Dundee Literary Festival 19TH - 23RD OCTOBER 2016
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Introduction ‘What an astonishing thing a book is. It’s a flat object made from a tree with flexible parts on which are imprinted lots of funny dark squiggles. But one glance at it and you’re inside the mind of another person, maybe somebody dead for thousands of years. Across the millennia, an author is speaking clearly and silently inside your head, directly to you. Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people who never knew each other, citizens of distant epochs. Books break the shackles of time. A book is proof that humans are capable of working magic.’ – Carl Sagan And what an astonishing thing a book festival is – full of astonishing books, the brilliant people who write them and the wonderful readers who read them. This year we celebrate ten years at the heart of our City of Discovery, so we’re inviting you to step into our festival time machine and explore how books work magic. We’ll journey backwards, with a great big 1930s tea dance in honour of the 80th birthdays of Oor Wullie and The Broons, to Shakespeare (400 years dead in 2016), to the herring trade, and Irish women writers overlooked for centuries. We’ll step into the future, with the emerging shape of literary criticism, a 21st century look at death, future gazing with H.G. Wells, and events for our younger readers of the future, with Pamela Butchart and Philip Ardagh and Matthew Fitt and more. With authors this year from Portugal, Cameroon, South Korea and Ireland, we’ll use stories to travel, and we’ll have stories travel to us, from giants such as James Kelman, Liz Lochhead and Alan Cumming, and fantastic newer voices, Jenni Fagan, Jan Carson and Darran Anderson. We’ll explore ideas cooked up right here at the University of Dundee, and - with the MLitt in Writing Practice and Study celebrating its tenth year too - the talented graduates who’ve been shaped during their time with us. Join us on a journey to Sagan’s ‘distant epochs’, come and be captivated and inspired by books.
PEGGY HUGHES Literary Dundee University of Dundee
FESTIVAL AT A GLANCE SATURDAY 24TH SEPTEMBER
THURSDAY 20TH OCTOBER
2PM
10AM
WEDNESDAY 19TH OCTOBER
11AM
3PM
12NOON
Pugly Solves a Crime: Launch party with Pamela Butchart
The Voyage Out
4.30PM
Livewire: Showcase of student writing
6PM
Sunlight and Shadows: Jenni Fagan, Hwang Jungeun & Deborah Smith
7.30PM
Herring Tales: How the Silver Darlings Shaped Human Taste and History Donald S. Murray
Creative taster: Poetry workshop with Lindsay Macgregor Slugboy Saves the World - Mark A. Smith Walking Tour: (re)Discovering our City of Discovery
12NOON
Seconds to Snap - Tina McGuff
1PM
Lunchbox Talk - H.G. Wells: Discoverer of the Future
2PM
The Fall of the Tay Bridge - David Swinfen
2PM
Masterclass with Ian Kennedy
3PM
Showcase - Memoir and the Art of Life Writing
4.30PM
First Writes - Shelley Day & Sandra Ireland
6PM
Dirt Road - James Kelman in conversation with Kirsty Gunn
7PM
Silent Reading Party - Festival edition
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FRIDAY 21ST OCTOBER 10AM
Bounce and Tickle
10AM
7PM
Somethings Old, Somethings New: Liz Lochhead with Steve Kettley
9PM
Instrumentals: Roddy Woomble
Immortal Memory: Prof Christopher Whatley
11AM
SATURDAY 22ND OCTOBER
The Fourth Bonniest Baby in Dundee!
11AM
Future Scotlands: Tim Armstrong & Matthew Fitt
12NOON
Philip Ardagh and The Grunts!
12NOON
Expecting: Chitra Ramaswamy
1.20PM
Lunchtime Concert: Beethoven Piano Trio No. 2 in G
2PM
The Glass Shore: Sinéad Gleeson & Jan Carson
3.30PM
Mind Your Head: Juno Dawson & Cat Clarke
5PM
That way madness lies - Shakespeare and mental illness
6.30PM
A fresh look at death - Susana Moreira Marques & Zoe Venditozzi
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10AM
Rock and Roald Dahl party: Matthew Fitt
10AM
50 years of comics: Morris Heggie
11AM
Haunting afterlives: Shirley Jackson and Josephine Tey
12NOON
New kids on the block: Neil Slorance & Maria Stoian
12NOON
Does Terrorism Work? – Richard English
1PM
Create a Comic workshop with Jim Glen
1PM
Lunchbox Talk: Art in Dundee, and Dundee in Art with Matthew Jarron
2PM
Imaginary Cities with Darran Anderson
3PM
Big Braw Birthday Tea Dance: The Broons & Oor Wullie at 80
4.30PM
Belonging: Eric Ngalle Charles & Marjorie Lotfi Gill
5PM
Masterclass with Ian Kennedy
5.30PM
SUNDAY 23RD OCTOBER 11AM
Ex Libris Book Fair
11AM
A Thoroughly Decent Read: Steve Finan
Crime at Teatime: Lin Anderson & Russel D. McLean
11AM
6.15PM
12NOON
Rab Wilson & Rody Gorman
7PM
Launch event: The Drouth
7.30PM
Reading Shakespeare’s Sonnets: Don Paterson
Family workshop: Tales o` our Town Poetry workshop: Rody Gorman
1PM
Looking ahead: What future for critics in the digital age?
