August has arrived and that can only mean one thing: the festival season has started. We’ve compiled a list of Scottish PEN member events at the Book Festival so you can easily catch them reading and speaking this month. If you are a member and you can’t see your event below, please email becca@scottishpen.org and we will add you to the list.
13 August
Julia Donaldson & Friends
10:00-11:00
£5.00
Festival favourite Julia Donaldson is back with more singing, dancing and rhyming fun. Featuring an array of characters from Julia’s much-loved books including What the Jackdaw Saw, The Gruffalo and her new book The Detective Dog, this event is a highly interactive, hugely enjoyable hour of stories and entertainment for everyone.
Trevor Royle
10:30-11:30
£12.00, £10.00
Associate Editor of the Sunday Herald and highly respected military historian Trevor Royle has completed a timely reappraisal of the last major battle to be fought on British soil, and one of the most controversial: Culloden.
Lindsey Fraser on Walk Two Moons
11:00-12:30
£15.00, £12.00
In our workshop today, literary agent Lindsey Fraser explores Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech. Winner of numerous awards including the Newbery Medal, this moving novel expertly weaves together two tales to create a story of love, loss and the complexity of human emotion.
Claire Askew & Helen Mort
18:30-19:30
£8.00, £6.00
Two award-winning young poets give voice to women doing extraordinary things. Claire Askew’s collection This Changes Things asks us to empathise with marginalised women while accepting the impossibility of putting ourselves in their shoes.
14 August
Julia Donaldson & Friends
10:00-11:00
£5.00
Multi award-winning author Julia Donaldson and illustrator Rebecca Cobb’s wonderful picture book, The Paper Dolls, is a lovely tale of childhood and the power of imagination. Join them for live drawing, singing and rhymes from their story, as well as lots more of Julia’s much-loved books. Come and join the fun!
Max Hastings
11:45-12:45
£12.00, £10.00
One legacy of war is the construction of narratives which can accommodate both ‘facts’ and conjecture. By exploring the work of spies, codebreakers and other intelligence operatives working for the various sides during the Second World War, Max Hastings offers a compelling new perspective on a conflict that would change the course of world history. The Secret War is a compendious and necessary book. Chaired by Magnus Linklater.
Vivian French & David Melling’s Knightly Nightmare
15:45-16:45
£5.00
Bestselling partnership Vivian French and David Melling return with the latest episode in Sam J Butterbiggins’ daring quest to become a noble Knight. In the fourth instalment of their hugely successful Knight in Training series, David and Vivian reveal whether Sam is getting closer to achieving his ultimate aim, or whether he’s stuck in a knightly nightmare.
15 August
Comic Consequences
10:30-11:30
£5.00
Festival favourite Vivian French challenges comic creators to a lively game of consequences. You choose the starting point for each story and then the writers take it in turns to move the story along. Come and watch some fantastic live drawing and see how comic makers Adam Murphy, Gary Northfield and Zak Simmonds-Hurn fare when you throw your craziest ideas at them.
Kathryn Ross on The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
13:00-14:30
£15.00, £12.00
In our workshop today, literary agent Kathryn Ross explores The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark. The story of the fascinating, comic and ultimately tragic schoolmistress Jean Brodie has become a classic, inspiring a stage play and a successful film starring Maggie Smith. Expect an open discussion from the start: you can either read the book ahead of the event, or be inspired to pick it up afterwards.
Iain Macwhirter
13:30-14:30
£12.00, £10.00
Following the independence referendum, Iain Macwhirter’s status as one of Scotland’s most influential commentators has been underlined by the publication of several important books. The latest, Tsunami: Scotland’s Democratic Revolution, looks at the SNP’s landslide victory in Scotland in the 2015 Westminster election. As Britain braces itself for the aftermath of the European referendum, Macwhirter makes a compelling case for Scotland’s political future. Chaired by Magnus Linklater.
Lin Anderson & Rob Ewing
£19:00-20:00
£8.00, £6.00
Do remote isles make people behave differently? Lin Anderson presents a pulsating Rhona MacLeod investigation in None but the Dead as she heads for the isle of Sanday to excavate a grave found in an old primary school.
