Meet the Authors: A Festival of Writing Worth Reading

Over twelve days, we'll welcome twelve acclaimed writers, each discussing their latest book, followed by a Q&A and book signing. Enjoy complimentary tea and coffee as you delve into fascinating topics ranging from Scottish history and art to contemporary satire and global health.

Curated by Alan Taylor, the inaugural Writing Worth Reading festival has been designed to allow audiences to meet the people behind the words and inspire new ideas of their own. Alan Taylor is a writer, journalist, editor and broadcaster whose books include The Assassin’s Cloak: An Anthology of the World’s Greatest Diarists, Appointment in Arezzo: A Friendship with Muriel Spark and, most recently, Edinburgh: The Autobiography.

Complimentary tea and coffee served from 10am

Author talks start at 10:30am

Book signings to follow talks from 11:30am

Full list of authors below.

Monday, 11 August, 10:30am - 11:30am

The Real James VI and I

‘Mixed’ perhaps best describes history’s assessment of James VI & I, the first monarch to rule over Scotland, England and Ireland. But, as Steven Veerapen argues in The Wisest Fool, his groundbreaking biography, there was much more to James than a smelly, witch-hunting, drooling nincompoop whose speech could barely be understood.

Tuesday, 12 August, 10:30 am - 11:30am

From Pulpit to Sheep-pen

In Skirly Crag: The Shepherd, Her Dogs, The Hill and The Hare, Helen Percy, a former Kirk minister, describes her new life as a freelance shepherd. Forget beribboned Bo-Peep dresses; think rather of vintage waterproofs, shirts worn to shreds and jeans smeared with goodness knows what.

Wednesday 13 August, 10:30 am - 11:30am

Saved By His Tin Hat

Eric Linklater was a man of many parts - novelist, playwright, historian, soldier, angler, Scottish Nationalist, broadcaster and, last but not least, family man. His son Magnus Linklater, erstwhile editor of the *Scotsman *and now a columnist with the Times, recalls the man who once described himself as ‘an old peasant with a pen’.

Thursday 14 August, 10:30 am - 11:30am

A Matter of Life and Death

During the Covid crisis Professor Devi Sridhar was a welcome voice of reason who had the ear of top politicians - even Piers Morgan praised her. In her new book, How Not to Die (Too Soon), she asks what we can do - as individuals and as a society - to extend our lifespans.

Friday 15 August, 10:30 am - 11:30am

In the Time of Trump

Podcaster, broadcaster, author (Laughter is Better Than Communism) and stand-up comedian (Star Trek’s William Shatner said he’s ‘very funny’), Andrew Heaton arrives from the Other Side of the Pond with news of how things are going so far during The Donald’s second term. Fasten your seat belts.

Saturday 16 August, 10:30 am - 11:30am

This Cultural Life

Multi award-winning novelist, poet and Scots language advocate, James Robertson is one the nation’s most revered writers. But who are the authors, painters, musicians and other artists who have influenced him and whom does he most admire? All will be revealed in the course of a gem-filled hour.

Monday 18 August, 10 am - 11:30am

Murder Most Foul

In a former existence William ‘Bill’ Coles was a tabloid journalist and the ‘go-to guy’ on all things concerning Lord ‘Lucky’ Lucan, who murdered his children’s nanny when he meant to kill his wife. Lord Lucan: My Story, a fictional memoir, supposedly written by the odious Earl, tells the true story of one of the most sensational crimes of the last century.

Tuesday 19 August, 10:30 am - 11:30am

Making Waves

With The Sea Detective, which first appeared in 2011, and its sparkling sequels, Mark Douglas-Home gave the crime genre a much-needed injection of originality. The eponymous detective - an oceanographer - can predict where objects came from when they wash ashore, and where they are headed when lost at sea. Page-turning stuff.

Wednesday 20 August, 10:30 am - 11:30am

A Question of Honour

Once upon a time, as Joseph Farrell describes in Honour and the Sword, duelling was a cultural phenomenon, practised mainly - but not entirely - by men. But where did it originate and why was it once so commonplace? All weapons must be left at the door.

Thursday 21 August, 10:30 am - 11:30am

When I Paint My Masterpiece

Art historian Bendor Grosvenor is perhaps best known for finding and researching previously lost Old Masters. He has presented numerous BBC programmes, including *Fake or Fortune? *and The Culture Show. His book, The Invention of British Art, brilliantly describes a journey of discovery through an incredible array of British art works and artists.

Friday 22 August, 10:30 am - 11:30am

Oh Mary!

In Homecoming, Rosemary Goring recalled Mary, Queen of Scot’s years in Scotland. With her new book, Exile, we learn of the ill-fated monarch’s life in captivity in England. Think treachery, deceit, hope, intrigue, coded letters, spies, murder and the tragic end of one of history’s most beguiling and controversial figures.

Saturday 23 August, 10:30 am - 11:30am

This Cultural Life

Hard as it is to believe, more than half a century has passed since Liz Lochhead published her first collection of poetry. Now a national treasure and serial award-winner, she is a former Makar and recipient of the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry. Here she reveals the artists, writers and musicians who have influenced and inspired her.