2PM
Launch: Seagate III – Dundee Poetry in the 21st Century
3PM
Crime through Time: Sue Lawrence & Martin Cathcart Froden
4.15PM
Poetry, Portraits, Sound, Place: Sarah Neely on Margaret Tait
5.30PM
Outer Edges: Amy Liptrot & Malachy Tallack
FRIDAY 25TH NOVEMBER 7PM
You Gotta Get Bigger Dreams: My Life in Stories and Pictures: An Evening with Alan Cumming DUNDEE LITERARY FESTIVAL 2016 | 7
SATURDAY 24TH SEPTEMBER PUGLY SOLVES A CRIME LAUNCH PARTY WITH PAMELA BUTCHART It’s a great big launch party for local legend Pamela Butchart’s new book, and you’re all invited for a make and do extravaganza! When Pugly hears that Big Sal the guinea pig has been GUINEA PIG-NAPPED he knows it’s time for him to become a PUG-TECTIVE! Is GLITTERPUFF the fancy poodle, or TINY the dramatic chihuahua behind the crime? Maybe it’s Big Sal HIMSELF! Time for Pugly to put on his special DETECTIVE HAT and join forces with Clem the cat to find clues, interview suspects, and have a stake-out with real STEAK. Pamela Butchart is from Dundee, where she lives with her husband and two cats. She is the winner of The Children’s Book Award 2016 and the Blue Peter Best Book Award 2015 and she has been shortlisted for The Laugh Out Loud Book Awards 2016. We love Pamela and you will too. In partnership with Frigate Unicorn When: Saturday 24th September, 2pm (1 hour) Where: Frigate Unicorn Especially for 5-8 year olds, but all ages welcome. Free
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“With so many characters - fictional or otherwise hailing from the city, Dundee’s place on the literary map of the world is significant and indisputable.” THE LIST MAGAZINE
WEDNESDAY 19TH OCTOBER THE VOYAGE OUT In 1902, RRS Discovery was launched from Dundee into the white spaces of the Antarctic. In the same way The Voyage Out, a unique compendium of fiction, poetry, essays, art and film, captures the anticipation and the possibilities of voyaging, the “what ifs” of imaginative and creative enquiry. Assembled by Kirsty Gunn and Gail Low of Writing Practice and Study here at the University of Dundee, The Voyage Out asks writers and artists and scientists such as Brian Cox, Robert Macfarlane, Dame Sue Black and Ron Hay to imagine journeys. For each contributor, exploring those wide uncharted waters meant something different, something tinged with the element of risk and excitement. The Voyage Out marks 10 years of intensely creative journeys undertaken in Writing Practice and Study, and also commemorates the work of Jim Stewart who taught on the programme. And welcome on board, we say. When: Wednesday 19th October, 3pm (1 hour) Where: Bonar Hall Free
LIVEWIRE: SHOWCASE OF STUDENT WRITING Our annual opportunity to hear from the current crop of the Writing Practice & Study MLitt class: poetry, prose, essays, performance, and any and all points in between! The MLitt is ten years old this year and has launched the careers of many writers. Come and hear the stars of the future here first. When: Wednesday 19th October, 4.30pm (1 hour) Where: Bonar Hall Free DUNDEE LITERARY FESTIVAL 2016 | 9
WEDNESDAY 19TH OCTOBER
SUNLIGHT AND SHADOWS
JENNI FAGAN, HWANG JUNGEUN & DEBORAH SMITH Jenni Fagan is a prize-winning novelist and poet, the only Scottish writer to be on Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists list in 2013 and one of the Waterstones 11 best worldwide debuts in 2012. Her debut novel, The Panopticon, was hugely acclaimed, and her second, The Sunlight Pilgrims, is a visionary story of courage and resilience in the midst of nature’s most violent hour. Hwang Jungeun is one of the bright young things of Korean literature, having published two collections of short stories and three novels to date. One Hundred Shadows (2010) is her first novel, now translated into English by Jung Yewon, and published by Tilted Axis Press. Western readers can discover the mix of oblique fantasy, hardedge social critique and offbeat romance which enjoyed critical and commercial success, and won the Hankook Ilbo Literary Award and the Korean Booksellers’ Award. Jenni and Jungeun are joined by Deborah Smith, Man Booker International Prize-winning translator of Han Kang and publisher at Tilted Axis Press, for a conversation with Creative Scotland’s Jenny Niven about creating and sharing vivid, award-winning words. When: Wednesday 19th October, 6pm (1 hour) Where: Bonar Hall £3 / £2
Below: Hwang Jungeun, below right: Jenni Fagan
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WEDNESDAY 19TH OCTOBER
HERRING TALES: HOW THE SILVER DARLINGS SHAPED HUMAN TASTE AND HISTORY DONALD S. MURRAY Scots like to smoke or salt them. The Dutch love them raw. Swedes look on with relish as they open bulging, foul-smelling cans to find them curdling within. Jamaicans prefer them with a dash of chilli pepper. Germans and the English enjoy their taste best when accompanied by pickle’s bite and brine. In this special event aboard the atmospheric Frigate Unicorn, Donald S. Murray will talk about how much herring has done to shape both human taste and history. Following a journey from the western edge of Norway to the east of England, from Shetland and the Outer Hebrides to the fishing ports of the Baltic coast of Germany and the Netherlands, culminating in a visit to Iceland’s Herring Era Museum, Donald S. Murray has stitched together tales of the fish that was of central importance to the lives of our ancestors, noting how both it - and those involved in their capture - were celebrated in the art, literature, craft, music and folklore of life in northern Europe. Blending together politics, science, history, religious and commercial life, this evening with Donald will also feature music from local singer Lynne Campbell. In partnership with Frigate Unicorn When: Wednesday 19th October, 7.30pm (1 hour) Where: Frigate Unicorn £5 / £3
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THURSDAY 20TH october CREATIVE TASTER POETRY WORKSHOP WITH LINDSAY MACGREGOR
Image: Rob Mcdougall Photography
University of Dundee Writing Practice & Study graduate and Scottish Book Trust New Writer Awardee, poet Lindsay Macgregor, will take you from blank page to poem in an hour in this whistle-stop creative taster. When: Thursday 20th October, 10am (1hour) Where: Bonar Hall £5 (includes hot beverage)
SLUGBOY SAVES THE WORLD MARK A. SMITH Thanks to an unfortunately tasty-looking radioactive garden slug, eleven-year-old Murdo McLeod is now the world’s worst superhero. His two powers are pretty unique: the first is sliding up walls. Quite slowly. The second is secreting slippery slime from his skin. (Yes, just as disgusting as it sounds.) It’s a world where superhero competition is fierce, and Slugboy is so underrated he doesn’t even make the list when an evil mastermind devises a plan to capture all the other superheroes. Now, Slugboy has to use his not-so-super and oh-so-gross abilities to free the other superheroes and save the world. Let’s hope he doesn’t slip up… Slugboy Saves the World won the Kelpies Prize, which encourages and rewards Scottish writing for children, in 2015. Mark Smith is a graduate of the English Studies programme here at the University of Dundee, and we’re very delighted to welcome him back to introduce us to Slugboy. Come dressed as your favourite superhero! When: Thursday 20th October, 11am (1 hour) Where: Bonar Hall Free Especially for 8-12 year olds, but all ages welcome.
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THURSDAY 20TH OCTOBER
WALKING TOUR (RE)DISCOVERING OUR CITY OF DISCOVERY Meet at Bonar Hall for a poetical walking tour of the surrounding area, where the social history of our neighbourhood will be brought to life through snatches of the poetry written by Dundonians, inspired by the city and its landscape. Erin Farley, PhD student exploring Poetry, Song and Community in the Industrial Victorian Dundee, will lead this walk, bringing an engaging blend of her own interests - oral history, storytelling and reminiscence, as well as music hall and political poetry - to proceedings. When: Thursday 20th October, 12pm (1 hour) Where: meet at Bonar Hall £3 / £2 Dress appropriately. Walk will take place whatever the weather (unless truly terrible out)!
