Firmly established as one of Scotland’s leading book festivals, Winter Words celebrates seven years in 2011 by bringing wonderful minds (authors’ and visitors’ alike!) together in a stimulating environment and a stunning place. This year’s programme features a variety of authors, wordsmiths and personalities, including Sally Magnusson, Louis de Bernières, Monty Halls, Dick Strawbridge, Dennis Canavan, Phil Cool, Stuart MacBride, Stephen Venables, James Robertson, John Lister-Kaye… Across all ten days, there are events to entertain, engage and stimulate: from poetry (including a wandering minstrel!), history, fiction and memoirs, to stories (big and Wee) of places and people, of travel and exploration. A number of themes always wind their way through the Festival each year – rural life, Scottish history and culture, life on TV and the stage, horticulture and the natural world – through which a host of entertaining writers and raconteurs will be charting very different paths.
style with a great family event as the hiper Youth Theatre take to the main stage, with a whacky whistle-stop tour of the Battles that shaped Scottish History! Our ever-popular Writing Workshops offer opportunities to develop and expand your own creative skills with inspiring sessions from Kenneth Steven and Zoe Venditozzi as well as First Lines And Last Words, our three day writing course with tutor Rachel Marsh. Take a look at page 24 for full details.
As thousands of happy literature lovers have already discovered, Winter Words provides the perfect antidote to those post-Christmas, midwinter blues. And thanks to our friends at the Atholl Palace Hotel, we have a very special accommodation offer for you this year (see the back page of this brochure for details). So book your Winter Words tickets now and get hiper once again brings you a great selection together with great minds this coming January of child-friendly entertainment for this year’s and February. We look forward to seeing you! Festival. From Princess Poppy Stories to Lari Don’s Big Bottom Hunt, there’s something to suit every age. The Festival is rounded off in
WHERE SCOTLAND’S LITERARY YEAR GETS INTO GEAR The Scotsman
Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Pitlochry, PH16 5DR, is a Company Limited by Guarantee Registered in Scotland Number SC029243, at the above address. Scottish Charity Number SC013055.
Tickets From £2.50 First Festival Weekend Day Pass
Sat 29th: £30 - five events for the price of four. Sun 30th: £21 - four events for the price of three.
PFT Friends
Friends of the Theatre get £1.50 off all single events. To book tickets or to get more information on Winter Words Festival events, call Box Office: 01796 484626 or go online: www.PitlochryFestivalTheatre.com Concessions: Registered Unemployed, Registered Disabled, Under 18s and Students are half price for all events, except Literary Lunches.
BOOK FAIR!
The Winter Words bookstall is organised by The Watermill Bookshop in Aberfeldy, who will be selling signed books by guest authors throughout the Festival. Located in a Grade-A listed former watermill, and winner of the UK’s Best Independent Bookshop, The Watermill is well worth a visit whilst in Highland Perthshire.
The unique Pitlochry Station Bookshop will be running a second hand bookstall in the Theatre foyer throughout the Festival. The Station Bookshop sells a wide range of donated books to raise money for many different charities. Bestsellers, children’s classics and interesting antiquary gems are waiting to be enjoyed – and not just by train travellers!
Visit www.aberfeldywatermill.com
The Watermill is open throughout the Festival weekends!
01796 484626
www.PitlochryFestivalTheatre.com
Diary
2
Friday 28th January
Sunday 30th January
11.45am
Jim Crumley The Last Wolf
10.30am
1.00pm
Literary Lunch with Alistair Moffat
1.00pm
Live Poetry at Just The Ticket! with Paul Thompson
11.45am
2.45pm
Rachel Hewitt Map of a Nation
4.30pm
Christopher Somerville Never Eat Shredded Wheat
7.30pm
An Evening With Monty Halls
9.30pm
Fearie Tales
The Writer’s Craft workshop with Kenneth Steven Jess Smith Memories of The Yellow on the Broom
1.00pm
Whisky & Game Literary Lunch with Ian Buxton
2.45pm
Kenneth Steven The Ice and Other Stories
4.30pm
James Robertson And The Land Lay Still
7.30pm
Ann Cleeves & Chris Stout Shetland Quartet
Monty Halls
Saturday 29th January 9.15am
Surviving Fiction workshop with Zoe Venditozzi
10.30am
Robert Penn It’s All About The Bike
11.45am
Anna Pavord The Curious Gardener
1.00pm
Literary Lunch with John Lister-Kaye
1.00pm
Live Poetry at Just The Ticket! with Paul Thompson
2.45pm
Sally Magnusson Life of Pee
4.30pm
Steven Venables In the Steps of Shackelton
7.30pm
An Evening with Dick Strawbridge
9.30pm
Fearie Tales
Tuesday 1st February 10.30am
Matthew Fitt Heroes, Middens and Eejits
4.00pm
Wee Read Stuart MacBride
Wednesday 2nd February 4.00pm
01796 484626
Wee Read James Robertson
Diary
3
Phil Cool
Saturday 5th February Thursday 3rdFebruary 10.30am
Lari Don The Big Bottom Hunt
1.30pm
Lari Don The Mountain’s Blood
4.30pm
Maisie Steven Gems of Old Scotland
10.30am
Robin Pilcher A Matter of Trust
11.00am
Janey Louise Jones Cloudberry Castle and Princess Poppy
1.00pm
Literary Lunch Norman Watson The Poet McGonagall
1.00pm
Live Poetry at Just The Ticket! with Paul Thompson
2.45pm
Trevor Royle Tales of War
4.30pm
Stuart MacBride Shatter The Bones
(See page 23 for details)
6.00pm
Mini Fearie Tales
Friday 4th February
7.30pm
An Evening with Louis de Bernières
9.30pm
Fearie Tales
FIRST LINES AND LAST WORDS 3 Day Creative Writing Course Tues 1st to Thur 3rd February
10.30am
New Writing with Rachel Marsh
11.45am
John Grant and Elizabeth Sutherland Scots Law Tales
1.00pm
Literary Lunch Judy Steel & Rosie Wallace
1.00pm
Live Poetry at Just The Ticket! with Paul Thompson
2.45pm
Roddy Martine Haunted Scotland
4.30pm
Dennis Canavan Let The People Decide
7.30pm
An Evening with Phil Cool
9.30pm
Fearie Tales
Dick Strawbridge
Sunday 6th February 1.00pm
hiper I’ll Fight You For It!
