Book Week Scotland starts on Monday, which we are very excited about here at Luath!
Book Week Scotland is Scotland’s first national celebration of books and reading, taking place from 26 November to 2 December 2012. The week-long programme of events is bursting with fantastic opportunities for people from all ages, interests and reading abilities, to embark or continue on a reading journey.
So, you may be wondering what we at Luath have planned for this exciting week… Well – lots!
We hope you all get on board with this great week-long event. For the week, our Twitter logo has been attacked by a pink Book Week Scotland 2012 Logo! Show your support for Book Week Scotland 2012 by adding the Twibbon to your own Twitter profile. You can also tweet @BookWeekScot, or use the hashtag #BWS2012 to discuss any of the events, or just to contribute some general book conversation!
Voicing Scotland by Gary West
Firstly, we have one official Book Week Scotland partner event with Gary West, author of Voicing Scotland: Folk, Culture, Nation.
Gary West is a Musician, Lecturer and Broadcaster, and Voicing Scotland has recently been shortlisted in the “Trad Music in the Media” section of the MG Alba Scots Trad Music Awards.
The event at the Scottish Storytelling Centre, in ‘Storytelling Court’, takes place on Tuesday 27th November at 19:30. Tickets are priced at £6 (£3 Concessions), and can be booked by phoning the Scottish Storytelling Centre on 0131 556 9579.
The discussion will centre on Gary’s new book ‘Voicing Scotland’ with plenty of live music examples, exploring the relationships between contemporary folk singers and the makars, bards and writers of centuries gone.
Competition
We will also be running a week-long competition to discover Scotland’s favorite book via our Facebook and Twitter pages, where you stand to win a great bookish-prize! Keep your eyes peeled for more info. The competition will start on Monday with entries accepted via Twitter until Midday Thursday. The competition winner will be decided by a poll of all entries from the week on Facebook throughout the remainder of Thursday and Friday, and announced on Friday 30th November, St Andrews Day, at 5pm. Full details will appear in a separate post on this blog and on Facebook and Twitter!
OTHER EVENTS
Also taking place this week we have another six events taking place:
Scotland No More? Emigration from Scotland in the Twentieth Century
Tuesday 27th November at 11:00; New Register House, Edinburgh
Scotland No More? taps into the need we all share to know who we are and where we come from. Scots have always been on the move, and from all quarters we are bombarded with evidence of interest in their historical comings and goings. Earlier eras have been well covered, but until now the story of Scotland's twentieth-century diaspora has remained largely untold. Scots at Large considers the causes and consequences of the phenomenon, scrutinising the exodus and giving free rein to the voices of those at the heart of the story: the emigrants themselves.
Marjory Harper will be speaking in the Seminar Facility of New Register House. The event is hosted as part of Previously… Scotland’s History Festival.
Open Howf at the Beehive Inn – Is the Baw Burst?
Tuesday 27th November at 19:00; The Beehive Inn, Edinburgh
Iain Hyslop launches the new edition of his book, Is the Baw Burst? — the unofficial review of Scottish Football. He covers everything from the weather to the pies, giving comments, criticism and suggestions for improvement as the voice from the terraces. This new edition, “Volume 2: Rangers Edition” brings his commentary bang up-to-date as he follows Rangers in their first games as part of the third division and explores the effect the recent shake up will have on Scottish football. All welcome – free admission.
Book Launch: Earth by John Hudson
Wednesday, 28 November at 18:00; Waterstones, Walthamstow Shopping Centre
This one is slightly further afield. John Hudson launches his new poetry collection, Earth, at Waterstones in Walthamstow Shopping Centre. All welcome – free admission.
Panel Discussion – Chris Robinson on Scots dictionaries
Thursday, 29 November at 18:00; National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh
Ten years ago Scottish Language Dictionaries was formed to continue the work of the Scottish National Dictionary Association and ‘A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue’. The NLS marks this anniversary by celebrating Scots dictionaries and their role in society today. A panel of dictionary editors, dictionary users and Scots speakers lead a discussion chaired by Professor Jeremy Smith. Dr Chris Robinson, author of Modren Scots Grammar and Scotspeak, will feature as a panel speaker.
Robert Louis Stevenson Talk with John Cairney
Thursday, 29 November 2012 at 18:30; Edinburgh Central Library, Edinburgh
John Cairney will be visiting Edinburgh Central Library to host a talk on the life and works of Robert Louis Stevenson.
Marjory Harper@ Perth Burns Club
Saturday, 1 December at 13:30; A.K. Bell Library, Perth
Dr Marjory Harper is from the University of Aberdeen and her illustrated talk will focus on the subject of her recently published book Scotland No More, which takes a look at emigration from Scotland during the 20th century. The afternoon of events, the Perth Burns Club’s 9th annual day of Scottish Life and Culture, will include a lecture from Lesley Riddoch and a talk from Timothy Neat. Tickets for the afternoon session are priced at £6 and include tea, coffee and biscuits.
At the same venue, commencing at 7.30 pm, there will be a traditional Scottish Concert featuring Scotland’s favourite folk duo GABERLUNZIE. Tickets for the evening concert cost £10 and early booking is advised as the theatre capacity is limited to 125