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Image: Dundee, One City Many Discoveries
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THURSDAY 20TH OCTOBER
SECONDS TO SNAP TINA MCGUFF When Tina McGuff’s mother brutally attacked her father, her life changed forever. As her family fell apart at the seams, the weight of caring for her siblings fell on her young shoulders. The one thing left in her life that she could control was food, and so began the biggest fight of her life. Tina’s life-or-death struggle with anorexia is told with devastating honesty in her memoir Seconds to Snap, an extraordinary account of a girl at war with herself. Today Tina, from Dundee, is determined to share her story of recovery and hope, ‘an important, searingly honest book that will change lives’ (Lorraine Kelly). When: Thursday 20th October, 12noon (1 hour) Where: Bonar Hall £3 / £2
“Then, on the night of 28 December 1879, the unthinkable happened...”
THURSDAY 20TH OCTOBER
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THURSDAY 20TH OCTOBER
LUNCHBOX TALKS H.G. WELLS: DISCOVERER OF THE FUTURE 2016 is the 150th anniversary of the birth of H.G. Wells. Often described as the father of science fiction, Wells published more than 100 books, often pondering how the problems of the present would impact upon the future of ‘the human project’. In his science fiction and speculative prose he foresaw the invention of, among other things, television, tanks, aerial warfare and the atom bomb, the internet and Wikipedia. Keith Williams is a Senior Lecturer in English at the University of Dundee and our resident H.G. Wells expert; in this talk, Keith will consider the importance of Wells’ work, particularly The Time Machine, and the powerful legacy he leaves 70 years after his death. In association with H. G. Wells at 150, part of the Being Human Festival of the Humanities: beinghumanfestival.org When: Thursday 20th October, 1pm (45 mins) Where: Bonar Hall £5 / £3 (Includes lunch; advance booking essential)
THE FALL OF THE TAY BRIDGE DAVID SWINFEN Battered by an apocalyptic storm on the night of 28 December 1879, Dundee’s famous marvel of Victorian engineering fell headlong into the river below, carrying with it a train and all its passengers and crew. What caused the fall of the Tay Bridge, and who was really to blame? In his book The Fall of the Tay Bridge, and in this illustrated talk, David Swinfen, historian and chairman of the Tay Rail Bridge Disaster Memorial Trust, will share new evidence and present a solution to the riddle which has perplexed historians and engineers for generations. When: Thursday 20th October, 2pm (1 hour) Where: Bonar Hall £3 / £2
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THURSDAY 20TH OCTOBER
MASTERCLASS WITH IAN KENNEDY Live drawing demonstration by comics legend Ian Kennedy. Watch him create comics illustrations in his signature pen, ink and acrylics technique, honed over his 50 year career. Educated in Dundee, Ian started work as a trainee illustrator in the D. C. Thomson & Co Art Department in 1949 – he recalls that his first published work was inking the black squares in the weekly Sunday Post crossword! Over his career he has worked on a host of characters and publications, from 1950’s war comics such as Thriller Picture Library and Air Ace to IPC’s 2000AD and Starlord. Ian is highly regarded in comics circles, by fellow professionals and fans alike, and we’re delighted he’ll be sharing his expertise as part of the festival. When: Thursday 20th October, 2pm (1 hour) Where: Dundee Comics Creative Space £5 (There will be another opportunity to attend this masterclass with Ian on Saturday 22nd, 5pm)
SHOWCASE: MEMOIR AND THE ART OF LIFE WRITING University of Dundee’s Courses for All presents a fascinating annual programme of short courses, lecture series and workshops in writing, art, history, and much more. Life writing is a creative art form limited only by its pact with the reader that it is non-fiction. Writers from the University of Dundee’s Continuing Life Writing course have had their work published widely and featured in exhibitions at the International Text and Image Conference 2014 and Dundee Literary Festival 2015. Come and hear them share a selection of their work, introduced by course tutor Josephine Jules Andrews. In partnership with the University of Dundee’s Courses for All www.dundee.ac.uk/study When: Thursday 20th October, 3pm (1hour) Where: Bonar Hall Free
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THURSDAY 20TH OCTOBER Below: Shelley Day, right: Sandra Ireland
FIRST WRITES
SHELLEY DAY & SANDRA IRELAND Beneath the Skin by University of Dundee graduate Sandra Ireland is a deliciously disturbing psychological thriller which peels back the skin of one modern family to reveal the wounds no one wants to see. It deals with the effects of trauma and how facing up to vulnerability is sometimes the only way to let go of the past. Shelley Day, shortlisted for the Dundee International Book Prize in 2013, presents her fantastically dark debut The Confession of Stella Moon. The eponymous Stella has just been released from prison after serving time for killing her mother and wants to restart her life. But her plans are ruined when she discovers a grim family secret... Come along and hear two brilliant new voices discuss dark pasts and exorcising demons, in conversation with Zoe Venditozzi. When: Thursday 20th October, 4.30pm (1 hour) Where: D’Arcy Thompson Zoology Museum (behind the University’s Tower Building) Free
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“Probably the most influential novelist of the post-war period” THURSDAY 20TH OCTOBER
THE TIMES
Image: Angus Bremner
DIRT ROAD JAMES KELMAN IN CONVERSATION WITH KIRSTY GUNN
Dirt Road is a major new novel by the legendary author James Kelman, exploring the brevity of life, the agonising demands of love, grief, and the lure of the open road. James Kelman is the author of one of the most influential Scottish novelist of modern times and Scotland’s only Booker Prize winner for his masterful 1994 novel, How Late It Was, How Late. In this event one of Scotland’s leading lights will discuss his career and his latest book with the University of Dundee’s Kirsty Gunn. When: Thursday 20th October, 6pm (1 hour) Where: Bonar Hall £5 / £3
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THURSDAY 20TH OCTOBER
SILENT READING PARTY: FESTIVAL EDITION TURN UP THE LIGHTS AND TURN DOWN THE MUSIC… Dundee book lovers have been getting together for a spot of silent reading since August 2015, and – in this special festival chapter of the popular monthly event – you’re invited to see what it’s all about. Bring your own book to Café W, get a beverage and make yourself comfortable for an hour of delicious, tranquil reading. Linger longer to meet fellow book lovers and compare reading notes. When: Thursday 20th October, 7pm (1 hour) Where: Café W, upstairs in Waterstones Dundee, Commercial Street. Feel free to arrive early! Free
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FRIDAY 21ST October BOUNCE AND TICKLE Rhyme, songs and stories for little ones aged 0 - 3 years old. A great way for babies, parents and carers to enjoy familiar and new rhymes and stories in an informal setting. Come parents, come carers, come babies and bigger siblings - join our wee party! When: Friday 21st October, 10am (45mins) Where: Bonar Hall Free Especially for 0 - 3 year olds, but older siblings welcome too
