Friday 15 April 2011

Orkney Book Festival 2011

Today Friday 15th April, sees the start of the first Orkney Book Festival. The weekend of events kicks off with a Book Fair at the Orkney Library in Kirkwall. Featuring books for sale by Scottish Island Writers from a range of island publishers and booksellers, the fair also includes a sale of withdrawn library books.

Also in the Orkney Library today at 3.45pm Ragnhild Ljosland will give a talk on Orkney writer Christina Costie.

Then this evening at the Pier Arts Centre, Stromness, at 7.30pm, Ron Ferguson will give the 2011 GMB Memorial lecture on George Mackay Brown's spiritual journey.

Saturday Events

The Book Fair continues in the Orkney Library tomorrow Saturday 16th April, from 9.30am-5pm. Also at Orkney Library at 2pm Alayne Barton from the Islands Book Trust will give a talk on the work of the trust, then at 4pm Simon Hall will give a talk entitled From fjord to island foreshore - three neglected treasures of the Orkney Room.

Saturday's events will round off with an evening of readings and music by Lise Sinclair, John Aberdein and Orkney writers and musicians, at the Cromarty Hall, St Margaret's Hope, South Ronaldsay starting at 7.30pm.

Sunday Events

Sunday sees the Orkney Book Festival head to Stromness Library for a day of writing workshops. In the morning Lise Sinclair will give a workshop on poetry and lyrics from 11am-1pm. Then in the afternoon Kevin MacNeil will lead a workshop on characterisation and dialogue in prose from 2-4pm. If you would like to sign up for either or both of these workshops please contact pamela.beasant@virgin.net

The Festival concludes on Sunday evening in the Lynnfield Hotel, Kirkwall when Kevin MacNeil and Nalini Paul (GMB Writing Fellow 2009-10) will join with local writers and musicians for an evening of readings and music.

Entry to Okney Book Festival events costs £5 (£3 concession) payable at the door, and a Whole Festival Pass is also available for £20  from any of the events or from the Orkney Library.

It's going to be a busy weekend!

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