in funding from the Spotlight on Culture Fund programme, funded with partners including Creative Scotland and the National Lottery.

Their festival presentation is part of a wider celebration of UK-France cultural partnerships happening throughout 2024, coinciding with major events like the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Norah Campbell, Head of Arts, British Council Scotland added: “What a wonderful opportunity for very young children to experience the magic of physical theatre for the first time. An excellent example of how through cultural exchange, artists can come together to share groundbreaking research and performance.

“We’re proud to help bring this innovative work to France, a fabulous start to the UK-France Cultural spotlight activity for this year.

“All the projects are now helping to maintain vital links between Scotland and France, and creatives across both countries are coming together to connect, collaborate and form lasting relationships.”

Rein project funding withdrawn

Statement from Creative Scotland on Rein:

Following a review of the application, assessment, and contractual agreement regarding the project Rein, Creative Scotland has made the decision to withdraw support for this project and will be seeking recovery of funding paid in respect of this award to date.

What has emerged in the latest phase of the project represents a breach of the conditions of funding award, as the nature of the project has changed.  

The central role that ‘non-simulated’ (i.e real) sex acts now play in the project, marks a significant change to the nature of the work presented in the original application which was assessed for funding. This significant change to the nature of the work has been evidenced in the most recent announcement on the project’s website, without the agreement of Creative Scotland.

Creative Scotland makes in the region of 2,000 funding awards each year. We support artists and projects across all art-forms, some of which are challenging in content, and push creative and social boundaries.

However, Creative Scotland has important responsibilities to the public for the appropriate use of public funding, and, as recipients of that public funding, award recipients also have legal responsibilities as reflected in their funding contract.

The project was awarded £84,555 through the Open Fund for Individuals on 29 January 2024 following an application, assessment, and panel decision process.

Creative Scotland’s contract for the Open Fund states that:

  • No changes may be made to a project without Creative Scotland’s prior written permission
  • Award recipients must start, complete and carry out the project as set out in their application. If the project is varied or the timeline does not meet the dates set out in the application, or as agreed between Creative Scotland and the award recipient in writing, Creative Scotland reserves the right to withdraw the offer of funding, and;
  • Should an award recipient wish to issue a press release or make any public announcements regarding their or Creative Scotland’s involvement in the project, the award recipient must seek Creative Scotland’s prior written approval.

The above conditions apply to all recipients of funding through our Open Fund. Failure by an award recipient to comply with the conditions of the funding award entitles Creative Scotland to require repayment of any funding received by that recipient.

Creative Scotland is the public body that supports culture and creativity across all parts of Scotland, distributing funding provided by the Scottish Government and The National Lottery.

Further information at creativescotland.com.

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Learn more about the value of art and creativity in Scotland and join in at www.ourcreativevoice.scot

Tradfest 2024 headliners announced

Edinburgh Tradfest is delighted to announce the first of its headline acts for 2024

Opening this year’s Festival on Friday 3 May, thanks to support from the National Lottery through Creative Scotland, will be Daniel Docherty and Martyn MacDonald whose band VALTOS has taken the trad and electronic music world by storm.

Valtos’ music has been described by Folk Radio UK as “like nothing you’ve heard before,” blending influences from electronic and folk music.

Inspired by artists like Martyn Bennet, Peatbog Faeries, Odesza, Madeon, and Bicep, Valtos creates a unique and genre-defying sound. Their self-titled debut album, released in June 2022, drew inspiration from the breath-taking beauty of their home in Skye, infusing their recordings and live performances with a profound sense of place. The album achieved over 100,000 streams in its first few weeks alone.

Joining them onstage at the Queen’s Hall for an energetic and unforgettable live experience will be Lana Pheutan, Eilidh Cormack, and Euan McLaughlin, plus a host of special guests.

Valtos’ talent and innovation have garnered recognition, earning them the Up and Coming Artist of the Year award at The Scots Trad Awards 2022. Their dedication and boundary-pushing artistry continue to impress critics and fans alike.

