Photo courstesy of Antonia Reeve Photography Chaired by Peggy Hughes Jim Haynes is a fascinating figure. Grandfather of some aspects of Edinburgh's cultural scene and a one man social network long before the creation of MySpace, Bebo, or later on Facebook. This is his 60th festival and he jokes that he'll do another 60 and then call it quits. Born … [Read more...] about EdBookFest: Jim Haynes
EdBookFest: Sue Perkins
Chaired by Viv Groskop Viv Groskop was the perfect choice of chair for Sue Perkins. Two comedians playing off each other for a highly entertaining hour. Groskop begins by pointing out the Bake Off-esque overtones to some of the reviews of Perkins' book, one of which called it 'warm, crisp and beautifully layered'. Perkins laughs that it makes her … [Read more...] about EdBookFest: Sue Perkins
EdBookFest: Laura Bates
Chaired by Jenny Niven Laura Bates is a name known to feminists and sexist trolls alike. Founder of the Everyday Sexism Project she has collected hundreds of thousands of stories of acts of sexism that happen every day. Comments are made about dress and looks in the workplace. A man on public transport makes eye contact with a hand down his pants. … [Read more...] about EdBookFest: Laura Bates
EdBookFest: AC Grayling – The PEN HG Wells Lecture
This is the second year that the book festival has run a lecture in conjunction with English PEN. In Introducing AC Grayling, Nick Barley, the director of the festival, quotes last year's speaker Ali Smith, who's talk was published by Penguin as a foreword to their reprint of HG Wells' The Rights of Man. She had told him that when speaking to a … [Read more...] about EdBookFest: AC Grayling – The PEN HG Wells Lecture
EdBookFest: Alexander Masters
A life discarded Chaired by James Runcie And so the book festival begins once again. I arrived on the first day to hear Alexander Masters telling the story of 148 diaries found in a skip in Cambridge. They were originally discovered by two of his friends, whom he calls unlikely academics. One, a professor of ecology, was exploring a building site … [Read more...] about EdBookFest: Alexander Masters
Chris Brookmyre: Black Widow
Over the last few years Blackwells have apparently lured Chris Brookmyre to do several events in Edinburgh by promising to book The Caves for the event. It’s easy to see why. Set up in one of the high arches under South Bridge the venue is lit to emphasise the rising stonework and the walled up doorways near the ceiling that show its long history. … [Read more...] about Chris Brookmyre: Black Widow