Literary festival is to go online

Culture Perth and Kinross has announced that the winner of last year’s Booker Prize, novelist Douglas Stuart, will be headlining the 2021 Soutar Festival of Words.

The acclaimed author of Shuggie Bain will be appearing online as the festival goes digital with a programme that also includes Perthshire poet and new Makar for the Federation of Writers Scotland, Jim Mackintosh, and William Soutar Writing Prize winner Ross Mackay.

In a first for organisers, the festival will take place entirely online this year and will run from April 23 to 25.

Organisers say the event offers three packed days of readings, performances and conversations with writers, poets and storytellers from across Scotland and beyond via Culture Perth and Kinross’ YouTube channel and Zoom.

Following the success of the inaugural festival, which took place at venues across Perth and Kinross in 2019, the Culture Perth and Kinross team is determined to deliver this year’s event as planned.

Kirsty Brown, of Culture Perth and Kinross, said: “The dark winter months and most recent lockdown have left us all in need of some distraction and engagement with the beauty of the written word, in its many forms, will do just that whilst bringing much joy.

“The festival offers something for everyone with readings and performances from the contemporary to the historical which I am sure will delight young and old alike.

“The attraction of moving online with the festival is that people can join in from the comfort of their own home whether their home is in Perth, Scotland or Perth, Western Australia or Perth, Canada.

“I’m really excited for everyone to enjoy the rich mix of wonderful writers and poets participating this year.”

Full details of the festival will be announced this month on the Culture Perth and Kinross website – www. culturepk.co.uk – with tickets going on sale shortly afterwards.