BOOK FAIR! From 9.00am - 5.00pm Friday, Saturday and Sunday
www.PitlochryFestivalTheatre.com
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Friday 28th January
Jim Crumley
The Last Wolf 11.45am to 12.45pm £6.50
In this elegant, erudite and imaginative account that readdresses the place of the wolf in modern Scotland, Jim Crumley questions the plight of the wolf and considers the wolf in today’s world: an adventure that ranges from Highland Scotland to Devon, and from Yellowstone to Norway and Italy, as he pursues a more considered portrait of the
animal than the history books have previously offered. Crumley makes the case for their reintroduction into Scotland with all the passion and poetic fervour that has become the hallmark of his writing over the years and challenges many of the myths that have been regarded for centuries as biological fact. Described by the Los Angeles Times Book Review as ‘the best nature writer working in Britain today’, Jim Crumley (born and bred in Dundee) has written 23 books to date and has made numerous documentaries for BBC Radio 4, Radio Scotland and Wildlife on One.
Literary Lunch with
Alistair Moffat
Lost Kingdoms and Clans 1.00pm to 2.15pm £16.50
The story of the Highland clans is a gripping one, full of celebrated names and heroic deeds. It is also, as Alistair Moffat reveals, the story of a fearless people, shaped by the unique traditions and landscape of the Scottish Highlands. In his book, he traces the history of the clans from their Celtic origins to the coming of
includes a 2 course lunch and a glass of wine
the Romans, through the epic battles like Bannockburn, the Clearances, the great emigrations to the United States, the Pacific Rim and beyond, through to the present day. Packed with images and complete with a clan map and an alphabetical list of the clans of the Highlands, this is a must for anyone interested in the history of Scotland. A freelance writer and television producer for Scottish television, Alistair’s previous books include Before Scotland, The Faded Map and The Reivers.
01796 484626
Friday 28th January
5
Rachel Hewitt
Map of a Nation 2.45pm to 3.45pm
A fascinating story of the history of the Ordnance Survey, the British institution that accurately and reliably mapped every inch of the British Isles. In what was initially a military endeavour (first conceived whilst war raged in Scotland and English troops were unable to find the Jacobites as they disappeared into the unknown Highland landscape), a quiet but determined surveyor named William Roy was commissioned to map Scotland.
flawed equipment, the Ordnance Surveyors were blessed with incredible tenacity and vision, inspired by the time in which they lived and the extraordinary breakthroughs that were being made in art and science.
“ This book is a real achievement. This is historical writing of a high order.” Professor Tom Devine (author and historian)
Map of a Nation is filled with fascinating stories and incredible characters. Frequently mistrusted by the locals and challenged by
Never Eat Shredded Wheat
Christopher Somerville
4.30pm to 5.30pm Christopher Somerville, best-selling author of Coast, hated geography at school. It baffled him. Later, he came to realise that geography was simply another word for everything he loved about the outdoors: nature, walking and exploring. These days, he’s a man on a mission. In Never Eat Shredded Wheat, he tells what belongs where. He reminds us of the watery bits, the lumpy bits and the flat bits, and gets to grips with
£6.50
£8.50
the smaller islands surrounding Britain, all seasoned with fruity facts, mad stats, tall tales and quick quiz Q&As. Never Eat Shredded Wheat is an entertaining reminder of all the fascinating British geography once learned at school – that brings our islands vividly to life – which we have forgotten, or never even knew!
www.PitlochryFestivalTheatre.com
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Friday 28th January
An Evening with
Monty Halls 7.30pm
£16.50
Geographic, the History Channel, Animal Planet, Channel Five and most recently Monty Halls’ Great Hebridean Escape on BBC 2.
Inspirational speaker Monty Halls is an adventurer, a former Royal Marines officer, a professional diver, a trained marine biologist and a popular TV presenter.
This followed Monty’s experiences living in the Outer Hebrides for six months working as a volunteer wildlife ranger. Living in a restored crofter’s cottage on the island of North Uist, Monty and his dog Reuben (the real star of the show!) explored the natural beauty of the area.
Now with four books under his belt, Monty’s latest, Hebridean Dairies, charts his time as Monty’s television career began when he won a crofter of questionable competence on Channel 4’s Superhuman competition in 2004, the west coast of Scotland during the filming during which ten high performing individuals of the BBC series. This promises be a from all walks of life in the UK were tested by fascinating evening in the company of experts. This led swiftly to more work with an extraordinary man! Channel 4, and in turn various adventure and science-related programmes for National
9.30pm to 10.30pm Huddle together in the cosy, informal atmosphere of the Ben-y-Vrackie Bar, as we once again round off the day’s events with tales of the macabre and the supernatural, read by some familiar faces from the Pitlochry stage. Hear original tales, some bizarre, some disturbing, that recount unnerving coincidences or strange encounters on remote hillsides, before plunging into the depths of dark lochs or taking flight into the “other” world of phantoms, bogles and wraiths. Each evening will feature a selection of different
Free
hair-raising tales, but a dram (or two) should help to keep the chills at bay . . . Every one of this year’s tales of the ghostly and the mysterious will be an entirely new story, created just for Winter Words by writers eager to take part in our annual Fearie Tales Competition. If you think you’ve got what it takes to write a Fearie Tale, then why not turn to p.25 for full details of the 2011 competition.