IMMORTAL MEMORY PROF CHRISTOPHER WHATLEY In this major new book, Christopher Whatley, Professor of Scottish History at the University, describes the several contests there were to ‘own’ – and mould – Robert Burns, the most iconic figure in nineteenth-century Scotland: by Tories, Radicals, middle-class urban improvers and even the Kirk who condemned Burns as the Antichrist. Whatley’s Immortal Memory: Burns and the Scottish People is a fascinating picture of the role Burns played after his death in shaping multiple facets of Scottish society. When: Friday 21st October, 10am (1 hour) Where: Bonar Hall £3 / £2
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FRIDAY 21ST OCTOBER
THE FOURTH BONNIEST BABY IN DUNDEE! The contest for the Bonniest Baby in Dundee is here, and one very grubby baby brother is scrubbed, dressed, combed and taken by his mum and big sister to charm the judges. But on the way -- oh no! -- the bus breaks down... They’ll have to get a wriggle on! It starts to rain and they splish and splash through puddles. By the time they arrive, their bonnie baby is sticky, claggie and clarty. His chances of winning are dashed -- especially when he blows a raspberry in the judge’s face! Or are they...? Join Dundee-based author Michelle Sloan for singing, puppets, drawing and the Fourth Bonniest Baby in Dundee! When: Friday 21st October, 11am (45mins) Where: Bonar Hall Free Especially for 3 to 6 year olds, but all ages welcome
FUTURE SCOTLANDS
TIM ARMSTRONG & MATTHEW FITT
The year was 2000 when Matthew Fitt’s But n Ben A-Go-Go arrived, and took the language of Scots and energised it with a narrative that crackles and fizzes with life. In his cyberpunk thriller, the year is 2090 and global flooding has left most of a distinctly unbonnie future-Scotland under water. But n Ben A-Go-Go continues to raise timely questions about how we communicate, with the world and with ourselves. Tim Armstrong has brought the counter-culture of his native Seattle to shape Air Cuan Dubh Drilseach (On a Glittering Black Sea) the first sci-fi novel in Gaelic. Taking Gaelic into an advanced autocratic and hyper-capitalist future, Armstrong shifts between whimsy and menace, with elements of space-opera adventure, romance, and rock-band road trip all mixed together. Come and hear the Scots and Gaelic languages go places they’ve never ventured before, in this very special event. When: Friday 21st October, 11am (1hour) Where: Bonar Hall £3 / £2 24 | DUNDEE LITERARY FESTIVAL 2016
FRIDAY 21ST OCTOBER
PHILIP ARDAGH AND THE GRUNTS! Over the years, the Grunts have made more than a few enemies. But fortunately they’re all safely behind bars. Or are they? There’s been a prison break-out, and three of them are after REVENGE. It’s time for the Grunts to go On the Run… This last book brings back some familiar faces from the series and solves a couple of mysteries too… Philip Ardagh is a best-selling author who has won several awards (including the Roald Dahl Funny award) for his wonderful and weird characters. Philip Ardagh is two metres tall with a ridiculously big, bushy beard and his stories are like Lemony Snicket mixed with Charles Dickens with a dash of Roald Dahl. Expect a morning of disgusting delights. When: Friday 21st October, 12noon (1hour) Where: Bonar Hall Free Especially for 7 to 10 year olds, but all ages welcome
FRIDAY 21ST OCTOBER
EXPECTING CHITRA RAMASWAMY When journalist Chitra Ramaswamy discovered she was pregnant, she longed for a book that went above and beyond a manual; a book that did more than describe what was happening in her growing body, one that got to the very heart of this overwhelming, confusing and exciting experience. So she wrote one. In this conversation with Hannah McGill, Chitra will look at an incredible physical, emotional, philosophical and artistic odyssey through pregnancy. When: Friday 21st October, 12noon (1hour) Where: Bonar Hall £3 / £2
“Elegant, funny, brimming with acute observations and suffused with a gentle intimacy. Expecting combines a poet’s feel for language with a journalistic candour.” GAVIN FRANCIS on Expecting by Chitra Ramaswamy
FRIDAY 21ST OCTOBER
LUNCHTIME CONCERT: BEETHOVEN PIANO TRIO NO. 2 IN G A wonderful new addition to this year’s Dundee Literary Festival: we’re playing host to the University’s Lunchtime Concert, a longstanding series of weekly concerts hosted by the University of Dundee and presented by students/staff/local musicians. In this special festival chapter, we will hear Beethoven’s second piano trio performed by Graham Spackman (violin), Graham Leicester (cello) and Judith Wilkes (piano). When: Friday 21st October, 1.20 pm (30 minutes) Where: Bonar Hall Free
THE GLASS SHORE
SINEAD GLEESON & JAN CARSON Edited by Sinéad Gleeson, The Glass Shore: Short Stories by Women Writers from the North of Ireland, was published in October, in response to the awesome reception of sister anthology, The Long Gazeback, one of the bestselling Irish books of 2015. Both books span centuries of gifted Irish women, and feature emerging and established writers alongside deceased luminaries and forerunners. Sinéad (The Book Show, RTÉ Radio 1) is joined by rising star Jan Carson, author of Children’s Children and Malcolm Orange Disappears, to talk short stories, anthologies and women’s voices. When: Friday 21st October, 2pm (1hour) Where: Bonar Hall £3 / £2
Centre: Sinéad Gleeson by Annie Atkins, right: Jan Carson
FRIDAY 21ST OCTOBER
MIND YOUR HEAD
JUNO DAWSON & CAT CLARKE
Juno Dawson
The mental health of children and young people has made numerous headlines this year, with reports of a huge increase in the number of children being prescribed anti-depressants, and of schools and NHS services struggling to cope. Can children’s authors reach out to young readers in a way that other adults can’t? YA author Juno Dawson has just published a teen advice guide called Mind Your Head. She is joined by fellow children’s author Cat Clarke (writer of Torn, Entangled and The Lost and the Found) for a frank discussion about the difficulties faced by young people today. Chaired by therapist and former Scotsman columnist Claire Black. In partnership with the Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival When: Friday 21st October, 3.30pm (1 hour) Where: Bonar Hall £3 / £2
THAT WAY MADNESS LIES SHAKESPEARE AND MENTAL ILLNESS Mental illness looms large in Shakespeare’s plays, from King Lear’s torment and Macbeth’s visions to Hamlet, the playwright’s most fully developed study of a mind in turmoil. On the 400th anniversary of his death – and in partnership with the Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival’s tenth year programme – literary critic Stuart Kelly is joined by a panel of experts to discuss the playwright’s fascination with the subject, and how his observations stand up four centuries later. With psychotherapist and former literary editor Peter Kravitz, Joyce McMillan, respected theatre critic of the Scotsman (whose reviews are collected in her new book Theatre in Scotland - A Field of Dreams); and Prof Mark Robson of the University of Dundee. In partnership with the Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival When: Friday 21st October, 5pm (1 hour) Where: Bonar Hall £3 / £2
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FRIDAY 21ST OCTOBER
A FRESH LOOK AT DEATH
SUSANA MOREIRA MARQUES & ZOE VENDITOZZI In writing her poignant and genre-busting debut, Now and at the Hour of our Death, Susana Moreira Marques accompanied a palliative care team to a forgotten corner of northern Portugal. Visiting villages where rural ways of life are disappearing results in a beautiful book, brilliantly blending the immediacy of oral history with the sensibility of philosophical reportage. Novelist Zoe Venditozzi (Anywhere’s Better Than Here) is a writer-in-residence, working within a hospital community to encourage dialogue and facilitate the sharing of ideas, experiences and memories. Here, Susana and Zoe discuss the importance of storytelling, the power of oral history and why it’s time to look at death with fresh eyes.
