The Fifth Portobello Book Festival kicked off today with two fantastic schools events this morning.

• The lovely Janis Mackay read her to really wonderful group of P3s and P4s at Towerbank.

See her reading from her Scottish Book Trust Children’s Book award shortlisted novel ‘The Accidental Time Traveller’ here!
http://scottishbooktrust.com/node/111003%20@scottishbktrust

• And some lovely enthusiastic 5th and 6th year students from Portobello High School had the children of St John’s Nursery, Portobello, roaring and dancing like Wild Things as they read to them.

• James Spence also drew a great crowd and led them in some reminiscence of Edinburgh, Portobello and the world, 50 years ago today.

And tonight..

It’s Portobello Library’s 50th Birthday and Festival Opening Gala… can’t wait.  Henderson’s (who’ve been trading since 1963 in Edinburgh) are providing snacks, Molly Sugars Vintage Clothes are treating us to a cat walk parade of 60s fashions, writers from far and wide will be reading their 63 words on 1963, the Ladies Guerrilla Quartet will be providing some 60s music, James Spence, storyteller and poet has a set and we’ll be reading from some books published in 1963…  Hope our compere for the evening, David Francis, will be able to hold it all together!
And don’t forget to look at the programme of what other delights are in store for the rest of the weekend!  http://portobellobookfestival.blogspot.co.uk/p/2013-festival-programme.html

We officially launched the Portobello Book Festival 2013 programme on Friday and asked along some of our contributors, volunteers, authors and volunteers to help us celebrate. A big thank you to everyone who came along and enjoyed a first look at our packed programme. Here are a few pictures from the night.  Complete programme is now available here!

This year Portobello library celebrates its Golden Jubilee so to mark this we’re making 1963: the start of the modern era the theme of the festival’s Opening Gala event. And we’d love you to be involved.

• Do you have any special connection to that year?
• Maybe that’s when you moved to Portobello?
• Is it when you got married?
• Or the year you were born?
• If you’ve got any connection you’d like to share with us, do get in touch: leave a comment below or email us portobellobookfestival@gmail.com.