Go on. Get writing. Scare us – and yourself. If you dare . . .
01796 484626
Saturday 29th January
7
Workshop
Surviving Fiction Zoe will take you through the basics of Creative Writing, from plotting a story to developing tone and character. With creative exercises and plenty of practical tips, this will
Robert Penn
with Zoe Venditozzi 9.15am to 10.15am
£6.50
be an invaluable workshop event for anyone who wants to get started on their first book. Back by popular demand!
It’s All About The Bike 10.30am to 11.30am £6.50
Robert Penn is a lover of all things bicycle related, something that pours from the pages of this book as well as his recent BBC TV programme. In his late 20s, he pedalled 40,000 kilometres around the world. Yet, like cyclists everywhere, the utilitarian bikes he currently owns don’t even hint at this devotion.
machine that reflects how he feels when he’s riding it – like an ordinary man touching the gods. En route, Robert visits a hippy wheel builder in California, which leads him seamlessly to the birth of the mountain bike and the lost world of the British cycle industry, taking in culture, science and history of the bicycle along the way.
It’s All About The Bike is the story of a journey to design and build a dream bike, a bespoke
Anna Pavord Sponsored by Pitlochry In Bloom The Curious Gardener is a stunning book written by one of Britain’s most authoritative voices in the UK, the gardening correspondent for The Independent newspaper and author of eight previous books, including the bestselling The Tulip. From what to do in each month and how to get the best from flowers, plants, herbs, fruit and vegetables, through reflections on the weather, soil, the landscape and favourite old gardening clothes, to office greenery,
The Curious Gardener 11.45am to 12.45pm £6.50 spring in New York, waterfalls, Derek Jarman and garden design, Anna Pavord always has something interesting to say and says it with great style and candour. Anna chairs the Gardens Panel of the National Trust, contributes to a number of magazines, both in the US and the UK, and regularly fronts programmes for BBC Radio 3 and 4.
www.PitlochryFestivalTheatre.com
8
Saturday 29th January
Literary Lunch with
John Lister-Kaye
At The Water’s Edge 1.00pm to 2.15pm £16.50
For the last 30 years John Lister-Kaye has taken the same circular walk from his home deep in a glen up to a small hill loch. Each day brings a new observation or an unexpected encounter – a fragile spider’s web, an osprey struggling to lift a trout, or a woodcock camouflaged on her nest – and every day on his return, he records his thoughts in a journal.
Sally Magnusson
includes a 2 course lunch and a glass of wine
Drawing on this lifetime of close observances, Lister-Kaye encourages us to look again at the world around us and to discover its wildness for ourselves. He forges wonderful connections between the most unlikely subjects, from photosynthesis and the energy cycle to Norse mythology, weasels and perfume, and to the over-population of our planet. Following previous sell-out appearances at Winter Words, we are delighted to welcome JLK back to the Festival once again.
Life of Pee 2.45pm to 3.45pm
Alchemists sought gold in it. In the trenches of Ypres, soldiers used it as a gas mask - whereas modern-day terrorists add it to homemade explosives. All the Fullers, Tuckers and Walkers in the phonebook owe their names to it and in 1969 four bags of it were left on the surface of the moon. Bought and sold, traded and transported, even carried to work in jugs, urine has made bread rise, beer foam and given us gunpowder, stained glass, Robin Hood’s tights and Vermeer’s Girl With A Pearl Earring. And we do produce an awful lot of it. Humans alone make almost enough to replace the entire
£8.50
contents of Loch Lomond every year. Add the incalculable volume contributed by the rest of the animal kingdom and it might soon displace a small ocean. No wonder it gets everywhere. In Life of Pee, Sally Magnusson unveils the secret history of civilisation’s most unsavoury and unsung hero, and discovers how our urine footprint is just as indelible as our carbon one. Sally is perhaps best-known perhaps for presenting Songs of Praise, but she is also an award-winning writer and journalist, anchors Reporting Scotland, presents Radio 4’s Tracing Your Roots and is the host of Radio Scotland’s popular magazine programme Sally on Sunday.
01796 484626
Saturday 29th January
Stephen Venables
9
In the Steps of Shackleton 4.30pm to 5.30pm £8.50
Internationally acclaimed mountaineer, writer, broadcaster and the first Briton to climb Everest without supplementary oxygen, Stephen Venables brings Shackleton’s epic escape from Antarctica to life, with stunning photos and film footage illustrating the explorer’s treacherous journey over the mountains.
In 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton set out on his expedition to cross Antarctica via the South Pole. However, disaster struck when his ship, Endurance, was crushed by the Antarctic ice. Leaving his crew marooned on Elephant Island, Shackleton set out with five companions in a tiny lifeboat in search of help. After a sixteen day voyage 800 miles across the Southern Ocean, they landed on South Georgia’s deserted south coast. Here Shackleton continued on foot with two of his men, crossing thirty miles of unknown, unmapped glacial mountains, with no mountaineering equipment. They finally reached the whaling station of Stromness on the north coast where they were able to summon a successful rescue for their remaining 22 companions. As Stephen explains, “Shackleton’s expedition is one of the great epics of exploration – a tale of escape and survival more miraculous than any fiction.”
Feast at the Festival Restaurant With lots of locally produced ingredients and attentive staff, you’ll dine in style throughout the festival in our excellent and affordable restaurant!
Dinner commences at 6.00pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. For Lunch (12 noon – 2.30pm), try our daily specials!
