Dundee Literary Festival - Thursday 25th October

25
Oct

Lari Don

10am

Lari Don grew up in the north-east of Scotland, and lives in Edinburgh. She is the author of three picture books for young children, The Big Bottom Hunt, How to Make a Heron Happy, and her latest, Orange Juice Peas. Join Lari for a morning session of storytelling and foodie fun! Suitable for nursery-aged children.

25
Oct

What's the point of Literary festivals?

Kirsty Gunn, Juliet Gardiner, Anna Day and Adrian Searle (Freight Books)

10am

Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at a literary festival? This session gives you a privileged peek into the green room, the box office, and the organisers’ diaries. Panellists include Kirsty Gunn, Juliet Gardiner, Anna Day and Adrian Searle (Freight Books). Chaired by Claire Squires.

This event is held in collaboration with the Royal Society of Edinburgh research project, Book Events, Book Cultures, led by Prof Claire Squires (University of Stirling) and Prof David Finkelstein (University of Dundee) and in association with Bookfestival Scotland. For more detail of the project see www.bookcultures.stir.ac.uk

25
Oct

Matt Cartney

11am

Matt Cartney’s Danny Lansing adventure novels have been compared to Robert Muchamore’s Cherub novels. The latest, Red, White and Black, has the emphasis firmly on intrigue, adventure and jeopardy. When he’s not writing, Matt is an intrepid traveller, motorbike fanatic, snow-boarder and mountaineer. Come and hear action man Matt talk about his books and his adventures. Suitable for children aged 10+.

25
Oct

MLitt Showcase

Kirsty Gunn

11am

Now a regular part of our Festival Programme, Kirsty Gunn introduces the stars of Dundee’s unique degree in Writing Practice and Study. Hear the latest work by new poets and novelists just graduating from the course and discover what secrets they’ve picked up about the world of writing - from first drafts to presentation.

25
Oct

A Poem and a Piece

Tessa Ransford & Iyad Hayatleh

12 noon

A Rug of a Thousand Colours is an exploratory project between an established Scottish poet and a Palestinian poet who is now resident in Scotland. The poems explore Tessa and Iyad’s personal responses to the Five Pillars of Islam. Although from different backgrounds the two poets form a dialogue which is interwoven throughout the poems and creates a vivid tapestry of ideas. The poems will be presented in English and in Arabic.

Photogarph by Mike Knowles

25
Oct

What’s the point of Literary prizes?

Aly Barr, Mark Buckland and Alan Bissett

1pm

Join Aly Barr from Creative Scotland, Mark Buckland from Cargo Publishing and prize-winning author Alan Bissett as they discuss the pros and cons of literary prizes. Are there now too many prizes? What does winning a prize mean for the author? Are the general public aware of any other than the Man Booker? These questions and many more will be answered by our distinguished panel. 

25
Oct

Theatre Studies & Creative Writing Workshop

2pm

If you’ve ever thought about working for the theatre, this free workshop will take you on a whirlwind tour of the jobs involved - try your hand at directing, stage design, playwriting. We’ll have professional actors on hand to read your words aloud and experts from the University of Dundee and the Dundee Rep Theatre to help develop your skills.

This event is supported by the brand new degree in Theatre Studies at the University of Dundee - bringing students, actors and Dundee Rep theatre professionals together in a rich creative mix. For more information about the degree, go to www.dundee.ac.uk

*Please note this event is run by the University of Dundee, not the Rep Theatre*

25
Oct

Mark Beaumont

4pm

Mark Beaumont is an adventurer, documentary maker and author. In 2007/2008 Mark broke the Guinness World Record for the fastest circumnavigation of the globe by bicycle, then in 2009/2010 he then went on to cycle from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, also climbing the highest peaks in North and South America. In 2011 Mark was part of the six-man team who rowed through the Canadian Arctic to the 1996 location of the North Magnetic Pole. Mark has self-filmed three BBC1 documentaries, published two books and is a prolific social network blogger. He will share his passion for adventure, culture and travel in this illustrated talk. Mark was recently given an honorary degree by the University of Dundee and we are delighted to welcome him back to the literary festival.

25
Oct

Owning History

Juliet Gardiner

5pm

Juliet Gardiner is a woman of many talents. Author, historian, TV and film consultant, Radio editor (for History Today) and Research Fellow. Juliet has written 14 books including The Thirties an intimate history and The Blitz: the British under attack. She’s coming to Dundee to discuss her wonderful books and her TV career which includes a spell as the historical consultant to Channel 4’s The 1940’s House and The Edwardian Country House.

25
Oct

Alan Warner & James Meek

6pm

This early evening session with two of our finest novelists should provide a feast of fiction. Alan Warner burst onto the literary scene in 1995 with Morvern Callar and since then has won many prizes for his books. He was long-listed for the Man Booker prize for The Stars in the Bright Sky and his latest novel The Deadman’s Pedal has been gathering some of the best reviews of his career. James Meek is an award-winning journalist who was also a literary prize-winner for his novel The People’s Act of Love, which won the Scottish Arts Council Book of Year Award and the Ondaatje Prize. He will be reading from his latest novel The Heart Broke In.