Muckle Empire: In conversation with Micheal Pedersen & Stuart Murdoch

Visit West End

Come and hear these two literary supremos explore the quirks and kooks of novel writing.

Hillhead Library

Byres Road Book Festival 2025

Visit West End is delighted to invite story lovers of all ages to our sixth annual Book Festival. Come along and engage with authors, poets, illustrators and film and TV makers. All events are free but ticketed.

What do Edinburgh’s Poet Laureate and Belle &amp; Sebastian’s frontman have in common?Well, they’ve both just published their truly stunning debut novels with the revered Faber &amp; Faber (Muckle Flugga and Nobody’s Empire).Come and hear these two literary supremos explore the quirks and kooks of novel writing.Michael Pedersen is a prize-winning Scottish poet and author. His prose debut, Boy Friends, was a Sunday Times Critics' Choice and shortlisted for the Saltire Scottish Book Awards. He’s unfurled three collections of poetry, the most recent being The Cat Prince &amp; Other Poems, which won the Books Are My Bag Readers Award for Best Poetry 2023. Stuart Murdoch is the lead singer and songwriter for the iconic Glasgow-based band Belle and Sebastian. In 2012 Murdoch scripted, composed, and directed the movie God Help the Girl. An outspoken advocate for sufferers of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Murdoch is also an Ambassador for the Open Medicine Foundation, working to promote awareness of ME/CFS. Chaired by Nicola Meighan