Peter Mackay & Gregory Scofield
19:00-20:00
£8.00, £6.00
The links between language and identity are brought vividly to life in this unique event. Scottish poet Peter Mackay is joined by Métis writer Gregory Scofield, who traces his roots back to the Red River Settlement – a Scottish colony in Canada established after the Highland Clearances. Mackay reads from his new Gaelic and English poetry collection Gu Leòr / Galore, while Scofield presents work from kipocihkân: Poems New and Selected.
Alexander McCall Smith
20:15-21:15
£12.00, £10.00
Alexander McCall Smith is a cornerstone of Edinburgh literary life and a global publishing sensation. Today he gives a sneak preview of a new No 1 Ladies title, Precious and Grace, launches the latest volume in 44 Scotland Street, the world’s longest running serial novel, and offers up an hilarious standalone novel – My Italian Bulldozer. Irresistibly entertaining, McCall Smith is a jewel in the Book Festival’s crown.
16 August
Philip Hoare, Magnus Linklater, & Alison Turnbull
10:30-11:30
£8.00, £6.00
Nature and ideas intersect in inspiring ways. Linn Botanic Gardens is the subject of Another Green World, a beautiful, elegiac book created by novelist Philip Hoare and artist Alison Turnbull. At Stonypath in the Pentlands, artist Ian Hamilton Finlay created Little Sparta, a garden with stone-carved typographic artworks. Magnus Linklater, chairman of the Little Sparta Trust, discusses the garden and its enigmatic creator.
Frederick Forsyth with Ian Rankin
11:45-12:45
£12.00, £10.00
It’s hardly surprising that Frederick Forsyth has wild stories to tell, given his past as an RAF pilot and investigative journalist, but the thriller writer spins such ripping yarns in his dashing autobiography, The Outsider, that a Sunday Times critic described his book as ‘one of the most exciting and enjoyable accounts of an author’s life…that I have ever read.’ The unique memoir of an intriguing man. He talks to Ian Rankin to share the details.
Lucy Ribchester & Sara Sheridan
19:00-20:00
£8.00, £6.00
Two Edinburgh-based writers discuss fast-moving historical adventures, featuring intriguing women at their heart. Sara Sheridan gives us On Starlit Seas in which a celebrated 1820s writer leaves a civil war-ravaged Brazil for England. Lucy Ribchester’s follow-up to The Hourglass Factory is The Amber Shadows, a pacey wartime tale of a Bletchley Park typist who finds herself embroiled in murder and intrigue.
Pilgrimer
19:30-21:00
£15.00-£12.00
A highlight of this year’s Celtic Connections, Pilgrimer is a performance that reimagines Joni Mitchell’s classic 1976 album Hejira, placing its themes of migration, freedom and loneliness in both Scots language and a Scottish setting. In a special event of readings and music, the project’s creators – novelist James Robertson, musicians Karine Polwart and Steven Polwart, and Celtic Connections’ Donald Shaw – give a unique insight into reimagining Mitchell’s poetry and music in 21st century Scotland.
Ian Rankin
20:15-21:15
£12.00, £10.00
Retirement didn’t suit John Rebus and nor, it seems, did it suit his creator, Ian Rankin. Thankfully, Rebus is well and truly back on the beat in Rankin’s latest bestselling novel Even Dogs in the Wild. In this story, Rankin returns to some familiar characters on both sides of the law: Big Ger Cafferty, DI Siobhan Clarke and DI Malcolm Fox get involved in a vicious game of dog-eat-dog.
17 August
Tahmima Anam & Helen Sedgwick
15:45-16:45
£8.00, £6.00
Stories about strangers connecting are at the heart of two hotly anticipated novels. Granta Best Young British Novelist Tahmima Anam’s The Bones of Grace features the adopted daughter of a Dhaka family meeting a man who belongs to a typical American family. Scottish writer Helen Sedgwick’s assured debut, The Comet Seekers, sees two people driven by a desire to explore come together at an Antarctic research station. Chaired by Kirsty Logan.
Alexander McCall Smith
18:45-19:45
£12.00, £10.00
Alexander McCall Smith is a cornerstone of Edinburgh literary life and a global publishing sensation. Today he gives a sneak preview of a new No 1 Ladies title, Precious and Grace, launches the latest volume in 44 Scotland Street, the world’s longest running serial novel, and offers up an hilarious standalone novel – My Italian Bulldozer. Irresistibly entertaining, McCall Smith is a jewel in the Book Festival’s crown.
