Month: October 2017

That’s all folks….. for now anyway

Joanne Uncategorized

So that’s Portobello Book Festival over for another year. We hope you all enjoyed it as much as we did.

Over the weekend, there were about 1000 people in and out of the library and the Baptist Church Hall, and comments across the board have been very positive indeed.  Our intention is always to try as far as possible to make sure that those who make up the community of Portobello see themselves, their experience and their interests reflected in the programme – to be inclusive and local but never parochial! This year’s festival was perhaps the most diverse to date.  The programme is also designed to bring together a distinctive mix of subjects, writers, commentators and readers creating what we hope is an atmosphere that is convivial and stimulating

The organising team would like to thank:

The talented musicians and writers who took part in our SongBook opening event

All our participating writers for inspiring us

Our fantastic chairs for keeping everything running smoothly

Our soundman Hamish for making sure that everyone could be heard

Jock, our resident joiner!

Blackwell’s Bookshop for providing staff for the weekend and making sure all our authors’ books were available for sale after each event

Portobello Baptist Church for their help and use of the premises

Jon Davey who took some amazing photographs

A special thanks to Paul Hudson and the staff of Portobello Library, a fantastic resource on our doorstep, without whose help and time we would not be able to run our festival

And of course, thanks to everyone who came along to the events and created such a vibrant atmosphere.

The 2018 programme – our 10th festival! – will be launched early September with tickets available shortly afterwards. The organising team will be starting to plan for this very soon. Any ideas and suggestions will be warmly welcomed.

The 2018 Portobello Book Festival will run from 5th-7th October.

 

Saturday photos

Joanne 2017, Home

Just a few photos from some of today’s events at the library. More will follow. Thank you so much to all our contributors and chairs for helping make it such a fantastic day. Still some tickets available for events tomorrow. Best to come along to the library just before an event to see if you can get a ticket. Remember the library is only open for book festival events tomorrow so doors open just before each one. 

Scottish Women’s Institute event update

Joanne 2017, Home

Saturday 7th October, 5-6pm, Library Upstairs

There has been a change to the speakers at this event. We will now be joined by Anne Kerr,  who is a member in Ayrshire and is currently Senior Vice Chairman and Convenor of the Communications Committee,  Heather McDougall,  Secretary of Perth and Kinross Federation and a member of Cleish Institute in Perthshire, and Jay Hutchison, also a Perthshire member. 

Anne will talk about the organisation, its history and its vision for the future and the other two will chat about their roles.  They will all speak about the Centenary Cook Book, published to celebrate this significant anniversary.

There are still free tickets available at the library for this event. As there has been discussion recently on our local Facebook page about possibly starting up a Portobello branch of the SWI, this is an ideal opportunity to find out more about the organisation’s history and future.

Programme details

One hundred years after its inception at Longniddry, the SWI is still dedicated to friendship, learning and skill sharing. At this session the challenges and opportunities facing the organisation as it stands today will be discussed and we will take a glimpse inside the SWI’s celebratory Centenary Cook Book.

Chair: Linda Bradley      

Tickets for all Portobello Book Festival events are free and can be picked up from Portobello Library in Rosefield Avenue.

Four days to go….

Joanne 2017, Home

Only four days until the 2017 Portobello Book Festival begins. Some events are already fully booked but there are still tickets left for many of them. And there will be a very limited amount for each event available immediately beforehand. To make sure of your place though, head to Portobello library this week to pick up your FREE tickets.

Fake News: What’s New?

Joanne 2017, Home

Sunday 8th October, 4.15-5.45pm, Library

Lately much has been made of ‘fake news’ and ‘alternative facts’. But what are we dealing with here: something new or just a new way of talking about something that is not new at all?  What is the role of social media in all this?  A distinguished panel discuss these questions: academic and researcher, Rita Marcella of Robert Gordon’s University; freelance journalist and writer, Marcello Mega; Director of Common Weal and campaigner, Robin McAlpine.

Chair: Alastair Cameron

Tickets for all Portobello Book Festival events are free and can be picked up from Portobello Library in Rosefield Avenue.