Also playing over the Festival’s opening weekend is multi-award winning solo artist Martin Simpson (Saturday 4 May) who is renowned for his magnificent acoustic, finger-style guitar playing.  

At the very top of his game, Martin is without question a true master of his art. He is universally acclaimed as one of the finest ever acoustic and slide guitar players in the world. Martin is a remarkable storyteller, and a fine banjo-picker who performs traditional English folk songs, American folk and blues and his own compositions with rare subtlety, intensity and honesty. 

Martin Simpson “One of the virtuoso instrumentalists of the English music scene” ‘Sounds better than ever’ **** 4 Stars The Guardian – photo credit Geoff Trinder

Rounding off the opening weekend on Sunday 5 May will be fiddle trio The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc (Kevin Henderson (Fiddlers Bid), Olav Luksengård Mjelva and Anders Hall)– a solid gold Edinburgh Tradfest favourite, masterfully blending the traditions of Norway, Sweden and the Shetland Islandswith their unique rich sound – not to be missed!

In Traverse 2 also performing on the opening weekend will be LA-based singer-songwriter Alice Howe, and the multi-award-winning singer /harpist / composer Rachel Newton.

Finally, on Monday 13 May, one of Scotland’s best loved traditional music stars, Julie Fowlis will perform with her band at what will be the festival’s biggest ever closing concert at Edinburgh’s Assembly Rooms.

Julie Fowlis who will close this year’s festival on Monday 13 May at the Assembly Rooms. Photo credit Wild Soul Photography 

Douglas Robertson and Jane-Ann Purdy, co-producers of Edinburgh Tradfest said: “Every year we look to up our game at Edinburgh Tradfest so we are very excited to share not one but two BIG venue concerts for 2024.

“With Valtos and Special Guests at the Queen’s Hall to open and Julie Fowlis at the Assembly Rooms to close this year’s festival we know we are looking forward to a bumper year. Our opening weekend is also chock-full of superstars and gives a fine taster of what lies ahead for the rest of the programme. We can’t wait for it to start.”

Creative Scotland’s Head of Music, Alan Morrison commented: ““Spring has arrived early for music fans with news that Valtos, Martin Simpson, Julie Fowlis and The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc will soon be coming to the capital’s stages.

“In recent years, Tradfest has transformed Edinburgh’s festival calendar with a world-class programme that celebrates the rich past and exciting future of folk and traditional music. If the opening weekend is anything to go by, the 2024 edition is going to be one of the best yet.”

The full programme for this year’s Edinburgh Tradfest will be launched in March and will include an unmissable line-up of live music, talks, new commissions, and traditional storytelling thanks to continued support from Creative Scotland and the William Grant Foundation.

Edinburgh Tradfest 2024 will run from Friday 3 May – Monday 13 May.

For tickets and more information visit edinburghtradfest.com 

The Book Week Scotland adventure begins in Edinburgh

One Scot will find a voucher for a year’s worth of books in one of this year’s free Book Week Scotland books

Book Week Scotland begins today, Monday 13 November, with this year’s theme of ‘adventure’.

Book Week Scotland is a national annual celebration of books and reading, with events taking place in libraries and community venues across the country, delivered by Scottish Book Trust – the national charity changing lives with reading and writing.

People picking up a copy of this year’s free Book Week Scotland book, Adventure, may be lucky enough to find one of seven special silver tickets, celebrating Scottish Book Trust’s 25th anniversary, tucked inside the pages.

The silver tickets are redeemable for book tokens, with six worth £100 and one valid for a year’s worth of books (to a value of £500). The tickets have been sent across Scotland, so readers far and wide are in with a chance of discovering one.

The book has been published by Scottish Book Trust, featuring true stories from people across Scotland, including four from local Edinburgh writers Hazel Knox, Joanne Deegan Kerr, Jo Higgs and Nicole Carter. 

Adventure also features exclusive contributions from Len Pennie, Sumayya Usmani, current Scots Scriever Shane Strachan, Mae Diansangu, and Gaelic writers Alistair Paul and Seonaidh Charity. 70,000 copies of the book will be given out for free during Book Week Scotland through libraries and community spaces, and it is also available to order online alongside audio and ebook formats.