Richard T Kelly & Mark Lawson with Val McDermid
19:00-20:00
£8.00, £6.00
Mark Lawson’s The Allegations centres on a reputation-threatening investigation into the past behaviour of a well-known historian, while Richard T Kelly’s The Knives features a fiery Home Secretary struggling to cope with border control, terrorism and modern policing. With such sensitive social contexts involved, what personal risks did the authors take in approaching the material? An event marking the publication of two very contemporary novels, chaired by Val McDermid.
18 August
Open Book on the Poetry and Fiction of Jackie Kay
11:00-12:30
£15.00, £12.00
Marjorie Lotfi Gill and Claire Urquhart from Open Book, a charity that organises shared reading groups, look at the poetry and fiction of new Scottish Makar Jackie Kay. Kay’s work is broad, exploring issues of cultural and sexual identity informed by her own experiences. Expect an open discussion from the start: you can either read Kay’s work ahead of the event or be inspired to pick it up afterwards.
Story Shop
15:00-15:30
Free & Drop-in
Immerse yourself in short stories at Story Shop, now in its 10th year, hosted by our friends the Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature Trust. It’s free and takes place every day at 3.00pm in the Spiegeltent. This is your chance to hear emerging writer Beth Cochrane.
Theresa Breslin & M A Griffin
17:00-18:00
£5.00
In Theresa Breslin’s Caged, Kai finds sanctuary in a strange community of outcasts making money from cage fights. What price will he pay for a sense of belonging?
Edwin Morgan Poetry Award
19:00-20:00
£8.00, £6.00
Since his death in 2010, Edwin Morgan’s poetry has continued to inspire writers in this country. A generous bequest by Morgan has enabled the creation of a biennial prize of £20,000 for a poet under the age of 30, and 2014 winner Niall Campbell has quickly become acknowledged as one of Scottish literature’s brightest stars. Today we gather the 2016 shortlist to hear their poetry, and award judges Jackie Kay and Stewart Conn talk about the shortlisted poets before announcing this year’s winner.
Neu! Reekie!
19:30-20:30
£12.00, £10.00
Cultural provocateurs Neu! Reekie! present work from #UntitledTwo, their double-headed poetry anthology and music album. It features 34 outstanding poets, including two Makars, prize-winning poets, YouTube sensations and hip-hop bards. Tonight’s troubadours will be Ryan van Winkle, Janette Ayachi, Colin Will, Roy Moller, Paul Hullah, Jenny Lindsay, Gerry Cambridge, Sophie Cooke, Kevin Cadwallender, Wayne Price and Paul Hullah with Martin Metcalfe.
Tim Burgess with Ian Rankin
20:15-21:15
£12.00, £10.00
In his memoir Telling Stories, Tim Burgess lifted the lid on life with The Charlatans and their experiences at the heart of the 1990s ‘Madchester’ scene. Today, Burgess is joined by crimewriter and fellow music fan Ian Rankin to discuss their passion for vinyl. Burgess shares recommendations from a stellar cast of friends – including Iggy Pop and Paul Weller – that he has tracked down in record shops across the world.
19 August
Nothing But the Poem on Transition and Translation
11:00-12:30
£15.00, £12.00
Aleksandar Hut Kono writes witty, brisk poetry that reaches enviably large audiences; he has also written librettos for two Royal National Theatre operas. He joins Jennifer Williams from the Scottish Poetry Library to explore the form and language of his poetry in Croatian and translation, along with his librettos. No background knowledge is required and poems will be provided. Supported by Literary Europe Live.
Alexander McCall Smith
13:30-14:30
£12.00, £10.00
Alexander McCall Smith is a cornerstone of Edinburgh literary life and a global publishing sensation. Today he gives a sneak preview of a new No 1 Ladies title, Precious and Grace, launches the latest volume in 44 Scotland Street, the world’s longest running serial novel, and offers up an hilarious standalone novel – My Italian Bulldozer. Irresistibly entertaining, McCall Smith is a jewel in the Book Festival’s crown.
Amnesty International Imprisoned Writers Series
17:30-18:15
Free
Today’s readings are from a new anthology of poems published in partnership with Amnesty International, featuring themes of love, mortality, war and peace. With contributors including Yoko Ono, Judi Dench and Meera Syal, the collection provides intriguing insights into the minds of women whose writing, acting and thinking are admired around the world. Authors reading today include Jo Baker, Polly Morland, Sara Sheridan and Hannah Kohler.