Image: Zoe Venditozzi by Bob McDevitt
Made possible with the support of Instituto Camoes and the Portuguese Language Centre at the University of Edinburgh and in partnership with Verdant Works. When: Friday 21st October, 6.30pm (1 hour) Where: Verdant Works £3 / £2
SOMETHINGS OLD, SOMETHINGS NEW LIZ LOCHHEAD WITH STEVE KETTLEY
From the bittersweet to the rude and raunchy, Scotland’s former Makar Liz Lochhead weaves a spellbinding and beguiling show, mixing poems, monologues and music. Accompanied by the soulful sax of Steve Kettley she presents an intoxicating mix of some of her best work over the past 45 years, including from most recent collections A Choosing and Fugitive Colours, hot off the 2016 press. When: Friday 21st October, 7pm (2 hours) Where: Bonar Hall £5 / £3
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Liz Lochhead and Steve Kettley
INSTRUMENTALS RODDY WOOMBLE Since 1995 and over the course of twelve albums (8 with his band Idlewild, 4 as a solo performer) Roddy Woomble has established himself as one of Scotland’s finest modern songwriters. For the first time, those lyrics, rich with vivid imagery, wordplay and wisdom, are presented on paper in his book, Instrumentals. Alongside an archive of rare photographs and documents of Roddy’s notebooks, paintings and artefacts, the result is an almanac of ideas, a stunning narrative of a past and present. Roddy will be joined by Scottish musician and multi-instrumentalist, Andrew Wasylyk. When: Friday 21st October, 9pm (1 hour) Where: Bonar Hall £5 / £3
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SATURDAY 22ND October ROCK AND ROALD DAHL PARTY WITH MATTHEW FITT ‘The Eejits are honkin, maukit, bowfin and clarty…’ while Geordie decides tae gie his crabbit auld granny a brew of his own recipe. Matthew Fitt’s Scots translations of Roald Dahl’s classic books The Twits and George’s Marvellous Medicine are jist braw. In this centenary year of Roald Dahl’s birth, come and be reintroduced to the sleekit terrible ‘Eejits’ and Geordie and his medicine, and – for the first time - Chairlie and the Chocolate Works! When: Saturday 22nd October, 10am (1 hour) Where: Bonar Hall Free Especially for 8+ year olds, but all ages (and Roald Dahl fans) welcome
50 YEARS OF COMICS MORRIS HEGGIE Morris Heggie is the legendary editor of Dundee’s world-famous comics industry, who for 50 years brought The Broons, Dennis the Menace and Oor Wullie to life. Morris started working for Scottish publishing giant D.C. Thomson when he was 17, joining the company straight from school, first as a copyboy but soon rising through the ranks as his talent for writing the storylines for the firm’s stable of comics became apparent. Now retired but still much in demand, Morris will reflect on his time behind some of the most memorable stories from the lives of The Bash Street Kids, Minnie the Minx and Desperate Dan. When: Saturday 22nd October, 10am (1 hour) Where: Bonar Hall £3 / £2
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SATURDAY 22ND OCTOBER
HAUNTING AFTERLIVES
SHIRLEY JACKSON & JOSEPHINE TEY When Shirley Jackson’s short story ‘The Lottery’ was first published in The New Yorker in 1948, readers were so horrified they sent her hate mail; 2016 is her centenary year, and today she is recognised as one of the great writers of the twentieth century, by turns haunting, funny and disturbing. By contrast, in her 120th anniversary, Josephine Tey remains surrounded by mystery, despite having influenced writers from Stephen King to Sarah Waters, ‘the mystery writer non-mystery readers most loved’ (Robert McCrum). University of Aberdeen’s Timothy C. Baker will whisk us through their shared concerns as writers, and the legacies they leave behind. When: Saturday 22nd October, 11am (1 hour) Where: Bonar Hall £3 / £2
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SATURDAY 22ND OCTOBER
Illustration: Neil Slorance by Neil Slorance, Image: Maria Stoian by Andrew Perry
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK NEIL SLORANCE & MARIA STOIAN
Neil Slorance, illustrator and comic artist from Glasgow, is the co-creator and artist for all four issues of Dungeon Fun, a hilarious adventure comic about a young girl called Fun battling a myriad of mythical creatures. Neil is also admired for his live drawing, covering major events from the Scottish elections to Eurovision, and his book Modern Slorance: Torts and Tinder takes a gleeful look at life. Maria Stoian is a freelance illustrator currently living in Scotland; her first book Take It as a Compliment won several awards, including the 2016 SICBA Best Graphic Novel Award, for its powerful exploration of real life experiences of sexual abuse, violence and harassment. Join Neil and Maria as they discuss the power of graphic storytelling to tackle any topic, light or dark. When: Saturday 22nd October, 12pm (1 hour) Where: Bonar Hall ÂŁ3 / ÂŁ2
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SATURDAY 22ND OCTOBER
DOES TERRORISM WORK? RICHARD ENGLISH
Richard English brings thirty years of professional expertise studying terrorism to the task of answering this complex, controversial and extremely timely question: does terrorism work? Focussing principally on four of the most significant terrorist organisations of the last fifty years (al-Qaida, the Provisional IRA, Hamas, and ETA), and using a wealth of interview material with former terrorists as well as those involved in counter-terrorism, he argues that we need a far more honest understanding of the degree to which terrorism actually works - as well as a more nuanced insight into the precise ways in which it does so. Only then can we begin to grapple more effectively with what has become one of the most challenging and eye-catching issues of our time. When: Saturday 22nd October, 12pm (1 hour) Where: Bonar Hall £3 / £2
CREATE A COMIC WORKSHOP WITH JIM GLEN Join D.C. Thomson’s comics artist and writer Jim Glen for a fun-filled workshop in creating your own comic. Jim has written and done artwork for Dundee’s most iconic publications including The Dandy, The Beano, Beezer, Topper, Sparky, Bimbo and The Sunday Post so you’ll be in excellent hands. When: Saturday 22nd October, 1pm (1 hour) Where: Dundee Comics Creative Space Free Especially for ages 6-10
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SATURDAY 22ND OCTOBER
LUNCHBOX TALK: ART IN DUNDEE, AND DUNDEE IN ART WITH MATTHEW JARRON Independent & Individualist – Art in Dundee 1867-1924, by Matthew Jarron, is a lavishly illustrated book which explores the first golden age of art in Dundee. In this talk, Matthew will demonstrate how, thanks to the unique talents of John Duncan, Stewart Carmichael, George Dutch Davidson and others, Dundee developed a distinctive new style of art and why, long before its UNESCO City of Design designation, the city was recognised as one of the major art centres of Britain. Matthew is Curator of the University of Dundee Museum Collections, which includes the D’Arcy Thompson Zoology Museum and the Tayside Medical History Museum: expect a fascinating whistle-stop tour of Dundee’s rich artistic history. When: Saturday 22nd October, 1pm (45 minutes) Where: Bonar Hall £5 / £3 (Includes lunch; advance booking essential)
