GRANITE NOIR

Various Locations, Aberdeen 23rd till 26th February

If you’ve been caught practising your Benoit Blanc accent lately, I do declare you should attend this festival concerned with all that is fascinatingly fatal and cunningly criminal. A whole host of writers and events to sink your daggers into. Dr Kathryn Harkup looks at ‘the reality behind the silly and not so silly ways to die in the world of everybody’s favourite spy, James Bond.’ Wendy Joseph KC, the third woman to ever hold a permanent position at the Old Bailey, delves into six extraordinary cases and what we can learn from them. Check out the panel with Kaite Welsh, Vaseem Khan, and Johana Gustawsson discussing how they write historical thrillers.

Writers of Colour Workshop

Don’t miss superband The Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers, composed of legends Val McDermid, Mark Billingham, Stuart Neville, Doug Johnstone, Luca Veste and Chris Brookmyre, who do energetic covers with murderous themes. There are a range of workshops too: a virtual event from the Scottish BPOC Writers Network for Black writers and writers of colour based in Scotland, a Zine Noir crafternoon and a Poison Pen session with crime writer E. S. Thomson, who will drip doses of discourse regarding the ‘potential of poison’ as a murder weapon.

Ever Dundas is also hosting a workshop online to introduce you to the concept of ‘defamiliarisation’ — intriguing! A cornucopia of the events will be livestreamed as well — check their website for details.

aberdeenperformingarts.com/granite-noir