Saturday 7th October, 12.45-2.15pm, Portobello Baptist Church Hall

Kaite Welsh is the author of The Wages of Sin, a mystery set in 1890s Edinburgh, which features a female medical student turned detective.  Jane Tulloch’s novels Our Best Attention and Assured Attention are set in Murrays, a large fictional department store in 1970s Edinburgh. Join them as they discuss researching and writing historical fiction set in very different eras.

Chair: Viv Cree

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

Saturday 7th October, 12.15-1.45pm, Library Upstairs

This session hears from three authors who have been employed as writers-in-residence about their experience and how it has influenced their own writing. Doug Johnstone was until recently writer-in-residence to William Purves Funeral Directors, Thomas Clark is currently undertaking a residency with Selkirk Football Club and Janice Galloway was the first Scottish Arts Council writer-in-residence to four Scottish prisons.

Chair: Catherine Simpson, recently Writer in Residence at Dunbar’s CoastWord Festival

Saturday 7th October, 11.30am-12noon, Library

BOOKBUG returns to the Book Festival for fun, songs and rhymes.

No tickets needed for this event, just turn up with your wee ones.

Saturday 7th October, 11am-12.30pm, Portobello Baptist Church Hall

Join Fraser Parkinson and Jack Gillon for a unique journey: a photographic tour from Edinburgh to Portobello via Leith. Jack and Fraser talk you through the highways and by-ways, as well as the many lost sights, people and buildings on the way to the sea. Audience members are encouraged to contribute their own memories and comments about the photographs as they progress along the route.

Chair: Bill Jameson

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

Saturday 7th October, 11am-12noon, Library Upstairs

Daniel Gray is the author of Saturday, 3pm, a collection of 50 short essays about football. They aim to remind readers that despite footballers’ astronomical salaries, mad ticket prices, lunchtime kick-offs and the clamour for TV rights, football can still be a joy. Saturday, 3pm is a book of love letters to football which help you find the romance in the game all over again. The author also has a new book available now, Scribbles in the Margins, which is about the delights of reading.

Chair: Graham Boyack

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

Saturday 7th October, 10.30am-12.30pm, Portobello Baptist Church Cafe

Following the success of last year’s workshop, we take inspiration from what’s around us to kick start and develop our creative writing. First time and seasoned writers all welcome. The workshop is led by two local writers, M Louise Kelly and Sheila M Averbuch. 

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

Friday 6th October,  8-10.30pm, Library

Join David Francis and a host of artistes for what promises to be a very entertaining evening of words and music inspired by books, and books inspired by music. 

There will be musical contributions inspired by books from Rosie Nimmo, Lee Patterson, Doug Johnstone, Dave Francis, Eileen Penman, Steven Palmer, Carlos Arredondo, Lisa Rigby and Penny Stone. You can also look forward to hearing writing inspired by songs from a variety of local writers. 

REFRESHMENTS will be available.

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

The wait is over! The programme for the 2017 Portobello Book Festival, 6th-8th October, has now been revealed. We have a busier programme than ever this year and are very excited to be welcoming our authors, contributors and guests. Tickets to all events are, as always, free and will be available next week from Portobello Library.

Click the link below to see the full programme and look out for more info about each individual event over the coming weeks. 

2017 PBF Programme

BLACKWELL’S BOOKSHOP

Books by participating authors will be available.

Tickets for all events can be collected in person from

Portobello Library from 4^th September. Some tickets

will be available at venues 15 minutes before events.

PORTOBELLO BOOK FESTIVAL

is organized by local enthusiasts and Portobello Library.

If you have ideas or would like to be involved, please contact:

portobellobookfestival@gmail.com

VENUES

PORTOBELLO LIBRARY

14 Rosefield Avenue, Portobello EH15 1AU

PORTOBELLO BAPTIST CHURCH HALL

189 Portobello High Street, Edinburgh EH15 1EU

DALRIADA

77 Promenade, Portobello EH15 2EL