Book Festival unveils ‘Citizens’

CITIZEN, a new project by the Edinburgh International Book Festival, has been launched.

The festival hopes it will be a forum for listening to residents from across the city.

The festival said it will be “offering residents an opportunity to explore their connection to each other and their relationship to their local area, looking at how local conversations are heard or echoed on a national or global level.”

Nick Barley, director of the EIBF, said “I feel passionately book festivals are not just about books: they are much-needed forums for public discourse. If we are going to sustain a genuinely inclusive forum for grassroots democratic discussion in Edinburgh, we must reach out more effectively to give everyone the chance to take part.

“That’s why it’s so exciting to be able to work with community groups that haven’t traditionally been so well represented in the audiences at the August festival. We’re also honoured that authors Claire Askew and Eleanor Thom have agreed to join us in creating long-term community partnerships: I can’t wait to see what kind of events and stories will develop out of the Citizen project.”

Ms Askew has been appointed as the Citizen Schools Writer-inresidence and will be working with three secondary schools including Liberton High School and Craigroyston Community High School.

Ms Thom has been appointed as the Citizen Community Writer-inresidence and will work through North Edinburgh Arts with groups living and working in the north of the city as well with WHALE Arts Agency in Wester Hailes and Goodtrees Neighbourhood Centre in Moredun.

The 2019 Edinburgh International Book Festival runs from August 10 to 26. www.edbookfest.co.uk.