IMAGINARY CITIES WITH DARRAN ANDERSON A study of the human imagination and the way that it interacts with the world, Imaginary Cities roams through space, time and possibility, mapping cities of sound, melancholia and the afterlife, where time runs backwards or floats among the clouds. Darran Anderson’s ambitious tour of the city in myth, fiction and history veers down some unexpected paths and invites you to tag along. Part of the Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design When: Saturday 22nd October, 2pm (1 hour) Where: Bonar Hall £3 / £2
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SATURDAY 22ND OCTOBER
BIG BRAW BIRTHDAY TEA DANCE THE BROONS & OOR WULLIE AT 80
2016 is a special year: the Dundee Literary Festival turns ten, and The Broons and Oor Wullie all turn 80! To mark this special occasion, we’re teaming up with our friends at D.C. Thomson to throw a great big tea dance and you’re invited. With swinging tunes from the University of Dundee’s very own Big Band, imagine Strictly Come Dancing, with added tea and cake. All ages are welcome, and if you don’t know the moves, don’t worry - we’ll have some dancers on hand to help. Part of Luminate: Scotland’s creative ageing festival When: Saturday 22nd October, 3pm (2 hours) Where: Bonar Hall £3 / £2: £1 from each ticket goes to The ARCHIE Foundation
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SATURDAY 22ND OCTOBER
BELONGING
ERIC NGALLE CHARLES & MARJORIE LOTFI GILL Eric Ngalle Charles came to Cardiff in 1999 on a Zimbabwean passport after being illegally trafficked into Russia while fleeing persecution. His debut book Asylum and the accompanying play are a powerful exploration of the experience of seeking refuge. Born in New Orleans, Marjorie Lotfi Gill spent part of her childhood in Tehran, and settled in Edinburgh in 2005. Marjorie founded the shared reading group charity Open Book, and encourages people to tell their own stories as Jupiter Artland’s Writer in Residence. Marjorie and Eric will reflect on their own journeys, and how words can forge a sense of belonging.
Eric Ngalle Charles, Marjorie Lotfi Gill
In partnership with Scottish PEN When: Saturday 22nd October, 4:30pm (1 hour) Where: Bonar Hall £3 / £2
MASTERCLASS WITH IAN KENNEDY Live drawing demonstration by comics legend Ian Kennedy. Watch him create comics illustrations in his signature pen, ink and acrylics technique, honed over his 50 year career. Educated in Dundee, Ian started work as a trainee illustrator in the D. C. Thomson & Co Art Department in 1949 – he recalls that his first published work was inking the black squares in the weekly Sunday Post crossword! Over his career he has worked on a host of characters and publications, from 1950’s war comics such as Thriller Picture Library and Air Ace to IPC’s 2000AD and Starlord. Ian is highly regarded in comics circles, by fellow professionals and fans alike, and we’re delighted he’ll be sharing his expertise as part of the festival. Where: Dundee Comics Creative Space When: Saturday 22nd October, 5pm (1 hour) £5 (There will be another opportunity to attend a masterclass with Ian on Thursday 20th, 2pm)
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Illustration: Ian Kennedy. Masterclass information on P19 & P39
“Ayont the faur horizon Venus lowes, The Cosmos beckons tae us; pynt the prow!”
FROM ‘THE GREATER SEA’ BY RAB WILSON
CRIME AT TEATIME
LIN ANDERSON & RUSSEL D MCLEAN His family believes he’s dead. The police believe he’s dead. But Ray Scobie, the antihero of And When I Die, is a killer who can’t feel pain, and doesn’t die so easily. It’s payback time in Russel D. McLean’s ‘chillingly plausible… action-packed thriller of a book’ (James Oswald). Meanwhile, Lin Anderson’s latest thriller, None But the Dead, finds forensic expert Dr Rhona MacLeod faced with human remains, unexplained incidents and a string of questions as a vicious storm unfurls on the isle of Sanday… Compelling crime and fantastic company: what more could you want at tea time? When: Saturday 22nd October, 5.30pm (1 hour) Where: Bonar Hall £3 / £2 Lin Anderson, Russel D McLean
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SATURDAY 22ND OCTOBER
RAB WILSON AND RODY GORMAN Zero Hours, the latest offering from Rab Wilson, covers manifold subjects, themes and ideas over a wide array of poems from the sublime to the ridiculous. No other contemporary poet writes quite like Rab Wilson — this new collection underscores his unique view of Scotland and audaciously sets out his poetic manifesto for our country’s future. Rody Gorman was born in Dublin in 1960 and now lives on the Isle of Skye where he writes in, and translates between, Irish and Scottish Gaelic. Fascinated by the interplay between language and the possibilities translation offers, Rody’s current project Suibhne: An Intertonguing plays with English, Irish and Scots Gaelic to exhilarating effect. When: Saturday 22nd October, 6.15pm (1 hour) Where: Bonar Hall £3 / £2
LAUNCH: THE DROUTH The Drouth (‘The Thirst’) is a quarterly magazine founded in 2001 by Mitch Miller and Johnny Rodger and published in Glasgow, which gives space to writers and artists and stimulates debate on literature, film politics, reportage, visual culture, and more. This issue is a comics special, guest edited by Damon Herd, co-ordinator of Dundee Comics Creative Space. Come and hear more about The Drouth, and toast the latest issue with Damon and local contributors. When: Saturday 22nd October, 7pm (1 hour) Where: Dundee Comics Creative Space Free
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READING SHAKESPEARE’S SONNETS DON PATERSON As important and vital today as they were when first published over four hundred years ago, perhaps no collection of verse before or since has so captured the imagination of readers. In this illuminating and often irreverent guide, Don Paterson offers a fresh and direct approach to Shakespeare’s Sonnets, asking what they can still mean to the twenty-first century reader. In a series of fascinating and highly entertaining commentaries placed alongside the poems themselves, Don Paterson discusses the meaning, technique, hidden structure and feverish narrative of the Sonnets, an indispensable insight into our greatest Elizabethan writer by one of the leading poets of our own day. Celebrating Shakespeare 400 When: Saturday 22nd October, 7.30pm (1 hour) Where: Bonar Hall £5 / £3
“Like all the best literary criticism, it combines highly sensitive attention to detail - the exact meaning of a word, the way in which a poetic image does its work, the tricks of metrical variation - with due awareness of historical context and specificity. It’s also great fun.” Jonathan Bate, Financial Times on Reading Shakespeare’s Sonnets. 44 | DUNDEE LITERARY FESTIVAL 2016