Sample our range of coffees, teas and light snacks whilst soaking up the ever changing wintry Highland landscape (recommended Best View in Scotland, The Scotsman).
www.PitlochryFestivalTheatre.com
10
Saturday 29th January
An Evening with
Dick Strawbridge 7.30pm
£16.50
TV career has been condensed into a relatively short time. Not bad for a man who started out as a solider, rose to Lieutenant Colonel in the army and was awarded an MBE for distinguished service in Northern Ireland. Dick now lives on an idyllic smallholding in Cornwall from where he writes and runs courses on all aspects of green living. He also gives talks on British innovation, leadership and teamwork, and lectures at schools and colleges.
Dick Strawbridge MBE has one of the most recognisable faces on TV: he claims his moustache is the best in showbiz! A man of many talents - presenter of Coast, Celebrity Masterchef finalist, Scrapheap Challenge team leader, and driving force behind three series of It’s Not Easy Being Green for BBC2 - his huge
In between stories from his showbiz life, his army career and his family’s bid for self sufficiency, Dick will be explaining how he makes biodiesel, harnesses wind power and will give us an introduction to sustainable living. This will be a fascinating evening in the company of one of the UK’s most distinctive raconteurs. After the show, there will be a chance to meet Dick who will be signing copies of his latest book, A Practical Guide to Self-sufficiency.
9.30pm to 10.30pm Time for the lights to dim. So grab a pew . . . and hope that “they” won’t get you! For the second night of our all-new Fearie Tales, take sanctuary in the body of the kirk to hear tales of unwelcome apparitions, unexpected visions
Free
and unnerving occurrences. And as your eyes adjust to the gloom, if you happen to see out of the corner of your eye a cowled figure with sightless eyes gliding past, don’t worry . . . the phantom ferryman’s here every night . . .
01796 484626
Sunday 30th January
11
Workshop
Kenneth Steven
The Writer’s Craft 10.30am to 11.30am
Kenneth Steven is a poet and short story writer, who has written for adults and children and has become a much loved part of the Winter Words Festival.
£6.50
Wherever possible, Kenneth likes to include the countryside in his teachings, as an inspiration for students - which makes the stunning setting of Pitlochry Festival Theatre In this workshop, Kenneth will show you how the perfect place to compose the beginnings to develop and craft your writing from the very of a masterpiece! beginnings of an idea into a story.
Jess Smith
Memories of ‘The Yellow on the Broom’
Jess Smith pays tribute to Betsy Whyte - a national treasure of the Travelling People. A powerful and evocative storyteller, Jess will recount some stories and tales about Betsy as well as singing some of her favourite songs in this charming tribute performance. Packed with anecdotes and reminiscences of her wonderful life, Jess recaptures the essence of this unique character.
Whisky and Game Literary Lunch
Ian Buxton
11.45am to 12.45pm
£6.50
Jess feels she owes a great deal to Betsy and states unequivocally that without Betsy taking the massive step of bringing an understanding of the illusive Traveller to the wider world through her own books, Jess would not have followed her own lifelong dream to become a best selling author. Come, friends. Let Jess guide you through the ways of the misty wanderer...
100 Whiskies To Try Before You Die
sponsored by Simon Howie Butchers of Perth Enjoy a luxurious three course Game lunch with wine, followed by a cosy (and nosey!) audience with whisky expert and author Ian Buxton. Ian’s latest book is a whisky guide with a difference. It’s not an awards list. It does not detail the 101 “best” whiskies in the world.
1.00pm to 2.15pm
£22.50
In this talk and tasting, Buxton avoids the deliberately obscure, ridiculously limited and absurdly expensive to recommend an eclectic selection of old favourites, stellar newcomers and mystifyingly unknown drams that simply demand to be drunk. See page 23 for full menu details.
www.PitlochryFestivalTheatre.com
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Sunday 30th January
Kenneth Steven
The Ice and Other Stories 2.45pm to 3.45pm
Kenneth Steven, well known poet and author from Highland Perthshire, makes a welcome return to Winter Words with a new collection of short fiction, The Ice and Other Stories. This is a collection of fourteen stories that has been six years in the making. Almost all the stories are concerned in some way or other with the pain of being human, with suffering. They share a sense of being at a crossroads, of moments in life
£6.50
where terrible and vital choices must be made. Yet somehow, paradoxically, those places of decisionmaking – literally and figuratively – still have a beauty. They are terrible and yet beautiful. Expect a thought provoking, poetic afternoon in the company of one Winter Words’ favourite authors.
James Robertson
And The Land Lay Still 4.30pm to 5.30pm
A stunning, epic story told by one of Scotland’s most exciting and talented novelists, which traces the lives of an unforgettable cast of characters: James Robertson’s new novel is a searching journey into the heart of a country of high hopes and unfulfilled dreams, private compromises and hidden agendas. Brilliantly blending the personal and the political, And The Land Lay Still sweeps away the dust and grime of the postwar years to reveal a rich mosaic of 20th century Scottish life.
James Robertson’s previous books have won The Saltire Prize and Scottish Arts Council Book of the Year, whilst the bestselling The Testament of Gideon Mack was picked by Richard & Judy’s Book Club and our Wee Read event! See page 15 for full details.