Highlights from Book Week Scotland 2023 include:

·         Writing Historical Fiction: Forgotten Voices at Typewronger Books – Monday 13 November, 7.30–8.30pm (free ticketed event)

·         Sara Sheridan: The Fair Botanists at Juniper Green Bowling Club – Tuesday 14 November, 6.30–7.30pm (free ticketed event)

·         The Pleasures of Reading with Val McDermid at Portobello Bookshop – Thursday 16 November, 7–8pm (free ticketed event and online livestream)

·         Football Journeys with a Bearded Genius: Nooruddean Choudry in conversation with Daniel Gray from Nutmeg Magazine at St John’s Scottish Episcopal Church – Saturday 18 November, 7–8.30pm (free ticketed event)

·         An exclusive story by Ambrose Parry, told in daily email instalments

·         The reading map of Scotland, where people can share what they’re reading during the week

Further details on the above, and more, can be found at bookweekscotland.com.

Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said: ‘Book Week Scotland is one of the highlights of Scotland’s literary calendars, with events for all ages and interests taking place across the nation.

“Despite the fact that Book Week Scotland is now operating on a shoestring budget due to repeated funding cuts, working with and through our fantastic partners across the country we have been able, even so, to offer an exciting and accessible programme of events at a local and national level.

“We could not do this without the support of the Scottish Library and Information Council, library services and the many other community partners we collaborate with. And this is vital, because developing a love of reading is a lifelong adventure which brings much pleasure and many benefits to the individual and the communities they live in.’

Pamela Tulloch, chief executive of the Scottish Library & Information Council said: ‘Book Week Scotland is an important opportunity to bring communities together to celebrate the power of reading which is why SLIC is proud to be a partner. 

“With a brilliant programme of events lined up in libraries across the country, there’s something for everyone.  We hope people will take this opportunity to rediscover all that local libraries have to offer.’

Head of Literature & Publishing at Creative Scotland, Alan Bett, said: ‘Book Week Scotland is a highlight in Scotland’s literary and cultural calendar which continues to provide joy by connecting the reading public with Scotland’s authors and their books.

“Featuring some of the biggest names in our literary scene, this year’s programme showcases homegrown talent and provides the space to empower writers and readers alike, across the country and within their own communities.’

Platforms for Creative Excellence: Edinburgh festivals receive £633,396

Recognised the world over as platforms of creative excellence, festivals in Edinburgh have received a total of £633,396 of additional funding from the Scottish Government through Creative Scotland to support continued strategic development activity. 

Launched in 2018 and ending in December 2023, the Platforms for Creative Excellence (PlaCE) was developed in partnership with the Scottish Government, City of Edinburgh Council and Festivals Edinburgh and was designed to help festivals to: 

  • diversify their year-round partnerships with the culture sector across the city and Scotland 
  • drive transformation and creative innovation through long-term programming approaches 
  • increase career and skills development capacity for creatives and young people 
  • build new and lasting relationships with less engaged communities. 

An independent evaluation report from BOP Consulting has found that PlaCE funding played a significant role in festival resilience through the pandemic and 97% of community partners reported high levels of satisfaction from engagement with the festivals.  

Culture Minister Christina McKelvie said: “The Scottish Government’s commitment to investing in arts and culture remains strong, which is why we have continued to provide support, through Creative Scotland, to Edinburgh’s festivals.  

“Communities right across the city will benefit from almost £640,000 in PLaCE funding. We hope this will allow Festivals to continue their development and deliver more fantastic work in our schools and with our local communities.” 

This additional funding on top of the transformative PlaCE programme will allow festivals in Edinburgh to continue delivery of this strategic development activity into the next year and beyond.  

