Forthview up for reading challenge

Children embrace love of books

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More than 1,000 schools across Scotland have signed up to an initiative to get children reading for pleasure. Backed by the Scottish Book Trust, the First Minister’s Reading Challenge, which encourages youngsters to enjoy books, has so far been rolled out in 1,277 primary schools. Among them is Forthview Primary, and Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop visited the school yesterday to join the children for a reading session. Continue reading Forthview up for reading challenge

Now, listen: Scottish Storytelling Festival starts tomorrow

MastThe 2014 Scottish International Storytelling Festival begins tomorrow (Friday 24 October) and runs until 2 November. The programme is themed Once Upon a Place and celebrates Edinburgh’s reputation worldwide as a city bursting with culture, as well as being the world’s first UNESCO designated City of Literature.

Scotland is welcoming the world in 2014 and in this Year of Homecoming, the Storytelling Festival is an important event on the Homecoming calendar, bringing together home-grown talent and acclaimed storytellers from across the world to tell tales and enthral audiences.

The Scottish International Storytelling Festival is the perfect event for everyone from home or abroad who wants to explore what is distinctive and special about Scotland and its international connections, with a programme that combines storytelling ceilidhs with talks, landscape tours and specially commissioned performances, and the finale weekend marks the ancient Celtic New Year of Samhain/Hallowe’en.

Festival Director Donald Smith said: ‘We are delighted to present the programme for this year’s festival; it’s packed with exciting events and a fantastic mix of homegrown storytelling talent and as well as global visiting storytellers. The theme of place is key to us, as Edinburgh is such an inspiring city.

‘Over the years it has produced an array of wonderful writers, some of whom we’ll pay our respects to during the festival, and as an ever evolving vibrant place it continues to inspire year on year. I’m also very pleased that we are able to reach out beyond the city limits with a programme of events taking place throughout Scotland.’

This year’s programme really is packed with highlights – see brochure below for full details:

SSC Fest 2014 Webv2

Spread the word!

Poisoned Arrows event at the Botanics this weekend

Join a fantastic storytelling event at The Botanics this weekend …

Join a mission to find John Kirk, Livingstone’s botanist, and meet Africans along the way sharing stories of useful plants, wild drugs, food and magic. Discover whether the things he predicted 150 years ago in his letters and diaries, from the end of slavery to fair trade, really happened.

Saturday 26 October & Sunday 27 October: drop-in Poisoned Arrows storytelling trail sessions from 11am to 1pm and from 2pm to 4pm (last entry 12noon and 3pm), lasts approx 50 minutes.

With the 2013 Scottish International Storytelling Festival and the JANEEMO Project.

Supported by David Livingstone 200.

PoisonedArrows