SPECIAL EVENT – PORTOBELLO BOOK SHOP
THURSDAY 3rd OCTOBER – 6.30pm-8pm
We are delighted to kick off this year’s Portobello Book Festival at our new local bookshop, The Portobello Bookshop. It hosts prize-winning Edinburgh poet Michael Pedersen who will talk about his recent work including his collection Oyster.
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 2019 Portobello Book Festival, 3rd-6th October, has now been revealed. We have a packed programme as always this year and are delighted to be welcoming an exciting list of authors, contributors and guests. We are especially pleased to be running a special event in conjunction with our new local bookshop, The Portobello Bookshop, and to be paying a return visit to Jameson Gate.
Copies of the programme will be available from the library and local businesses in the coming few days. Tickets to all events are, as always, free and will be available from Monday 2nd September at Portobello Library in Rosefield Avenue.
Click the link below to see the full programme and look out for more info about each individual event over the coming weeks.
BLACKWELL’S BOOKSHOP
Books by participating authors will be available.
Tickets for all events can be collected in person from
Portobello Library from 2nd September. Some tickets
will be available at venues 15 minutes before events.
PORTOBELLO BOOK FESTIVAL
is organised 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, EH15 1AU
PORTOBELLO BAPTIST CHURCH HALL & CAFE
189 Portobello High Street, EH15 1EU
JAMESON GATE
17-21 Portobello High Street, EH15 1DW
THE PORTOBELLO BOOKSHOP
46 Portobello High St, EH15 1DA
DALRIADA
77 Promenade, EH15 2EL
Not long to go now until you can find out what’s inside the programme for the 11th Portobello Book Festival. We are looking forward to revealing the line-up which, as always, includes local authors as well as those from further afield. The Festival, which runs from Thursday 3rd – Sunday 6th October, offers the diversity of subjects and authors that has become a distinctive feature of our programme. And yes, you are reading that correctly – we are beginning a day earlier than normal with a special event on Thursday 3rd September. All will be revealed soon.
You can pick up a copy of the programme from our brilliant bookstall at the Village Show in Rosefield Park this Sunday 1st September from 2-5pm or it will be available from Portobello Library and various local businesses from next Monday. Tickets for all events are free and must be collected in person from the library from Monday 2nd September. Some tickets will be available 15 minutes before events.
The full programme will be published here next week with more detailed posts on each event following in the lead-up to the festival.
The tenth Portobello Book Festival was a great success and 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, Jameson Gate 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 the opening event celebrating the launch of our anniversary publication Postcards from Portobello
All our participating writers for inspiring us
Our fantastic chairs for keeping everything running smoothly
Our soundman Jock and his assistant Riley for making sure that everyone could be heard
Our wonderful team of volunteers whose help was invaluable
Blackwell’s Bookshop for providing staff for the weekend and making sure all our authors’ books were available for sale after each event
Jameson Gate for hosting a fantastic and very popular event. It was great to have a new venue.
Portobello Baptist Church for their help and use of the premises
The teachers and children at the school events for their enthusiasm
Steve Harvey for organising the ever popular book quiz at the Dalriada
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 2019 programme 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 STATE OF THE WORLD 10 YEARS ON: FOR BETTER FOR WORSE
How has the world changed in the decade since the first Portobello Book Festival in 2009? What are the prospects for the next decade? Three distinguished University of Edinburgh academics address these questions in their different and distinctive ways: Sian Bayne, Professor of Digital Education, Jill MacKay, Research Fellow in Veterinary Medical Education, and Donald Bloxham, Professor of History.
Chair: Ian Martin
Sunday 7th October 5.00-6.30pm LIBRARY UPSTAIRS
Tickets for all Portobello Book Festival events are free and can be picked up from Portobello Library in Rosefield Avenue.
ST KILDA: A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE
Alex Boyd’s St Kilda: The Silent Islands is a stark and reflective collection of photographs that capture the archipelago of St Kilda in a new light. They show the reality of the crumbling military base as well as the wild beauty of the natural landscape. He is joined by composer Jessica Danz who is working on a new composition focusing on the largely unknown and ill-fated 1852 migration of 42 islanders to Australia.
Chair: Jim Gilchrist
Sunday 7th October 3.30-4.30pm LIBRARY UPSTAIRS
Tickets for all Portobello Book Festival events are free and can be picked up from Portobello Library in Rosefield Avenue.
THE TIMES ON CINEMA
Brian Pendreigh, local journalist and freelance film correspondent, has had a lifetime fascination with film. He has authored many books, guides and reviews for papers such as the Scotsman, Herald, Times and Guardian. Brian shares stories of meeting famous film stars, the Oscars and discusses his latest book The Times on Cinema.
Chair: Peter E. Ross
Sunday 7th October 3.30-4.30pm LIBRARY DOWNSTAIRS
Tickets for all Portobello Book Festival events are free and can be picked up from Portobello Library in Rosefield Avenue.
With just ten days to go until the 10th Portobello Book Festival begins, now is the time to get along to the library to pick up your free tickets if you haven’t already.
The good news? There are still some tickets left! Among other events with tickets still available, you could come to hear:
Local author Doug Johnstone talk about his Desert Island Books on Saturday at 11am in the Baptist Church Hall.
Three short story writers, Elle Turner, Jane Tulloch and Rosemary Gemmell, chatting about the art of crafting an effective story in a shorter form – Saturday 12.30pm upstairs in the library.
Steve Harvey discussing World Poetry at 1pm on Saturday in the Baptist Church Hall with poets Stuart A Paterson, Marjorie Lotfi Gill and Lynn Davidson.
Stephanie Nimmo’s inspiring book Was This In The Plan is the focus of her discussion with Lisa Hardie – Saturday 4pm at the Baptist Church Hall.
Or how about Celebrating 40 Years of Amnesty in Portobello? Hear from members of the group as they talk about their campaigning work during those 40 years. Sunday 12.30pm upstairs in the library.
The bad news? Tickets for quite a few of the events have already gone. Although remember, there are a few spare available just before each event (with the exception of the writing workshop) so it’s always worth coming along just in case you can get in.
Remember that the roadworks on Brighton Place will have begun by the time the festival is on and it will be closed from Bath Street to Lee Crescent. This will no doubt have an effect on parking too so plan ahead. You can still get the 21, 26, 45 and 124 buses to Portobello but the 42, 49 and 69 are being diverted and will not serve Portobello High Street. (The 21 will only be stopping at its usual stops from Kings Road to Portobello Police Station/Town Hall then is on a non stop diversion until it rejoins its usual route.)
Look forward to seeing you next week!
FACING THE NATION: THE PORTRAITURE OF ALEXANDER MOFFAT
Alexander Moffat is one of Scotland’s foremost painters. The paintings Poets’ Pub and the portrait of Muriel Spark in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery are two fine examples of his work. Here he is in conversation with Bill Hare, author of Facing the Nation: The Portraiture of Alexander Moffat.
Sunday 7th October, 2.00-3.00pm LIBRARY UPSTAIRS
Tickets for all Portobello Book Festival events are free and can be picked up from Portobello Library in Rosefield Avenue.
Portobello Book Festival 