The Write to Read: Discussing Dyslexia
19:30-21:00
£8.00, £6.00
Vivian French overcame her own reading difficulties to become a bestselling writer. Today, she discusses writing dyslexia-friendly books for young readers. Her The Covers of My Book Are Too Far Apart is designed for those who struggle to read. She is joined by Cornelia Funke whose book Gawain Greytail and the Terrible Tab is perfect for new readers, along with Mairi Kidd, MD of Edinburgh-based publisher Barrington Stoke, who publish fiction and non-fiction for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers of all ages. After the event, you can chat to a dyslexia specialist in the Imagination Lab and the Book Doctor is on hand to recommend books for reluctant readers.
21 August
Reading the City
10:30-11:30
£12.00, £10.00
Join University of Edinburgh’s Professor James Loxley and Edinburgh Makars Christine De Luca and Ron Butlin to explore the literary landscape and hear poetry inspired by the world’s first UNESCO City of Literature.
Kate Leiper & James Robertson: The Book of the Howlat
12:15-13:15
£5.00
Written by James Robertson and illustrated by Kate Leiper, The Book of the Howlat is the enchanting retelling of one of Scottish literature’s most famous poems. A young owl, unhappy with his appearance, enlists the help of more handsome birds to give him a dramatic transformation. But as the howlat’s beauty grows, so too does his arrogance, and the other birds feel action must be taken… Join two hugely gifted artists for an unmissable Scots event.
Mehreen Fatima, Kate Leiper, Shazea Quraishi & Ian Stephen
14:15-15:15
£12.00, £10.00
In a recent collaborative project organised by Highlight Arts, poets from Pakistan and Scotland created new poetry, stories and music together in Glasgow. We invited illustrators and storytellers from both countries to Lahore Literary Festival in February to build on this translation exchange in Pakistan’s second largest city. For this special event, illustrators Mehreen Fatima and Kate Leiper join storytellers Shazea Quraishi and Ian Stephen to present the results.
Amnesty International Imprisoned Writers Series
17:30-18:15
Free
Arundhati Roy faces trial for contempt of court after criticising the arrest of Delhi University lecturer Saibaba for ‘anti-national activities.’ Roy is one of many Indian intellectuals under pressure from Prime Minister Modi’s government, and over 40 authors have returned awards in protest of the climate of intolerance. Today’s event is chaired by Scottish PEN and readers include Ron Butlin, Gillian Slovo and Ian Stephen.
22 August
Open Book on the Short Stories of James Kelman
11:00-12:30
£15.00, £12.00
Marjorie Lotfi Gill and Claire Urquhart from Open Book, a charity that organises shared reading groups, explore the short stories of James Kelman. Often very short in length, Kelman’s stories present vivid fragments or brief moments that point to the isolation and powerlessness of the working class. No previous knowledge of Kelman’s short stories is necessary to enjoy this workshop. There will be an open discussion from the start.
James Naughtie
11:45-12:45
£12.00, £10.00
After an emotional farewell to the Today programme, James Naughtie has flung himself headlong into his other career as a man of letters. His second novel Paris Spring takes readers back to the heady days of 1968 when events in the French capital seemed set to change Europe forever. In this new book, Naughtie revisits the compelling collection of spies and siblings he introduced in The Madness of July. Chaired by Magnus Linklater.
Jim Carruth & Ian Stephen
15:30-16:30
£8.00, £6.00
Meet two Scottish writers whose new books deploy language with intensity and precision. Described by Bernard MacLaverty as ‘redemptive and moving’, in Killochries Glasgow’s Poet Laureate Jim Carruth creates a haunting verse novella about two men on a lonely hill farm. With Maritime, Lewis-based sailor and storyteller Ian Stephen returns with a collection applauded by Robert Macfarlane for being ‘taut as well-set sails’.
Amnesty International Imprisoned Writers Series
17:30-18:15
Free
Every day journalists, photographers, camera crew and bloggers risk their lives to bring us the real stories of conflict and oppression. From horrific destruction in Syria to the chilling activities of terror groups, they put themselves on the front line to give others a voice. Today, authors Jessie Burton, Kati Hiekkapelto, Val McDermid and J O Morgan read work by writers who lost their lives while reporting atrocities.
