Val Mcdermid and Ian Rankin to take part in return of Aye Write
Val Mcdermid and Ian Rankin will be among hundreds of authors taking part in a Glasgow book festival as it returns to the familiar surroundings of the city’s Mitchell Library after coronavirus forced it online.
Aye Write will be holding a live programme of events across three weekends, between May 6 and 22.
Wee Write, the book festival for children and young people, will be running between April 25 to 30, organisers Glasgow Life have announced.
Festival programmer Bob Mcdevitt said it “promises to be a return full of all the bookish treats that our loyal Aye Write audience has come to expect”.
The 17th edition of Aye Write is set to feature more than 200 author talks and sees the event return to Glasgow’s Mitchel Library for the first time since the pandemic restrictions led to the 2021 event going online.
Celia Imrie, the Olivier Awardwinning actress turned novelist and Orwell Prize winning author Darren Mcgarvey are just a couple of the names organisers have announced for the festival.
They will join Scottish crime writers Mcdermid and Rankin, as well as BBC journalist Justin Webb
The full programme will be revealed on March 25, when tickets for the festival go on sale. Wee Write, which organisers said was suitable for all ages, will include Horrid Henry author Francesca Simon, a celebration of 25 years of Harry Potter magic with illustrator Jonny Duddle, and a special appearance by classic children’s favourite The Gruffalo.
Mr Mcdevitt said: “If the pandemic taught us anything, it is that we should value, perhaps above all else, the ability to exchange our experiences and stories, face-to-face, within a shared space,” he said.
"No technology – no matter now impressive – can replicate that.
“This year, we are more excited than ever to invite audiences back into our city’s shared space of the unparalleled Mitchell Library to celebrate our reunion.” Councillor David Mcdonald, chairman of Glasgow Life, said: “With our city’s libraries once again welcoming people back through their doors, Aye Write and Wee Write will offer us a chance to come together again to celebrate the joy of books, through its signature mix of unusual, funny and fascinating writers and conversation.”
And as part of the festival programme Damon Galgut, last year’s Booker Prize winner for The Promise, will lead the line-up of the Aye Write digital programme.
More than two-thirds of last year’s Aye Write programme had to be broadcast live on a pay per view digital platform, with audiences able to ask questions and engage in the talks, due to the Covid pandemic.
Glasgow-born author Douglas Stuart, who won the 2020 Booker Prize for his debut novel Shuggie Bain, was among the headline appearances for last year’s festival.
Last year’s line-up also included best-selling authors Maggie O’farrell and Kate Mosse.
New research published earlier this month had revealed Scotland's book festivals are worth more than £11.3 million to the economy.
Published to coincide with World Book Day, the research, which included Aye Write in Glasgow, found Scotland’s main literary events attracted an audience of more than 780,000in 2019.