PAISLEY BOOK FESTIVAL

Various Locations, Paisley

16th till 19th February

The fest kicks off with an incredible rabble of rebels — mystical life guides spoken word music duo 2 Stoned Birds, arresting and enrapturing Bibi June, and ebullient and down-to-earth Michael Mullen (aka the Adele of poetry). There’s The Anxiety Cabaret, a night of ‘anxious art’ spanning poetry, comedy, rap, and music, curated by dynamic and delightful Kevin P. Gilday and featuring Sean Wai Keung, Dr Katie Ailes, Elaine Malcolmson, MilesBetter and a flyin DJ set from Alan Bissett. Jackie Kay and Michael Pedersen team up to explore the magic of friendships; Alycia Pirmohamed, Mohamed Tonsy, and Jessica Widner discuss debuts; and Natasha Thembiso Ruwona, Maria Sledmere, Nisha Ramayya, and Lila Matsumoto perform their ‘work that incorporates the surreal, mysterious, and ephemeral characteristics of dreaming’. Can you tell I am a poetry groupie??

Families are catered for too, with events including children’s author David MacPhail. He not only reads from the latest in his Velda the Awesomest Viking book series, but will help you discover your own Viking name, draw a Viking longship, and have you snorting at his cheesy jokes.

There’s lots for opening doors for writers as well as audiences – check out their website to see all the events to do with getting published and marketing yourself. I’ve not even got space to cover their array of workshops. Check out their website, and remember – Paisley’s only a 20-minute train ride from Glasgow Central.

paisleybookfest.com

FESTIVAL OF LIGHT: SPECTRA

Various Locations, Aberdeen

9th till 12th February

The theme this year is ‘Home’ and and this year’s festival is one of the first major events to be held in the historic Union Terrace Gardens after its revamp, which keeps being referred to as ‘multimillion pound’ so one assumes a lot of money was spent on it – make your tax worthwhile and use the space! Spot the incandescent insects, fluorescent forestry, and well-lit wildlife of Nature Nocturnal from The Lantern Company. Sound Intervention continue the nature theme, with Luminosi Trees, six-metre tall jellyfish-like trees sitting in the smackdead centre with scintillating, sound-responsive LEDs.

There are many, many blends of the eye-wateringly vibrant scenes to immerse yourself in — probably the best way to see the usually grey grey grey Granite City.

spectrafestival.co.uk