SUNDAY 23RD October EX LIBRIS BOOK FAIR Ess Publications are proud to present Ex Libris Book Fair, for the third time as part of Dundee Literary Festival! Featuring small presses, indie comic creators, and artist book makers, Ex Libris celebrates talented artists working in book formats, and all are welcome to browse and buy. In partnership with Ess Publications When: Sunday 23rd October, 11am-3pm (4 hours) Where: Bonar Hall Free, drop-in
A THOROUGHLY DECENT READ STEVE FINAN A welcome return to the festival for Steve Finan, Production Editor of the Sunday Post, this time with a new book about ‘Scotland’s favourite family newspaper’ in tow! Steve is charged with ensuring every word in the newspaper is ship shape, the grammar is graceful and the headlines irresistible. He has worked in the newspaper trade since 1979 as a compositor, reporter, football writer, columnist, sub-editor, chief sub-editor, news editor, TV critic — and all the jobs in between — from the archaic days of hot metal to the modern digital newsroom. He’s just the man to let us in on some insider secrets, including, in this crowd-sourced digital age, the enduring and comforting appeal of the subject of his book, the Pass It On tips section. When: Sunday 23rd October, 11am (1 hour) Where: Bonar Hall £3 / £2
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SUNDAY 23RD OCTOBER
FAMILY WORKSHOP TALES O’ OUR TOWN Come and capture your Dundee in poetry and pictures! Inspired by Joseph Lee’s illustrated poetry collection (1910) about his hometown Dundee, this workshop for all the family led by writer Zoe Venditozzi and comics artist Jules Valera, will celebrate a special Joseph Lee exhibition, taking place at the University’s Lamb Gallery, as well as Dundee’s wonderful ‘Journeys’ project: an interactive map of Dundee where anyone can upload stories, memories, poems or short pieces of descriptive writing about specific areas and addresses in Dundee. In partnership with the University of Dundee’s Museum Services & Verdant Works When: Sunday 23rd October, 11am (90 minutes) Where: Verdant Works Free
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SUNDAY 23RD OCTOBER
POETRY WORKSHOP RODY GORMAN This fun, practical workshop with Rody Gorman is perfect for anyone seeking to build confidence in their poetry writing, in English or Gaelic. Submit one poem in advance of the workshop for a constructive, collaborative hour together, polishing your poem to a fine finish. Advance booking essential. When: Sunday 23rd October, 12noon (90minutes) Where: Bonar Hall £5 (includes hot beverage) Image: Kapka Kassabova by Liz March
LOOKING AHEAD: WHAT FUTURE FOR CRITICS IN THE DIGITAL AGE? In the last 15 years over a third of Scots have stopped reading printed daily newspapers. Many journalists have lost their jobs and at a time when we have never needed criticism more, critics are losing their voice. But not all is doom and gloom – new platforms are emerging and the print that remains is strong. Chaired by Alan Taylor, Editor of the Scottish Review of Books, authors and critics Rosemary Goring (Dacre’s War), Kapka Kassabova (Street Without a Name) and Malachy Tallack (60 Degrees North) will reflect upon a future for critics in our digital age: what is the changing role of criticism in the age of the internet? In partnership with Scottish Review of Books / Creative Scotland When: Sunday 23rd October, 1pm (1 hour) Where: Bonar Hall £3 / £2
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SUNDAY 23RD OCTOBER
LAUNCH: SEAGATE III - DUNDEE POETRY IN THE 21ST CENTURY IN MEMORY OF JIM STEWART, 1952-2016
Image: Jim Stewart by Alan Hillyer
‘Seagate III’, writes editor Andy Jackson in his introduction, ‘ranges across a cast of voices who speak for and about Dundee, in poetic terms at least. This anthology represents the best of contemporary poetry from Dundee and its hinterland. Whaleback City (2013, edited by Jackson and Dundee’s Makar W.N Herbert) drew a line under the past – McGonagall and all – and said “this is where Dundee poetry has been”. Seagate III’s job is to say “this is where it is going”.’ We’re very proud to launch Seagate III at the heart of the University, where it all started in 1974, with an afternoon of readings from some of the contributors and the opportunity to raise a glass to our late friend and colleague Jim Stewart, who was so very instrumental in making this publication happen. When: Sunday 23rd October, 2pm (1 hour) Where: Bonar Hall Free
CRIME THROUGH TIME
SUE LAWRENCE & MARTIN CATHCART FRODEN
From the infamous night in 1879 when a violent storm battered the newly-built Tay rail bridge to a sudden disappearance in the present day, The Night He Left by chef, food writer and TV presenter Sue Lawrence serves up a brilliant historical mystery. Devil Take the Hindmost by 2015 Dundee International Book Prize winner Martin Cathcart Froden is a Graham Greene-esque noir packed with suspense and peril, set during the amphetamine-fuelled craze for velodrome racing which took London by storm in the late 1920s. These gripping historical crime tales will put a shiver in your Sunday… When: Sunday 23rd October, 3pm (1 hour) Where: Bonar Hall £3 / £2 Sue Lawrence, Martin Cathcart Froden
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SUNDAY 23RD OCTOBER
Image: Margaret Tait by Orkney Library and Archive
POETRY, PORTRAITS, SOUND, PLACE SARAH NEELY ON MARGARET TAIT Orcadian poet, painter and filmmaker, Margaret Tait (1918-1999) was one of Britain’s most unique and individual film makers and most under-appreciated poets, whose influences included Lorca, Lowry, Rilke, Pound, Emily Dickinson and Hugh MacDiarmid. In her new book, Between Categories: The Films of Margaret Tait - Poetry, Portraits, Sound and Place, Sarah Neely, Lecturer at the University of Stirling, reappraises Tait’s poetry and portraits, her sounds and vital place in both Scottish letters and cinematic history. When: Sunday 23rd October, 4.15pm (1 hour) Where: Bonar Hall £3 / £2
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SUNDAY 23RD OCTOBER
Images: Malachy Tallack by Craig Colahan, Amy Liptrot by Lisa Swarna-Khanna
OUTER EDGES
AMY LIPTROT & MALACHY TALLACK
At thirty, Amy Liptrot finds herself washed up back home on Orkney, trying to come to terms with alcoholism and a life that spiralled out of control in London. The Outrun, winner of the Wainwright Prize 2016, charts her slow journey towards recovery, a beautiful, inspiring, hopeful book exploring the pull between island and city, and the allure of the sea and sky. Critically acclaimed author Malachy Tallack returns with The Un-Discovered Islands, an exploration of some of the world’s strangest places. Gathered in his beautifully illustrated book are two dozen islands once believed to be real but no longer on the map. This is an atlas of legend and wonder, of places discovered and then un-discovered. Merry dancers and memory, phantom archipelagos and myth: we can’t think of a more uplifting way to bring our 10th birthday to a close. In partnership with Frigate Unicorn When: Sunday 23rd October, 5.30pm (1 hour) Where: Frigate Unicorn £5 / £3 (includes refreshments)
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Extra, extra,read all about it!