01796 484626
£8.50
Sunday 30th January
Ann Cleeves and Chris Stout
13
Shetland Quartet 7.30pm
A fantastic combination of words and music to round off the week in style! Join author Ann Cleeves as she reads excerpts from her series of thrilling crime novels set in Shetland and Fair Isle, together with evocative musical compositions performed by renowned Shetland fiddler Chris Stout, including pieces from his latest album White Nights. Chris Stout is well known as a member of the group Fiddlers’ Bid, as leader of his own musically diverse quintet, The Chris Stout Theory, and as a soloist with the likes of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Ann Cleeves is also the creator of the Vera Stanhope books. ITV Studios will soon be bringing Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope to the screen, starring international award
£12.50
winning actress Brenda Blethyn, in a two hour drama based on the third Vera Stanhope mystery, Hidden Depths. Blue Lightning is the last in Cleeves’s Shetland Quartet, which began with 2006’s Raven Black, winner of the Duncan Lawrie Dagger for that year’s best crime novel. All four books feature her detective Jimmy Perez, who was born on Fair Isle. This, though, is the first novel in which she takes Perez back to his home
“This is a real, page turning thriller. It is beautifully crafted, belonging to the golden age of well-fashioned detective fiction. Clues, red herrings, isolation, birds, wings, feathers, unusual passions made understood. I simply could not put it down... a terrific, atmospheric novel.” Frances Fyfield
Are you a member of a writing group or book club? Get in touch to explore ways in which you can get involved! Call Annie on 01796 484600 or email her at annie.hibberd@PitlochryFestivalTheatre.com
www.PitlochryFestivalTheatre.com
Tuesday 1st February
14
Schools Event
Matthew Fitt
Heroes, Middens and Eejits
Why does Hercules’ step-maw no like him? Whit does he dae when she pits snakes in his bed? What happens tae Harry when he chungs his sister’s dolly oot the windae? Whit pairt o her ugsome body does Mrs Eejit pit intae Mr
10.30am to 11.30am
U-18s: £2.50 Adults: £4.50
Eejit’s gless jist afore he drinks it? Hoo does he gets his ain back on her? Find oot this and mair when Scots writer and poet, Matthew Fitt, tells Perthshire bairns aboot the heroes, middens and eejits that bide in his books and in his imagination.
Wee Read
Stuart MacBride
4.00pm to 5.00pm
In the Wee Read book corner, at Pitlochry Festival Theatre Participants in this Wee Read event will receive a brand new copy of Dark Blood in advance to read. Then, lead by Winter Words own Reader in Residence, Rachel Marsh, you’ll explore, discuss and draw conclusions – even answers! – about this book and author, and perhaps life, the universe and everything in between!
Wee Read
Dark Blood Ticket plus book: £9.50
(includes reading notes, coffee or tea and cake and £2.50 off Stuart’s event on Sat 5th Feb at 4.30pm).
Ticket Only: £3.50
Wednesday 2nd February
The Testament of Gideon Mack
James Robertson At The Watermill Bookshop, Aberfeldy Participants in this event will receive a brand new copy of The Testament of Gideon Mack in advance to read. Then, lead by Winter Words own Reader in Residence, Rachel Marsh, you’ll explore, discuss and draw conclusions on this book and author.
01796 484626
4.00pm to 5.00pm Ticket plus book: £9.50
(includes reading notes, coffee or tea and cake and £2.50 off James’s event on Sun 30th Jan at 4.30pm).
Ticket Only: £3.50
Thursday 3rd February
15
Schools Event
Lari Don
The Big Bottom Hunt 10.30am to 11.30am U-18s: £2.50 Adults: £4.50
Sandy and Ella are out playing on the beach one day when they spot something sparkling by the jaggy rocks. They run over to see what it is and find a telescope that someone has left behind. But how will they find the owner? Then they see a funny shape in the sand - and realise it’s a bottom print! They run back
home for their art kit and trace the print. Then the big bottom hunt begins, as they ask each villager in turn: ‘Is this your bottom?’ Lari Don will read her first picture book, talk about where she found the story and tell some other stories about losing and finding. Ideal for children in (P1 – P3) and adults alike!
Schools Event
Lari Don
The Mountain’s Blood 1.30pm to 2.30pm U-18s: £2.50 Adults: £4.50
Inanna’s bored of being the goddess of love. When a volcano begins to make her people’s lives a misery, she decides to take it on. None of her brothers will help her so she fights it single-handedly and her victory inspires her to become the goddess of war!
heroine! Lari will talk about the challenges (and freedoms) of retelling a 5,000 year old story and discuss whether there are any differences between writing about heroes and about heroines.
This is Lari Don’s retelling of an ancient Sumerian myth about a seriously kick-ass
Ideal for children in (P6 and P7, S1 and S2) and adults alike!
Maisie Steven At The Watermill Bookshop, Aberfeldy In 1790, an eminent Scotsman had the very ambitious idea of compiling a complete picture of life in the whole of his country. He called on the assistance of every parish minister (all 938 of them) and sent them 166 questions on every aspect of life in the last decade of the 18th century. Sir John Sinclair of Ulbster in Caithness hoped that the survey would lead eventually to an improvement in the lot of the common people. The Old
Gems of Old Scotland 4.30 to 5.30pm
£6.50
At Aberfeldy Watermill Bookshop Statistical Account, as the collected reports became known, has often been the envy of social historians everywhere. Much loved Aberfeldy author, Maisie Steven reads extracts and talks about this intriguing picture of the lives of our forebears.
www.PitlochryFestivalTheatre.com
Friday 4th February
16
New Writing
with Rachel Marsh 10.30am to 11.30am
Free
Examples from this week’s First Lines and Last Words Creative Writing course will be read aloud in the Theatre foyer. Hear what can be conjured up in only three days!
John Grant and Elizabeth Sutherland John Grant and Elizabeth Sutherland have revived a Scottish tradition, that of publications telling the story of major court cases. In this fascinating book, they place historic legal cases in a social and legal context; cases that made
Scots Law Tales 11.45am to 12.45pm
£6.50
front page headlines, rocked society and changed the way the legal system worked, forever. Scots Law Tales recounts the most important Scottish court cases from the past 100 years including the Orkney Child abuse cases, the Lockerbie disaster and even Tommy Sheridan’s legal woes!