Valerie Gillies, Martin MacIntyre & Lesley Morrison with Gavin Francis
17:45-18:45
£12.00, £10.00
Tools of the Trade is a pocket sized poetry anthology, prepared with the Scottish Poetry Library, which is given to all new doctors in Scotland. It speaks to the achievements and challenges of being a junior doctor. Join GP Lesley Morrison and poets Martin MacIntyre and Valerie Gillies to find out what poetry can contribute to medicine today. Chaired by Gavin Francis.
Val McDermid
20:15-21:15
£12.00, £10.00
Crime-writing Fifer Val McDermid has had a busy year so far, having found a cameo role for the First Minister in a play she penned for Radio 4 and campaigning hard to save an award-winning Orkney mobile library. Now she’s back on familiar ground as she launches another of the gripping, spine-tingling bestsellers that have turned her into one of Britain\u2019s hottest thriller writers.” Crime-writing Fifer Val McDermid has had a busy year so far, having found a cameo role for the First Minister in a play she penned for Radio 4 and campaigning hard to save an award-winning Orkney mobile library. Now she’s back on familiar ground as she launches another of the gripping, spine-tingling bestsellers that have turned her into one of Britain’s hottest thriller writers.
23 August
Sara Sheridan on the Writing of Maria Graham
11:00-12:30
£15.00, £12.00
Author Sara Sheridan explores the writing of Maria Graham. Often neglected, Graham was the first woman to forge a career specifically as a travel writer, leading the field in the early 19th century with accounts of her travels to India, Italy, Chile and Brazil. Expect an open discussion from the start: you can either read Graham’s work ahead of the event, or be inspired to pick it up afterwards.
Cecilia Ekbäck & Graeme Macrae Burnet
14:00-15:00
£8.00, £6.00
In the mid-19th century, what unites the Sami people of Lapland and a band of crofters in north-west Scotland? In the fictional worlds of Cecilia Ekbäck and Graeme Macrae Burnet, each community has witnessed a brutal triple murder. Ekbäck’s In The Month of the Midnight Sun and Macrae Burnet’s His Bloody Project are ingenious, gripping noir thrillers, and keenly awaited follow-ups to their authors’ acclaimed debuts. Chaired by Jenny Brown.
Malcolm Harvey & Michael Keating
16:00-17:00
£12.00, £10.00
The debate over Scottish independence shows no signs of easing in a year when our parliamentary election has been dominated by debates over Britain’s future in Europe. Malcolm Harvey and Michael Keating, co-authors of Small Nations in a Big World, place independence squarely back on the agenda as they discuss the Nordic and Baltic states – and the valuable lessons they offer Scotland as it ponders its future. Chaired by Magnus Linklater.
The Hook of Visual Literacy
17:30-18:30
£8.00, £6.00>
Picture Hooks encourages new children’s illustrators through a mentoring scheme pairing five mentees and five mentors together for one year. Author and Picture Hooks founder Vivian French discusses how the format can be adapted for classroom use, and the resources available to develop visual communication in children. She is joined by Aurelie Norman from Wardie Primary, Edinburgh, who has worked with Picture Hooks.
Mark Greenaway with Val McDermid
18:45-19:45
£12.00, £10.00
There can’t be a much more relaxing Book Festival experience than being interviewed by someone who not only admires your work but also eats it on a regular basis. This is the happy position that leading chef Mark Greenaway finds himself in as he discusses new recipe book Perceptions and talks kitchens, cuisine, writing and great food with regular patron Val McDermid.
24 August
Ian Rankin
20:15-21:15
£12.00, £10.00
In his memoir Telling Stories, Tim Burgess lifted the lid on life with The Charlatans and their experiences at the heart of the 1990s ‘Madchester’ scene. Today, Burgess is joined by crimewriter and fellow music fan Ian Rankin to discuss their passion for vinyl. Burgess shares recommendations from a stellar cast of friends – including Iggy Pop and Paul Weller – that he has tracked down in record shops across the world.
25 August
Open Book on the Poetry and Fiction of Jackie Kay
11:00-12:30
£15.00, £12.00
Marjorie Lotfi Gill and Claire Urquhart from Open Book, a charity that organises shared reading groups, look at a range of sonnets written by poets from Shakespeare to Don Paterson. From the fiercely traditional to the wildly experimental, they examine a variety of sonnets and ask whether anyone can really write a sonnet quite like Shakespeare. No previous knowledge is necessary to enjoy this workshop. There will be an open discussion from the start.