The following festivals have received this funding: 

Festival Funding amount 
Edinburgh Art Festival £50,000 
Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society £75,000 
Edinburgh International Book Festival £53,450 
Edinburgh International Festival £75,000 
Edinburgh International Film Festival £75,000 
Edinburgh International Science Festival £60,000 
Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival £75,000 
Festivals Edinburgh £19,946 
Imaginate £75,000 
Scottish International Storytelling Festival £75,000 
TOTAL £633,396 

Book Week Scotland gets ready for adventure in Edinburgh

One Scot will find a voucher for a year’s worth of books in one of this year’s free Book Week Scotland books, which feature four stories from Edinburgh writers

Scottish Book Trust, the national charity changing lives with reading and writing, has launched the line-up for Book Week Scotland 2023, which will be themed around ‘adventure’. Book Week Scotland, this year taking place on 13–19 November, is Scotland’s national annual celebration of books and reading, with events taking place in libraries and community venues across the country.

People picking up a copy of this year’s free Book Week Scotland book, Adventure, may be lucky enough to find one of seven special silver tickets, celebrating Scottish Book Trust’s 25th anniversary, tucked inside the pages.

The silver tickets are redeemable for book tokens, with six worth £100 and one valid for a year’s worth of books (to a value of £500). The tickets will be sent across Scotland, so readers far and wide are in with a chance of discovering one.

The book has been published by Scottish Book Trust, featuring true stories from people across Scotland, including four from local Edinburgh writers Hazel Knox, Joanne Deegan Kerr, Jo Higgs and Nicole Carter. 

Adventure also features exclusive contributions from Len Pennie, Sumayya Usmani, current Scots Scriever Shane Strachan, Mae Diansangu, and Gaelic writers Alistair Paul and Seonaidh Charity.

70,000 copies of the book will be given out for free during Book Week Scotland through libraries and community spaces, and it is also available to order online alongside audio and ebook formats.

The Book Week Scotland festivities will kick off with an exclusive midnight launch of Jenny Colgan’s new book, Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop, at John Kay’s Shop in Edinburgh. Tickets are available to win at bookweekscotland.com.

Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said: ‘Book Week Scotland is one of the highlights of Scotland’s literary calendars, with events for all ages and interests taking place across the nation.

“Despite the fact that Book Week Scotland is now operating on a shoestring budget due to repeated funding cuts, working with and through our fantastic partners across the country we have been able, even so, to offer an exciting and accessible programme of events at a local and national level.

“We could not do this without the support of the Scottish Library and Information Council, library services and the many other community partners we collaborate with. And this is vital, because developing a love of reading is a lifelong adventure which brings much pleasure and many benefits to the individual and the communities they live in.’

Pamela Tulloch, chief executive of the Scottish Library & Information Council said: ‘Book Week Scotland is an important opportunity to bring communities together to celebrate the power of reading which is why SLIC is proud to be a partner. 

“With a brilliant programme of events lined up in libraries across the country, there’s something for everyone.  We hope people will take this opportunity to rediscover all that local libraries have to offer.’

Head of Literature & Publishing at Creative Scotland, Alan Bett, said: ‘Book Week Scotland is a highlight in Scotland’s literary and cultural calendar which continues to provide joy by connecting the reading public with Scotland’s authors and their books.

“Featuring some of the biggest names in our literary scene, this year’s programme showcases homegrown talent and provides the space to empower writers and readers alike, across the country and within their own communities.’

Highlights from Book Week Scotland 2023 in Edinburgh will include:

·        Writing Historical Fiction: Forgotten Voices at Typewronger Books – Monday 13 November, 7.30–8.30pm (free ticketed event)

·        Sara Sheridan: The Fair Botanists at Juniper Green Bowling Club – Tuesday 14 November, 6.30–7.30pm (free ticketed event)

·        The Pleasures of Reading with Val McDermid at Portobello Bookshop – Thursday 16 November, 7–8pm (free ticketed event)

·        Football Journeys with a Bearded Genius: Nooruddean Choudry in conversation with Daniel Gray from Nutmeg Magazine at St John’s Scottish Episcopal Church – Saturday 18 November, 7–8.30pm (free ticketed event)

The Book Week Scotland 2023 programme is now live, with more events to be added in the lead up to the week itself.