Literary Lunch
Judy Steel and Rosie Wallace
Political Wives: behind every great man is a better woman 1.00pm to 2.15pm
Two political wives tell their tales in very different ways. Judy Steel’s memoir Tales from the Tap End presents, amongst much else, her life with Sir David Steel. Rosie Wallace is married to the former deputy First Minister Jim Wallace. Her novel A Small Town Affair tells of a scandal involving a church minister, a businessman and the local MP. Old friends, Judy and Rosie give the frank lowdown on what it
£22.50
includes a special 3 course lunch and a glass of wine
means to be a politician’s “other half” – the good, the bad and the funny. Get together with two great minds over a three course lunch - with a special feminine touch! See page 24 for menu details
01796 484626
Friday 4th February
Roddy Martine
17
Haunted Scotland 2.45pm to 3.45pm
Collected over many years, Roddy Martine’s latest book is a collection of stories divided into geographical chapters, covering all areas of Scotland from the Borders to the Hebrides. In Haunted Scotland, Roddy examines
Dennis Canavan
stories (based on interviews) of paranormal encounters as well as the legends and folklore from Scotland’s history. Roddy was born in Sarawak and educated in Scotland. A former editor of Scottish Field magazine, he now focuses on writing books of Scottish interest from clan tartans to the supernatural, including the classic The Swinging Sporran and Secrets of Rosslyn. He is contributing editor to Scotland magazine and editor of The Keeper.
Let The People Decide 4.30pm to 5.30pm
Dennis Canavan is a much admired and hugely popular Scottish politician (he gained the highest ever majority in elections in Scotland – twice!) and a keen supporter of devolution. He has courted praise and controversy
£6.50
£8.50
throughout his career and is recognised as one of the most colourful politicians to have graced Holyrood. In this book, which covers some 30 years in politics, Dennis bares his soul about his life as a socialist orator as well as his personal life, a life touched with the early loss of three sons he loved and lost. Thought provoking, moving and with breathtaking candour, this will be a memorable afternoon in the company of a lively and fascinating personality.
www.PitlochryFestivalTheatre.com
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Friday 4th February
An Evening with
Phil Cool 7.30pm
Twenty years ago, having enjoyed three hit television series for the BBC (winning the Royal Television Society Awards of 1987 for most original show), four TV specials and two acclaimed series for Independent TV, Phil Cool turned his back on television citing artistic differences.
£15.00
Now he’s back, to tell his story for the first time and to entertain you with his very special brand of humour. Holding a degree in ‘Faceology’, Phil Cool’s extraordinary facial contortions are legendary. A stand-up chameleon, he punctuates his show with a wealth of hilarious anecdotes, observations and routines that make him as funny and unique today as he was during the 1980s. With a memoir (Phil Cool Died Here And Lived To Tell The Tale) in the offing that recounts his rags to riches story, this evening will be packed with hilarious, farcical and at times poignant anecdotes. Spend an evening in the company of a man that inspired a generation of comic impersonators – but Phil Cool is still the original and the best!
“On so many, many occasions he was the reason I missed doing my A level homework. Cool - it was unmissable.” Jon Culshaw
“He’s a joy to behold. But, most of all, that face …!It’s remarkable.” Jasper Carrott
9.30pm to 10.30pm Join us for a third night of Fearie Tales – or as we like to think of them, bedtime stories for the brave! Enter the Ben-y-Vrackie Bar after dark and you will be assailed with stories of demons, disturbances and despair. Scared?
Free
Really? Well, why not gather friends and family together and make a night of it – you might be glad of the company on the way home . . .
01796 484626
Saturday 5th February
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Robin Pilcher
A Matter of Trust 10.30am to 11.30am
Robin Pilcher’s dramatic new novel explores the universal themes of family, love and tragedy. Described as “having as many career changes as the River Thames has bends” (The Publishing News), Robin has worked in his time as a cowboy, an assistant film cameraman,
Janey Louise Jones Dress up as a sparkly princess, ballerina or fairy (Mums and Grannies too!), and meet Janey Louise Jones, author of Princess Poppy, and now Cloudberry Castle. Her new book is all about a ballet-mad little girl who wants to turn a castle in the Perthshire hills into a brilliant ballet school.
£6.50
a farmer, a public relations and marketing consultant and a tennis coach. Robin is coming to Pitlochry to read from his work, recount stories from his many careers and may even throw in a couple of songs! This promises to be an engaging and entertaining morning event!
Cloudberry Castle and
the Princess Poppy Stories Hear Janey read a section 11am to 12.00pm Princesses: £3.50 from her new book and Adults: £5.00 enjoy stories from the Family (4): £12.00 Princess Poppy range too. There will be interactive games, a dance display and craft demonstration also to enjoy! Afterwards, at Janey’s book signing, there will be a chance to meet and chat with the author. Suggested age range: 3 - 9 years.
Literary Lunch
Norman Watson Join us for a lunch unlike any other, in celebration of a new biography of William Topaz McGonagall – the ‘Great Poet and Tragedian’ of Dundee. Award-winning author Norman Watson’s insightful pen pulls back the curtain on the life of the self-styled ‘tragedian and poet’ in an important, absorbing and hugely entertaining biography which will appeal to McGonagall fans and general readers alike. McGonagall’s ‘legendary’ formulaic rhymes on tragedies, victories, heroic deeds, nobility
The Poet McGonagall 1.00pm to 2.15pm a traditional Dundee £12.50 includes lunch, served in reverse
and gentry have been popularised by The Goons, Pythons, Muppets, Spike Milligan and Peter Sellers amongst others. This lunchtime, enjoy a special ‘backwards’ McGonagall lunch (see page 24 for full details) together with readings of some of his works performed by a well kent face from the Pitlochry stage and discover the famous poet you thought you knew!
www.PitlochryFestivalTheatre.com
Saturday 5th February
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Trevor Royle
Tales of War
Trevor Royle is one of the most distinguished broadcasters and authors in the UK, specialising in the history of war and Empire with a score of books to his credit. His previous books include: The Orde Wingate, Flowers of the Forest, Crimea: The Great Crimean War 1854-1856 and Lancaster Against York. He is a regular commentator on defense matters and international affairs for the BBC and an Editor at The Sunday Herald.