Image: Alan Cumming by Francis Hills
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Friday 25th November
YOU GOTTA GET BIGGER DREAMS: MY LIFE IN STORIES AND PICTURES AN EVENING WITH ALAN CUMMING in conversation with Muriel Gray From an awkward bonding session with Elizabeth Taylor to poignant stories about his family and friends to some harsh words of wisdom imparted by Oprah that make up the title of this collection, You Gotta Get Bigger Dreams is as eclectic, enchanting, and alive as its author, who joins us, in conversation with Muriel Gray. Described by The New York Times as “a bawdy countercultural sprite” and named one of the most fun people in show business by Time magazine, Alan Cumming is an internationally acclaimed, award-winning star of stage, television, and film, as well as a New York Times best-selling author (Not My Father’s Son: A Memoir, 2014) whose real-life vivacity, wit, and charm shine through this book, in which he recounts his real-life adventures (and often, misadventures), illustrated by his own equally entertaining photographs. A magical concoction of the mischievous, tender, whimsical, and debauched real-life adventures of Alan Cumming, do not miss this evening, related in his own words and pictures. When: Friday 25th November, 7pm (1 hour) Where: Whitehall Theatre £10 (£5 redeemable against price of book) / £7
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Around the festival... MEET: WORD-O-MAT An indie publisher of new, short writing plus (the exciting part) a zine vending machine, Word-o-Mat specialises in short stories and poems from around the world. These tiny, handmade boxes filled with tiny, handmade books are shared with readers in a totally new, analogue way. There are six books (zines) in each edition and each contains the work of a different international, emerging writer. The past and the future of publishing combine! Come and meet the Word-o-Mat at this year’s Dundee Literary Festival.
OUR GIANT COMIC NEEDS YOU!
Drop into our festival hub, to take part in a comics jam and leave your mark on our gigantic festival comic! The fantastic team from Dundee Comics Creative Space will be on hand at different times during the festival to assist with our collaborative artwork: all you need to bring is your brilliant ideas! Throughout festival, in Bonar Hall, from Thursday - Sunday
CAFE
Our festival café will be open from Thursday – Sunday, 10am – 5pm in the Bonar Hall. Come and enjoy a sandwich, a soup, a coffee or cake.
POP UP LIBRARY
Still undecided about which events to attend? Have a browse at our festival library to find out what might tickle your fancy!
WATERSTONES BOOKSHOP
Our friends at Waterstones supply our festival bookshop once again. Browse and buy our festival titles, and why not treat yourself to a limited edition linen bag too, just £3!
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IF YOU CAN’T JOIN US IN PERSON, GET INVOLVED FROM AFAR… www.literarydundee.co.uk facebook.com/literarydundee @literarydundee #dundeelitfest
This year’s programme has been illustrated by Caitlin Bowbeer. Caitlin graduated with a First Class BA(Hons) degree in Illustration this year from DJCAD. In her words, much of her work explores the theme of nostalgia, often blurring the lines between childhood and adulthood. Visit www.bowbeerdesigns.com for more.
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FAQs WHERE Our events take place in our festival hub, the Bonar Hall at the University of Dundee, unless otherwise stated. The Bonar Hall is situated just off the Nethergate, on Park Place, a right turn just after Tonic Bar Café. Entrance to the Bonar Hall is free, and each event is priced individually in this programme. Our ticket desk is on the upper level and our café on the lower. This year some events will take place outwith the Bonar Hall, and these will be clearly advertised in the programme. If you have any questions about finding us, email: literarydundee@dundee.ac.uk
OTHER VENUES D’Arcy Thompson Zoology Museum – Carnelley Building (behind Tower Building), Dundee DD1 4HN Dundee Comics Creative Space - Unit 7, The Vision Building, 20 Greenmarket, DD1 4QB Frigate Unicorn - Victoria Dock, DD1 3BP Verdant Works - West Henderson's Wynd, DD1 5BT Café W - upstairs in Waterstones, 35 Commercial Street, DD1 3DG Whitehall Theatre - Bellfield Street, DD1 5JA
TICKETS Tickets are available, from Thursday 15th September: • online at www.literarydundee.co.uk • by calling 01382 386995 • by emailing literarydundee@dundee.ac.uk • in person from the Literary Dundee office in the Tower Building at the University of Dundee • Waterstones, Commercial Street • Dundee Contemporary Arts, Nethergate
LATECOMERS Please arrive on time for all events, but if you are late, we will do our very best to sneak you in. However, that won’t always be possible, so punctuality means you’ll never be disappointed.
BOOKSHOP Thank you to our friends at Waterstones for our festival bookshop
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SUPPORTERS AND SPONSORS Dundee Literary Festival 2016 wouldn’t be possible without the support and partnership of many literary organisations and friends, in Dundee and beyond. Many thanks to the following:
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20 YEARS OF A WARMER WELCOME
IN THE HEART OF THE CITY Since 1996, Apex Hotels has been providing a warmer welcome, contemporary design and innovative technology to guests. apexhotels.co.uk T: 0800 049 8000 LONDON | BATH | EDINBURGH | GLASGOW | DUNDEE
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Dundee Literary Festival is TEN: join us to celebrate this October... STARRING:
Alan Cumming JAMES KELMAN • LIZ LOCHHEAD DON PATERSON • JENNI FAGAN RODDY WOOMBLE • AMY LIPTROT MATTHEW FITT • PAMELA BUTCHART LIN ANDERSON • SUE LAWRENCE plus! Celebrating Shakespeare, Roald Dahl, H.G. Wells & Shirley Jackson and poetry, comics, family events, workshops, a tea dance, a silent reading party & much more...
@literarydundee • #dundeelitfest • www.literarydundee.co.uk