The season of mists and mellow bookishness is once again upon us, and with it brings the annual Dundee Literary Festival, produced by the University of Dundee’s Literary Dundee initiative! Peggy Hughes, festival programmer, provides the low-down in this special guest feature and picks out 5 choice events which are not to be missed.

This year’s kicks off in earnest on Wednesday 21st and runs until Sunday 25th October, but don’t miss our very special pre-festival event on Wednesday 7th October, with the one and only Jeanette Winterson, sharing her latest book, The Gap of Time. The festival proper sees another line up of the best writers in the world, in Dundee, to take part in more than 50 events over 5 days. Workshops, talks, readings, book groups, kids events, music and theatre for curious people, whatever it is you’re curious about, from the human body to baking, censorship to suffragettes.

Once again, the Bonar Hall will be transformed into a fantastic festival hub (free to enter), with a festival bookshop manned by Waterstones, Ms Battenberg’s Travelling Tea Room supplying beverages, soups and other delicious autumnal victuals, a pop up library and Ex Libris Book Fair on Sunday 25th, 11am-3pm. You can view the programme in full on Literary Dundee’s website.

Janice Galloway, Wednesday 21st October, 6pm

A sparkling and powerful new collection from Janice Galloway is cause for celebration. In this event, Janice will read from and discuss Jellyfish – a long-awaited collection of short stories about love, not-love, sex and raising children – and the sometimes dramatically unexpected fallout of each in everyday life. A wonderful writer, a straight-talking talker, Janice will be joined by Newport’s own Zoe Venditozzi in what promises to be a brilliant conversation.
Book tickets here.

Heard It. Seen It. Done It. Thursday 22nd October, 8pm

Don’t miss this one-off cultural showcase of live music, spoken word, animation and film that explores the possibilities of sound and voice in art; both internal and external. Conceived, curated and performed by voice hearers from HVN Dundee with special guests, this promises to be spectacular and surprising evening, hosted by Neu Reekie, and made possible with the support of Edinburgh International Book Festival & Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival.
Book tickets here.

Mike Collins & Tom Foster, Friday 23rd October, 2.30pm

We’re proud to celebrate comics, and in the home of Desperate Dan it would be rude not to. This year we welcome Mike Collins and Tom Foster (among others, including Karrie Fransman, UK Comics Laureate Dave Gibbons and William Goldsmith) to tell us more about their craft. Mike is a veteran of Marvel Comics, Tom is a debut artist for 2000AD – this event is set to be a celebration of comics across the decades: old hands, new talents and everything in between.
Book tickets here. More info on our comics strand here.

Nick Frost: Truths, Half-Truths and Little White Lies, Saturday 24th October, 8pm

Nick Frost is best-known to us as the cult figure behind Spaced, Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead. His hotly anticipated memoir is the warts and all account of a difficult family life blighted by alcoholism, illness and sudden misfortune, and his journey to the extraordinary talent we know and love today. Moving, dark and yet often very funny, Nick Frost will tell his own story in his own inimitable and vivid way.
Book tickets here.

Ladybird by Design! Sunday 25th October, 2pm

Lawrence Zeegen has written a beautiful book about those most beautiful books: Ladybirds. Still much loved 100 years on, Ladybird Books played a huge part in generations of childhoods, and in this event, Lawrence will walk us through his timely Ladybird by Design, an investigation of the cultural significance and educational and social impact of these wonderful little books. This event is part of our design strand, taking a closer look at illustration and book production to mark Dundee’s recent UNESCO City of Design designation.
Book tickets here. More info on the theme of design here.

 

Browse our full programme!

Website: www.literarydundee.co.uk

Twitter: @literarydundee | #dundeelitfest

Facebook: www.facebook.com/dundeebooks