Stuart MacBride
2.45pm to 3.45pm
£8.50
Trevor has recently written a foreword for a new publication, a collection of letters written by a Dr. David Greig, who set sail on The Vectis to join the Crimean War. This collection documents his journey, which he undertook with Florence Nightingale, as well as his life as an army surgeon in a savage war zone. Trevor will be discussing his huge body of work, including his books on the Crimea and why this was a thoroughly modern war. Readings by a familiar face from the PFT stage will be interspersed throughout the afternoon’s entertainment.
Shatter the Bones
4.30pm to 5.30pm £8.50 Discover more about the author at his wee read event! See page 14 for full details. Stuart MacBride is the the gossip magazines, they’ve got millions latest, most exciting Tartan of YouTube hits, everyone loves them. But Noir export. His books, set their reality-TV dream turns into a real-life in Aberdeen, are thrilling nightmare when they are kidnapped and held and terrifying, a step into to ransom. The demand appears in the media, a world we hope to never telling the nation to dig deep if they want to know. His latest Logan keep Alison and Jenny alive. McRae thriller, Shatter the DS Logan McRae and his colleagues have Bones, is no exception. nothing to go on: the kidnappers haven’t Alison and Jenny McGregor – Aberdeen’s own left a single piece of forensic evidence. The mother-daughter singing sensation – are investigation is going nowhere. It looks as if through to the semi-finals of TV smashthe price of fame just got a lot higher . . . hit Britain’s Next Big Star. They’re in all
Mini
6.00pm to 6.30pm
Free This afternoon’s entertainment finishes with the winners of the first Mini Fearie Tales competition for young writers being read out aloud in the cosy Theatre Foyer. You’ll be scared to death in as little as 100 words! See page 24 for full details.
01796 484626
Saturday 5th February
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An Evening with
Louis de Bernières
Music and Words 7.30pm
£15.00
who is appearing in Pitlochry to read from his range of work. After starting his career in the army, he has held various jobs: landscape gardener, mechanic and schoolteacher in both Colombia and England. Louis is a beautiful reader of his own work, a true superstar of the literary world and we’re delighted he’ll be joining us in Pitlochry. Louis will intersperse readings with a stunning mix of classical tunes, Bob Dylan and Serbian and Eastern European musical treats on a variety of beautiful bespoke string instruments. Join literary superstar, Louis de Bernières, for an evening of music and words, Louis’ bittersweet love story set in Greece during World War II, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, made him one of the best known authors in the world. The tender story yet brutal story of Antonio Corelli and Pelagia, the daughter of the local physician, was just one of the astonishing range of works by Louis,
Louis’ first novel, The War of Don Emmanuel’s Nether Parts, was published in 1990 and recently he has published Notwithstanding, a collection of short stories and The Partisan’s Daughter, set partly in 1970s London and partly in wartime Yugoslavia.
9.30pm to 10.30pm This is it. The final instalment of Fearie Tales for 2011. Enjoy the cosy atmosphere of the Ben-y-Vrackie bar while you can - it won’t be long before the shadows lengthen, a chill descends and a voice pierces the darkness
Free
. . . as the last clutch of this year’s ghastly, ghoulish tales are read aloud for the very first time! Make sure you have a glass or two of something strong at hand - to toast the winners, naturally . . .
www.PitlochryFestivalTheatre.com
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Sunday 6th February
I’ll Fight You For It!
Family Event
2.00pm to 4.00pm Join the hiper gang for an U-18s: £2.50 action-packed, Adults: £4.50 sword wielding adventure as they battle their way through time and every important battle on Scottish soil . . . well, almost!
It started as a playground scuffle . . . and ended with the battle of Culloden! I’ll fight you for it! is history like you’ve never seen it before. Have you ever wondered why Scotland’s emblem is a thistle or why St. Andrew’s Cross is on our flag - and did William Wallace really invent Iron Bru?
PFT’s hiper Youth Theatre saved the world at last year’s Winter Words, went on to voyage to the four corners of the earth as Vikings in the Summer, investigated murderous nursery crimes and then, most recently, scared the pants off parents in their Halloween special Fright Night in 3D. Now they return to the main stage, with a whacky whistle-stop tour of the Battles that shaped Scottish History.
Two Reading Group Events
Wee Read
Tues 1st & Wed 2nd 4.00pm to 5.00pm New for Winter Words 2011 are two reading group discussion events, where A Testament of Gideon Mack by James Robertson or Dark Blood by Stuart MacBride will be supplied in advance for you to read and digest before coming along to an informative and entertaining discussion on those very books! Get together with like minded people to discuss your response to the authors’ work, explore ideas and themes as well as life, the universe and everything – why not!
Ticket and book: £9.50 (including reading notes, coffee or tea and cake and £2.50 off a ticket to see either or both authors events during the Festival). Ticket only: £3.50 Dark Blood by Stuart MacBride will take place at in the Wee Read corner, Pitlochry Festival Theatre on Tuesday 1st February, 4.00pm – 5.00pm.
Limited to fifteen participants, both events will be informative, stimulating and fun, lead by Winter Words own ‘Reader in Residence’ Rachel Marsh.
01796 484626
A Testament of Gideon Mack by James Robertson will take place at the Watermill Bookshop, Aberfeldy on Wednesday 2nd February, 4.00pm – 5.00pm.
