Enjoy a great mix of special guests, literature, debate and entertainment – The Wigtown Book Festival starts this Friday – with ten times as many tickets already sold than there are local residents.
Scotland’s Book Town, in the beautiful rural region of Dumfries and Galloway, will welcome leading writers, poets, historians, journalists, academics, musicians, photographers and many others to take part in a vibrant event which runs from 22 September to 1 October.
Visitors will have the chance to hear leading writers of adult, young people’s and children’s fiction and also to be present at debates that cover everything from the major events shaping the world today – to what would have happened had the Jacobites won?
Adrian Turpin, the festival’s artistic director, comments: “With more than 10,000 tickets already sold we hope this year’s event will be a big success for the town, the region and for everyone who loves books – and the arts more widely.
“We also have some cracking talks and debates involving some of the most remarkable journalists of their generation. We will be welcoming figures like Gavin Esler, Bridget Kendall, Martin Bell, Jeremy Bowen and Angus Roxburgh who have served as trusted witnesses to great events in an era when many have lost faith in official accounts from governments and those in authority.
“There will be a multitude of other extraordinary guests like former jockey Declan Murphy, who fought back from a terrible riding accident and returned to the racecource and win again. Then there is filmmaker Kevin Toolis talking about My Father’s Wake, his quite astonishing book about what the world can learn from the Irish approach to life, love and death.”
There’s also plenty for those who love the comic and the quirky. Richard Littler will be making his first ever book festival appearance to talk about Discovering Scarfolk – his fictional town in north-west England that never progressed beyond 1979. It’s a place where pagan rituals blend seamlessly with science, the priority is keeping rabies at bay, and everyone must be in bed by 8pm because they are perpetually running a slight fever.
Nikki Welch and Blair Bowman will take their audience on a sensuous journey around the Whisky Tube Map. Follow the Intrepid Line to the spirit’s geographical extremes, hop on a ferry to the island of Outliers or luxuriate on the Decadent Line.
Meanwhile dairy farmer Rosamund Young will reveal The Secret Life of Cows and that they are a lot more like humans than we think. They can love, play games and form strong life friendships. They can also sulk, hold grudges, have preferences and be vain.
Among this year’s talks, debates and lectures are:
- A Question of Immigration: How is immigration changing Scotland and can the nation chart a separate course from England? Is our politicians’ generally open attitude to migration representative? To discuss, we welcome Alasdair Allan, Minister for International Development and Europe. He is joined by Robert Wright, Professor of Economics at the University of Strathclyde and a founder of the Centre for Population Change, and Marjorie Lotfi Gill of The Belonging Project.
- Brexit: The View from Europe: What are the motivations of the 27 other countries who will need to agree any agreement? Has the UK’s decision to leave shaken the continent? And what might Europe’s future look like? Our panel: Jan Culík, senior lecturer in Czech studies, University of Glasgow; Daphne Halikiopoulou, Associate Professor in Comparative Politics, University of Reading; Anne Saenen, London correspondent for broadcaster RTL in The Netherlands. Chaired by Halla Mohieddeen, anchor of STV’s News Tonight.
- The Whithorn Trust Lecture: The Lost Dark Age Kingdom of Rheged: Since medieval times the location of the Dark Age kingdom of Rheged has been lost. New archaeological evidence suggests its royal hub was Trusty’s Hill near Gatehouse of Fleet, a centre of religious, cultural and political innovation. Ronan Toolis and Chris Bowles discuss excavations that transform our understanding of Galloway’s past.
- A Homage to Catalonia: On the eve of Catalonia’s unofficial independence referendum, we explore what it means to be Catalan, embarking on a joyful whistlestop of the nation’s food, culture, history and, of course, a little politics. Leading the way are Rachel McCormack, BBC Radio 4 food panellist and Catalan cookery expert, and Dr Irene Boada-Montagut, who lectures in Spanish and Catalan at Queen’s University, Belfast.
- The Wigtown Debate: Join the festival question time with a panel of authors and special guests to discuss issues of the moment – local, national and international. Submit your questions to [email protected]. Chaired by journalist and broadcaster Andrew Cassell.
- Where Germany Leads: What happens to Germany affects us all. Yet how much do we know of our neighbour’s politics? In the week that Germans went to the polls, we ask what the new government will mean for Brexit. How is Berlin likely to shape a new Europe? And can it fill the void in international leadership left by the US? Our panel: Sebastian Borger, London Correspondent for Berliner Zeitung; Marcus Brauckmann, journalist and TV documentary maker; Dr Imke Henkel, Senior Lecturer in Journalism, University of Lincoln. Chaired by broadcaster Andrew Cassell.
- Booking information – To book tickets call 01988 403222, visit in person at Number 11 North Main Street in Wigtown or buy online at wigtownbookfestival.com
- Website – wigtownbookfestival.com