Kate Summerscale with Val McDermid
15:15-16:15
£12.00, £10.00
While Kate Summerscale remains best known as the author of the number one bestseller The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, she has certainly not rested on her impressive literary laurels. The Wicked Boy is an unforgettable forensic analysis of the dark side of 19th century Britain in which Summerscale explores the story of teenagers Robert and Nattie Coombes, and a shocking murder case that sent Victorians into a frenzy. She discusses her book with bestselling crimewriter Val McDermid.
Iain Maloney & Glenn Patterson
15:45-16:45
£8.00, £6.00
Devastating fictions can be woven out of events that are only too real. In 1988, the Piper Alpha oil platform exploded off the coast of Aberdeen, killing 167 people. The Waves Burn Bright is Japan-based Aberdonian Iain Maloney’s moving novelisation of a tragedy that blew families apart. The subjects of Irish novelist Glenn Patterson’s Gull are an iconic gull-wing car built in troubled west Belfast, and its creator, the entrepreneur and conman John DeLorean.
James Robertson
17:00-18:00
£12.00, £10.00
As one of Scotland’s most inventive authors, James Robertson has turned his hand to many things in his remarkable career, but his brand new novel, To Be Continued…, is quite unlike anything else. A madcap wild goose chase that leads its protagonist from his England-based job towards a crumbling manor in the Highlands, Robertson’s surreal comedy involves a talking toad, a firebrand granny and much more besides. Welcome to Scotland. Chaired by Jamie Jauncey.
Jonathan Dimbleby
20:15-21:15
£12.00, £10.00
Of the epic struggles of 1939-1945, land-based events like the Blitz and Stalingrad come most readily to mind. But according to Jonathan Dimbleby, none of them could have been fought – let alone won – if it hadn’t been for victory at sea. In The Battle of the Atlantic, Dimbleby uses letters and diaries to show why control of the ocean’s maritime artery was vital. This book will transform our understanding of the war. Chaired by Magnus Linklater.
27 August
Story Shop
15:00-15:30
Free & Drop-in
Immerse yourself in short stories at Story Shop, now in its 10th year, hosted by our friends the Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature Trust. It’s free and takes place every day at 3.00pm in the Spiegeltent. This is your chance to hear emerging writer Candance Albornoz.
Mark Billingham with Val McDermid
20:45-21:45
£12.00, £10.00
With over three million copies of his books sold to date, Mark Billingham’s career as a novelist has been a slam-dunk success. And he’s back for more this summer with Die of Shame, his smartest, most unusual thriller to date. When six people meet each week to discuss addiction, they share their most shameful secrets. So when one of them is murdered, will any of the others testify? He discusses his book with fellow crimewriter Val McDermid.
28 August
Julia Donaldson & Friends
10:00-11:00
£5.00
Festival favourite Julia Donaldson is joined by The Gruffalo illustrator Axel Scheffler and friends for a highly interactive and hugely entertaining event of live drawing, songs and rhymes. Also joining the party is writer James Robertson with his Scots translation of Julia’s much-loved book, The Reiver Rat.
Monkeying Around with Lydia Monks
10:30-11:30
£5.00
Mungo Monkey is very excited to be joining his daddy at work in the fire engine. Who will he rescue today? Come along to find out and meet bestselling illustrator of Julia Donaldson’s What the Ladybird Heard with her latest bold and colourful lift-the-flap book, Mungo Monkey to the Rescue.
Unbound
21:00-23:00
Free & Drop-in
All-round literary powerhouse Jenny Lindsay launches her latest venture, Flint & Pitch, which continues the cabaret style of Rally & Broad presenting the best of Scotland-based spoken word, music and live lit. The first line-up is packed with readings from Hannah McGill, performances from Dave Hook, Katie Ailes and Sam Small, plus music from Roseanne Reid and Pronto Mama.
29 August
Ray Mears
18:45-19:45
£12.00, £10.00
A popular survival expert should be on safe ground in leafy Charlotte Square as he discusses his time in the largest forest on the planet, the circumpolar Boreal woodlands of the North. Co-written with Lars Fält, Ray Mears’ Out on the Land is not only a paean to a vast territory, it’s a celebration of the culture and people of an area whose wilderness is a huge challenge both in summer and winter. He talks to Magnus Linklater.
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