Three Day Creative Writing Course
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FIRST LINES AND LAST WORDS Winter Words Creative Writing Course with Rachel Marsh Tues 1st - Thurs 3rd February £120.00 Join Creative Writing tutor and author, Rachel Marsh on this exciting and intensive three and a half day course where you will go beyond further ‘First Lines’. This course is aimed at any author (budding or experienced) who is keen to improve their creative writing skills in a friendly and open environment. Mixing discussion, lecture, group and writing exercises, this course will take you from the conception of a story idea all the way through to the editing process. The first day will focus on making the most of your writing time and how to get those first words out and onto the page. There will also be a mixture of discussion and writing exercises to help explore and illuminate character development, plotting, setting and vocabulary. Day two will concentrate on reviewing your work completed on the first day to help bring into focus ways in which to hone and shape your writing. Discussions on genre and style will follow before participants begin to develop your pieces. On the final day, you will tackle editing skills as well as discussing publishing options.
To round off this experience, participants have the opportunity to perform a live reading to an audience on the Friday 4th February at 10.30am. Rachel Marsh has worked with Universities in Colorado and Dundee, has an M. Litt. in Creative Writing from the University of St Andrews, and is the Senior Editor for New Writing Dundee. She has written a number of academic articles and is a published short story author.
5 Free events! Sitting between the two weekends of Winter Words, participants will have the chance to take in the best of the Festival with the inclusive Event Pass for free entry to 5 daytime events. Lunch and refreshments are included everyday. In addition, there is an outing (20 minute drive!) to the fabulous Aberfeldy Watermill (Independent Bookshop of the Year), followed by a Festival talk by Perthshire author Maisie Steven. A special festival rate for B & B is available at our Festival Author’s hotel, The Atholl Palace: £53 per person per night.
www.PitlochryFestivalTheatre.com
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Food, Fearies and Free Verse!
Special Lunch Menus 100 Whiskies to Try Before You Die
Political Wives
Sunday 30th January at 1.00pm - £22.50
Friday 4th February at 1.00pm - £22.50
With Ian Buxton
Sponsored by Simon Howie, Butchers of Perth
A three course lunch with wine, highlighting the best of Scottish Game: Terrine of Highland Game Venison Fillet with a Bramble compote Whisky and Prune open tart with a Drambuie Ice-cream Coffee & Whisky truffles A whisky tasting led by Ian Buxton
With Judy Steel and Rosie Wallace
A three course lunch (with a feminine touch) including a sparkling rosé. Smoked Chicken, Avocado & Pink Grapefruit Salad Poached Salmon in a Pink Peppercorn sauce Rich Chocolate and Rose Mousse Coffee & Violet creams
Mini We are pleased to invite submissions of short scary stories (of no more than 100 words) from budding writers aged 11-18 years old. Entrants will be judged and shortlisted by acclaimed children’s author
Poet McGonagall With Norman Watson Saturday 5th February at 1.00pm - £12.50
A three course traditional ‘Dundee’ lunch with a beer, served in reverse, in honour of the Great Poet and Tragedian – William Topaz McGonagall. Tea & Tablet Sorbet of Irn Bru Forfar Bridie with root vegetable chips Arbroath Smokie Mousse
Lari Don, with the winners selected by online voting via PFT’s website. Winning entries will be read aloud at the Winter Words Festival on Saturday 5th February. See www.PitlochryFestivalTheatre.com for full competition details.
Live Poetry Paul Thompson will be performing live poetic to take on the Winter Words crowds with his pieces ‘on demand’ during Winter Words. instant readings to groups of one and over! A local poet (and literary agent), Paul has emerged, relatively unscathed, from some full-on ‘poetry busking’ on the Edinburgh streets during the 2010 Festival and is poised
There will also be a series of free, lunchtime poetry events in Just The Ticket! on the main street in Pitlochry. See the diary page for dates and times!
01796 484626
Writing Competition
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Writing Competition 2011
Fearie Tales is five this year! This unique competition is receiving more and more submissions each year, both from would-be authors and more established writers. The format is simple. We choose three or four entries to be read aloud by two familiar faces from the Pitlochry stage in the cosy atmosphere of the Theatre’s Ben-y-Vrackie Bar on the Friday and Saturday evenings throughout Winter Words. Every Fearie Tale read will be a new story, written especially for Winter Words.
How To Enter: 1. A competition entry must meet three content requirements: a)It must be a Fearie Tale! That is, a tale of the mysterious, the macabre or the supernatural... preferably all three! b)The story must contain an obvious connection with Scotland: author, location, characters, history, etc. c)It must not have been previously published, read or performed in any form whatsoever: book, newspaper, journal, broadcast media, digital media, website, blog, etc.
4. Each entry must show the story’s title and the author’s name, postal address, telephone number(s) and e-mail address (if you have one) on the front page. 5. No more than one entry per person is permitted. 6. Entries by post should be sent to: Fearie Tales Competition Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Pitlochry, Perthshire, PH16 5DR Entries by e-mail should be sent to: admin@PitlochryFestivalTheatre.com
Please enter “Fearie Tales Competition” 2. Entries must be EITHER: in the subject field of your e-mail. a)Typewritten/word processed on A4 paper, 7. Entries must be received at Pitlochry using 11 point type or larger, and Festival Theatre by 12.00 noon on Friday submitted by post or by hand; OR 21st January 2011. b)Written as an MS Word document and 8. The authors of the winning entries will be submitted as an e-mail attachment. notified privately as soon as possible after this Please note: hand-written entries date. If you submit a story to the Fearie Tale will not be accepted! competition, but do not hear back from us by the time that Winter Words begins, it means 3. Each entry must be a minimum of 2,250 that, sadly, your story has not been successful words in length, up to a maximum length on this occasion. of 3,250 words. 9. As always, the judges’ decisions are final!
www.PitlochryFestivalTheatre.com